The doll test has been around a long time - in the 1940s Dr Kenneth Clark and Dr Mamie Clark took four identical dolls (apart from the colour of their 'skin') and asked children about the personalities that they associated with them. This video done recently reflects the findings then. Watch it then read on.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that it matters what words are used to describe something or someone as the words used not only reflect attitudes but actually affect attitudes; when we hear or read something it affectsour impression of the thing/person being described (hence why schools are moving from 'naughty' to describe the child's behaviour rather than the child themselves to starting to ban the word altogether to stop an association with the word from becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy: 'I have done naughty things... I do naughty things... I will always do naughty things.') In the doll test we see the attitudes that have been communicated to these children but we also see them using them, reinforcing those attitudes in themselves and in others. The antithetical pairings dumb/smart, good/bad, pretty/ugly etc. are evaluative adjectives (they are purely subjective judgements rather than objective descriptions).
These children were 3-7 years old so it shows how quickly attitudes to race are embedded. It breaks my heart when some of the chlidren realise that they are being asked to identify with the doll of their colour, having said such harsh things about it - either when they try to avoid doing so or still identify with it quickly despite that. Look up the recent viral video of the children crying who'd been given black dolls with a relative laughing about it - highly offensive so you can choose to read the commentary people are making on it rather than watching the video itself.
Attitudes are communicated in more ways than just words, of course: paralinguistics, the way people are treated, the roles you see people taking in society (or their absence) etc. But words are powerful and they do matter. Be conscious of the linguistic choices of yourselves and others.
We can't be 'colourblind' because we need to be conscious of attitudes to race affecting the language around us and actively try to shape more genuine representations of people.
I don't know if I agree with this because although it does seem like people are being segregated into groups by being called words/names but sometimes people need to be separated due to behaviour, good or bad however, racial segregation shouldn't be aloud.
ReplyDeleteI think without thinking, we stereotype different racial groups. This doesn't make it right. Sometimes we need to make quick judgements about people to, for example, to protect ourself.
ReplyDeletepeople can make snap judgements on how to describe certain things by stereotypically putting them into categories. I disagree with this as the children shouldn't be putting races into different groups and should be 'describing them' as the same with some minor differences that make them the slightest bit different to others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Louise, I think, in that the questions themselves are designed to produce 'black and white' (pun intended) answers - by limiting the variables to just colour, you are inviting racist characterisations and people are very easily led by closed questions e.g. 'which is the naughty one?' strongly implies that the only right answer is that one of the dolls is naughty, not that they are all the same.
ReplyDeleteI found this really interesting to watch and I showed my mum to see what she thought. We both agreed that is is wrong to stereotype different racial group, and we both agreed with Louise's comment.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this was really intriguing to watch as I didn't realise that children that young were starting to separate people into categories-which is obviously wrong to do. I think that even though equality has got better within the last few years, I think that we are still being a little 'colour blind' without realising it and it unfortunately is affecting the way language is used around us.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we are taught to make stereotypical judgement off the cuff which has came from the influence of different media strategies and upbringing. I think this is where young children have learnt it from- they are easily influenced by those around them. I think it is wrong that people can make these racial judgments so easily and segregating people due to their race.
ReplyDeleteThis theory of using limited language to influence people response can be related to a psychological study by Elizabeth Loftus and John Palmer(1974) where participants were asked to watch a video of a car accident, and then recall the information by answering questions. They discovered when the verb in the sentence was changed the speed at which the participants felt the car was traveling at as an average increased. For example;
ReplyDeleteVerb Mph Mean Estimate
Contacted 31.8
Bumped 34.0
Hit 38.1
Collided 39.3
Smashed 40.8
This proves that the use of language can change someone’s perspective on a subject. However I don’t think that children of this age will have a developed understanding of diversity and feel as though people of black ethnic background are ‘less desirable’ than white. Can children as young as 3 really notice a separation in races?
I thought that the reason why the young girl was crying in the video with her mum laughing was because of her upbringing and the way her mum has taught her about the different races, which shows she obviously taught her wrong. However I was then surprised that all of the young children in the video stereotyped about the different races and which they thought were better/worse; it doesn't matter what race you are or what your upbringing has been like, it seems that young people will make racial judgements.
ReplyDeleteThis video surprised me as the children didn’t need much time to make a decision about which doll was naughty, pretty, ugly etc… It was like a reflex. Katie Nachman’s children were pleased to get black dolls and she parents her children to be accepting of all races. She believed that giving her children dolls of multiple ethnicities will eliminate any chances of racism in the future. I agree with this idea. I believe that our societies portrayal of different ethnic groups will affect our opinion and I believe that we should actively promote equality in our children for them to understand. I think that many of the children in the video were reflecting society; not their own opinion. Many psychologists believe that children do not have their own personal identity, that they are not capable of understanding such complex behaviors such as racism. I believe that the language choice is just a reflection of the feelings that the children have. They may say the white doll is “pretty” because it is a simple way of explaining complex behaviour which the media, society, parents and schools may have created. As well as this I don’t believe that the closed questions which the interviewers asked were a valid way of obtaining true thoughts and feelings which the children may have. I think that it is so much more complex than simply thinking a black doll is naughty but that children do not have the ability to take this further.
ReplyDeleteI found the first video very intriguing but also quite shocking at the same time. I did not expect all those children to be so judgemental. I think the reason behind it is their upbringing and lack of acceptance towards other races. Some people could say children's choice of the doll (especially the youngest ones) was linked to what they associate certain colours with for instance; black- fear,darkness. However, if that was the reason for their choice why would so many children discriminate against the black doll? Why would they assume that people who have dark skin would hurt them?
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ReplyDeleteI found this very interesting and I was shocked by how quick and forward the children were with answering the questions. I agree with the comment that the people asking the questions made it seem as though one of the dolls or picture was naughty/nice or pretty/ugly. However I was still shocked that almost all the children chose the dark skinned ones. The ages of the children are so young that I believe it is the way they are raised and their parents should be teaching them that they are all equal and that they shouldn't be putting people into separate groups based on the colour of their skin.
ReplyDeleteI teach my little boy as best I can to not discriminate and I challenge his assumptions, particularly with regards to gender, which is an issue that comes up often. But the fact that he has those assumptions, despite the fact that the culture in his home is not to, just shows how much even very young children pick up from the signals society gives them in the media and in their everyday encounters. It doesn't have to be said aloud, it is about how different genders and races, people with special needs or different sexual orientations are represented. Have you seen the advert about how people with disblities or disfigurements are always the bad guys when actually so many are heroes who have risen above their challenges? Take a quick look at classic stories and see. And it's as much about what we don't or seldom see - Black Widow being left out of Avengers toy ranges, black prime ministers, transgender teachers - people's absence gives us ideas about what they are or are not suited for, creating a limiting impression.
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