Decreasing prejudice by increasing discrimination

We conducted an experiment to assess the effects of mindfulness (active distinction making) training on the perception of and reaction to handicapped children. In a 2 X 2 factorial design, sixth graders received either a high- or low-mindfulness treatment and viewed slides that were either all of "normal" people or consisted primarily of "handicapped" individuals. The high-mindfulness treatment, especially when bolstered by explicit reference to the handicapped, revealed that teaching children to be more differentiated (i.e., more mindful) resulted in the view that handicaps are function specific and not people specific. Children in this group were less likely to inappropriately discriminate for or against the handicapped target. Most important, however, was the finding that subjects in this group were less likely to avoid a handicapped other.