Black children's race awareness, racial attitudes and self-concept: a reinterpretation

Results of a study of 130 black preschool children support the previous research finding that black preschoolers show majority group racial attitudes. Eighty percent of the sample obtained positive self-concept scores, while demonstrating pro-white biased cultural values on a racial attitude and preference measure. This significant finding is contrary to previous theorizing and consistent with recent data for a Southern sample (Spencer, 1982a). Few studies have empirically questioned this relationship, assuming less positive self-concepts of black children who have consistently shown pro-white cultural values. Race awareness affected majority group-preferenced racial attitudes. Results suggest that black preschool children effectively compartmentalize personal identity (i.e. self-concept) from knowledge of racial evaluations.