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Implicit preference linked to injustice and discrimination towards other races starts from a young age. For example, multiple movies showing a black person being arrested by a white police agent can trigger unconditioned stimuli responses in children such as 'black people are bad and frightening', and 'white people are saviours and good'.
Residential segregation also has the potential to increase implicit preference. For example, a white child growing up in a white neighbourhood will have little contact with other ethnicities. If that same child is exposed to racial bias by the media, fashion, parents, teachers and politics, the child could possibly develop implicit preference for Whites over Blacks.
Developmental psychologists explain that one’s own group implicit preference starts from 3 years old and without intervention can decline between ages 5 and 9 and increase between 10 and 12. This increase is believed to be due to a reproduction of influence from adults’ attitudes and a need for the child to find their personal identity.
Some white parents report they do not discuss race with their children because they do not feel the necessity and think their children are too young to understand. Instead, they model the ideology of “colour blindness” because race differences are not important as ‘we see everyone at the same level’ and ‘treat everyone in the same way’. “Colour blindness” sounds well intended, but it has the potential to lead to racial inequality, less awareness of racism and actually can be seen as a form of racism because it ‘denies’ racial inequality.
Not discussing race difference with children has the potential to amplify discomfort during difficult interracial interactions and cause racial subjects to be internalised as taboo. Furthermore, children who have been taught “colour blindness”, are less aware of racial discrimination and therefore less likely to intervene when they witness racial injustice.
'Socialisation' is the developmental process by which children acquire beliefs, values, social norms and behaviour to engage appropriately with society. Children raised by parents who recognise racial bias, who praise colour consciousness, and are willing to discuss racism, show more awareness of the importance of having a quality and quantity of contact with racial minorities.
All parents talk and walk with their children during development. Teaching them good values is important because both the values and the children are so precious.
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