This study examined how the explicit and implicit race attitudes differ according to age and gender from a developmental perspective in Koreans. The study also investigated the efficacy of a multi-cultural education program on explicit and implicit at...
This study examined how the explicit and implicit race attitudes differ according to age and gender from a developmental perspective in Koreans. The study also investigated the efficacy of a multi-cultural education program on explicit and implicit attitude change in elementary school students. This thesis consists of two parts. In Study 1, 222 elementary school students and 234 college students completed Explicit Attitudes Rating Scales (likability/ trustfulness/ companionship/ group membership), Explicit Preference Test, and Child Implicit Association Tests (Korean-White/Korean-Black/ Korean-Southeast Asian IATs). The effects of age and gender on explicit and implicit attitudes toward Korean/White/Black/Southeast Asian were examined with two-way MANOVA. The results demonstrated that as age increases, in-group preference/out-group bias decrease on the explicit level. In contrast, on the implicit level, as age increases, in-group preference/out-group bias do not decrease. Rather, prejudiced attitudes toward blacks and Southeast Asians increase. Inconsistency between explicit and implicit attitudes toward blacks and Southeast Asians with age increase supports the Social Identity Theory and Implicit Social Cognition Theory.
Study 2 was performed to investigate the effect of a multi-cultural education program on explicit and implicit attitude change toward races in elementary school students. The program conveying an anti-bias message consists of three sessions, and the procedures are as follows; watching video clips, confirming contents and short discussion. Two classes in the program and two classes in comparative groups on the first and fourth grade of elementary school were assessed on Explicit Attitudes Rating Scales(likability/trustfulness/companionship/group membership), Explicit Preference Test, and Child IATs. The results showed that black preference significantly increased both in the first and the fourth grade elementary students on the explicit attitude level, but not on the implicit level. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.