ERIC Number: EJ1232339
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Nov
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1467-7687
EISSN: N/A
Monolingual but Not Bilingual Infants Demonstrate Racial Bias in Social Cue Use
Singh, Leher; Quinn, Paul C.; Xiao, Naiqi G.; Lee, Kang
Developmental Science, v22 n6 e12809 Nov 2019
Bilingualism exerts early and pervasive effects on cognition, observable in infancy. Thus far, investigations of infant bilingual cognition have focused on sensitivity to visual memory, executive function, and linguistic sensitivity. Much less research has focused on how bilingualism impacts processing of social cues. The present study sought to investigate whether bilingualism modulates the expression of one aspect of social processing: early racial bias. Using a gaze-following paradigm, we investigated whether 18- to 20-month-old monolingual and bilingual infants favored their own race. Results demonstrated that monolingual infants favored their own race in following a model whose direction of gaze signaled an event. In contrast, bilingual infants demonstrated race-neutral gaze-following patterns, relying more heavily on the reliability of the behavior of the model over race. Findings suggest that bilingualism may have protective effects against the early emergence of racial bias.
Descriptors: Monolingualism, Bilingualism, Infants, Racial Bias, Infant Behavior, Cues, Eye Movements, Social Development
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A