Research Projects

Group-biases in children's preference for information about people: Their development and intervention implications

This project is funded by ISF, and conducted in collaboration with Gil Diesendruck and his Language and Cognitive Development Lab in Bar-Ilan University. The main research questions are: What children want to know about in- and out-group members? From whom they prefer to receive information about in- and out-group members? How information provided by various sources impact children’s intergroup attitudes and concepts? The project is conducted among Jewish majority and Arab minority children from kindergartens and elementary schools in Israel.

 

How intergroup similarity/dissimilarity affects children’s group biases?

One of the leading hypotheses regarding the source of intergroup bias related it to the perception of intergroup similarity/dissimilarity. Intergroup similarity/dissimilarity refers to the extent to which members of one group perceive the out-group as similar or dissimilar to their own group in various aspects. This project examines the similarity-attraction vs. similarity-differentiation hypotheses in intergroup context among children as a function of their identification with the in-group, the relevance of the comparison dimension, the degree of perceived similarity-dissimilarity, and the social context. Based on the project’s findings we aim to develop similarity-based educational interventions to promote positive intergroup attitudes.     

 

Preventing/Reducing racial intergroup bias among young children

This project examines the development of skin-color-based intergroup bias among children in Israel, especially towards minority Jewish children of Ethiopian descent. Most non-Ethiopian descendant Jewish children rarely encounter Ethiopian-descendant children in their kindergartens and schools. The main purpose of the project is to promote acquaintance with the Ethiopian culture already at young age, and to promote positive attitudes towards the Ethiopian community.     

 

Respect: Its development and its role in intergroup relationships

Despite the importance of respect for human relationships, little is known about its emergence, development, and effects on intergroup relationships. This project investigates the concept of respect and its development among children from different cultures (e.g., Jewish-Israelis and Arabs). In addition, we investigate its role in mitigating conflictual relationships (among adults) by framing-based experimental interventions.