Date of Award:

5-1970

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Human Development and Family Studies

Department name when degree awarded

Family and Child Development

Committee Chair(s)

Jay D. Schvaneveldt

Committee

Jay D. Schvaneveldt

Committee

Carroll Lambert

Committee

Ronald S. Petersen

Abstract

The effects of region and sex in relation to racial awareness were studied by comparing an interracial area to a predominately white area. The test ing of the hypotheses was carried out with two groups of preschool children comprised of 20 children from Utah State University in Logan , Utah, and 20 children from Children's World in Ogden, Utah.

The instrument used was one developed by J. Kenneth Morland, the Chairman of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Randolph- Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia. The instrument con isted of s ix 8-by-10 black and white pictures about which questions were asked.

In regard to region there was no significant difference in the two groups studied which would indicate that attitudes aren't necessarily formed by direct contact with Negroes, but rather with contact with the prevelent attitude toward Negroes.

There was significant difference in sex with girls being more aware than boys. Three factors play a part in this difference . First a difference in maturation. Girls generally mature faster than boys and thus their increased aware ness. Secondly , the idea that personal appearance is more s tressed for girl than it is fof boys. Thirdly, simply an indifference among the boys to really think about and answer the questions.

An interesting finding was the children's lack of clarity in regard to the term "colored. " It is not a term that is know by children in Utah as reflected in this sample.

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