Hraba, J. & Grant, G. (1970)

Black is beautiful: A re-examination of racial preference and identification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 16, 398-402

This study looks at racial identification and racial preference in Black and White American children. It is a replication (with the addition of a white comparison group) of a study conducted in 1939 by Clark & Clark.

Outline the findings of the Clark & Clark study.

What social / political changes took place between the original study and the Hraba & Grant replication?

Hraba & Grant used the same EIGHT questions as Clark & Clark. These were designed to measure:

RACIAL PREFERENCE      RACIAL AWARENESS      RACIAL SELF IDENTIFICATION

Complete the table below:

Q no

Give me the doll that:

Designed to measure?

1

‘you want to play with’

 

2

‘that is a nice doll’

 

3

‘that looks bad’

 

4

‘that is a nice colour’

 

5

‘that looks like a white child’

 

6

‘that looks like a coloured child’

 

7

‘that looks like a Negro child’

 

8

‘that looks like you’

 

Hraba & Grant also assessed the ‘behavioural consequences’ of this. What information did they ask for?

Who were the subjects in Hraba & Grant’s study?

Draw bar graphs to represent the following:

1.    A comparison of the black children’s results to Question 1 in 1939 and 1969

2.   A comparison of the black children’s results to Question 2 in 1939 and 1969

3.   A comparison of the black children’s results to Question 3 in 1939 and 1969

4.   A comparison of the black children’s results to Question 4 in 1939 and 1969

What other differences were there between Clark & Clark’s results and Hraba & Grant’s results?

How do Hraba & Grant explain their results?