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Emerging ethnic identity and interethnic group social preferences in middle childhood: Findings from the Children of Immigrants Development in Context (CIDC) study

Center for the Study of Human Development, Brown University, amy_marks{at}brown.edu

Laura A. Szalacha

Center for Research Facilitation, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

Meaghan Lamarre

Department of Education, Brown University, USA

Michelle J. Boyd

Department of Psychology, Howard University, USA

Cynthia García Coll

Department of Education & Center for the Study of Human Development, Brown University, USA

This study characterizes several aspects of emerging ethnic identity in childhood and its associations with interethnic group social preferences. Understanding these processes is important, as early interethnic group social practices may form a foundation for later interethnic group attitudes and behaviors in adolescence. Children of Cambodian, Dominican, and Portuguese heritage (aged 6—12 years) consistently and accurately identified with labels of their family's nationality of origin across the three study years, and reported strong ethnic pride. In support of existing developmental models of ethnic identity in adolescence, older children demonstrated greater ethnic identity exploration than younger children. Importantly, for second-generation children, a positive sense of ethnic identity was not only associated with ingroup social preferences, but also ethnic outgroup social preferences. Findings are discussed with regard to existing models of ethnic identity development.

Key Words: child • ethnicity • identity • immigrant • peer • race • social

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