Many social psychological theories make explicit or implicit developmental assumptions about the origins of intergroup attitudes, for example that intergroup prejudice is rooted in socialization and learning experiences in early childhood. In parallel, developmental psychologists have investigated the emergence and change of intergroup attitudes in childhood, but have not always sought to integrate their findings with what is known from the adult literature.
To explore how developmental approaches can inform the study of intergroup social cognition more broadly, the European Journal of Social Psychology will publish a special issue on "Origins of Intergroup Bias: Developmental and Social Cognitive Research on Intergroup Attitudes" in 2010, which will be guest-edited by Juliane Degner (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and Yarrow Dunham (University of California, Merced, USA).
Researchers investigating developmental perspectives on intergroup social cognition, including attitudes, stereotypes, and related constructs, are cordially invited to submit their work. Where possible, the issue will prioritize manuscripts that relate to the distinction between automatic and controlled processes, or that use developmental data to directly address theoretical debates in the field of social cognition. The broad aim is to bring together research that explores intergroup attitudes in children and adolescents, with the goal of integrating across developmental and adult findings to generate stronger, more informed theoretical positions. The special issue seeks a balance of empirical papers, conceptual reviews, and meta-analytic reviews that focus on: Automatic vs. controlled components of intergroup attitudes or stereotypes in children and adolescents Mechanisms of prejudice automatization in childhood and adolescence Developmental antecedents of implicit-explicit attitude dissociation Age-related changes in intergroup attitudes, stereotypes, and related constructs Role of social context and socialization, e.g., effects of parental or peer attitudes, or direct and extended contact Role of social category acquisition and understanding Relationship between group identity and group attitudes/stereotypes