3 Phases of Developing Attitudes About Cultural Groups

Attitudes about cultural groups develops in three phases. The first phase is from two and half to three years old. This is when children become aware of cultural differences. Phase two starts around age four and this is when children begin to notice the ways they are similar to others and have specific cultural related words and concepts. For example, this when children notice that they may be white but someone in their preschool class is a different color. This is when children start to use words such as black, white, christian or catholic to explain the difference in color of skin or religion.

Phase three begins around age seven when children begin to have attitudes towards various cultural groups. For example, a child may play with a child who is black but not Indian or may play with children who are white but not mixed. The development of attitudes is influenced by a child's age, cognitive development and social experiences. The last phase is important in discussing attitudes and belief development because it's during the middle childhood years that this phase occurs. During the third phase children become familiar with the various ways people within their family interact with others in the community. They begin to notice things like discrimination, violence, and prejudice. This is why it is important to make sure that our words and actions match and that we are the kind of people we want our children to be. It is also important at this age to make sure that we are teaching our children the importance of equality by treating our children with equality. Our example isn't something that can be fixed.