Do kids prefer playmates of same ethnicity?

Concordia and University of Montreal researchers observe interactions between Asian-Canadian and French-Canadian preschoolers

2011-06-22

(Press-News.org) Montreal, June 21, 2011 – Multicultural daycares don't necessarily foster a desire for kids of visibly different ethnicities to play together. A study on Asian-Canadian and French-Canadian preschoolers has found these children may have a preference to interact with kids of their own ethnic group.

Led by researchers from Concordia University and the University of Montreal, the findings are published in the European Journal of Developmental Psychology.

"We found Asian-Canadian and French-Canadian children seemed to prefer interacting with kids of the same ethnic background," says Nadine Girouard, a research associate in the Concordia Department of Psychology and member of the Centre for Research in Human Development (CRDH). "Both groups were more interactive with children of the same ethnicity and, when matched with kids from another background, preferred solitary play."

This study builds on previous investigations that have shown preschoolers prefer to play with children of the same ethnic group. The research team also observed how multicultural playmates could influence conflict among peers of the same ethnicity — findings that contradict previous studies.

"We observed that Asian-Canadian children frequently removed or attempted to remove toys from each other," explains Girouard. "When interacting with peers of the same ethnicity, Asian-Canadian pre-schoolers were more competitive." Participants were recruited from six daycares located in Montreal and its suburbs: 30 mostly, second-generation Asian-Canadians and 30 French-Canadians. Children were paired with peers they had known for at least three months. According to the research team, social mores likely prompted a lack of interaction between cultures.

French-Canadian children used longer sentences when interacting with same-ethnic peers, yet decreased their verbal interactions when playing with Asian-Canadian peers. "Children of both groups adapted their behaviours by speaking less in the case of French-Canadian children and by speaking more in the case of Asian-Canadian children," says coauthor Dale Stack, a professor in the Concordia Department of Psychology and CRDH member.

"Consistent with some past research, self-expression and social initiation are highly valued in Canadian culture, self-restraint and cooperation may be more important in Chinese and Asian-Canadian culture and this has an impact on multicultural peer interactions," she continues.

Coauthor Monica O'Neill-Gilbert, a retired University of Montreal psychology professor, says the findings could prove important for new Asian-Canadian families during acculturation.

### About the study: The paper, "Ethnic differences during social interactions of preschoolers in same-ethnic and cross-ethnic dyads," published in European Journal of Developmental Psychology, was coauthored by Nadine Girouard and Dale M. Stack of Concordia University and Monica O'Neill-Gilbert University of Montreal.

Related links: Cited study: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a919994064~db=all~jumpt ype=rss Concordia Department of Psychology: http://psychology.concordia.ca Centre for Research in Human Development: http://crdh.concordia.ca University of Montreal: www.umontreal.ca

Media contact:
Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins
Senior advisor, external communications
Concordia University
Phone: 514-848-2424, ext. 5068
Email: s-j.desjardins@concordia.ca
Twitter: http://twitter.com/concordianews
Concordia news: http://now.concordia.ca

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Debenhams Reports Sales Increase as Teenagers Prepare for Prom

2011-06-22

Debenhams has revealed that teenagers across the country won't be attending school discos over the coming weeks but instead dancing at American style school proms. The phenomenon is so prevalent that in some areas nine out of ten secondary schools will be hosting the events, sending sales of prom style dresses soaring and creating a new sales peak second only to Christmas says the store. Unlike the school disco, the prom is a much more formal affair with evening wear and black tie being the required dress code. Since the start of the 'season' Debenhams has seen ...

Consumer views on cloned products breed different results, Kansas State study shows

2011-06-22

MANHATTAN -- Not all consumers share the same attitudes toward animal cloning, but the latest research from Sean Fox, Kansas State University professor of agricultural economics, shows that Americans may be more accepting of consuming cloned animal products than Europeans. Much of Fox's research focuses on consumer attitudes toward food safety. He worked with Shonda Anderson, a recent master's graduate in agricultural economics, Durango, Colo., to recently explore consumer attitudes on cloned animals. "We were interested in finding out how different groups of consumers ...

Exercise associated with longer survival after brain cancer diagnosis

2011-06-22

DURHAM, N.C. – Brain cancer patients who are able to exercise live significantly longer than sedentary patients, scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute report. The finding, published online Monday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, adds to recent research that exercise improves how cancer patients feel during and after treatments, and may also extend their lives. "This provides some initial evidence that we need to look at the effects of exercise interventions, not only to ease symptoms but also to impact progression and survival," said Lee W. Jones, PhD, associate ...

US National Fire Plan, return of Ozark lizard and the Arctic Tundra's fire regime

2011-06-22

This month in ecological science, researchers evaluate the U.S. National Fire Plan to restore western U.S. forests, fire's key role in the return of a native lizard to the Ozarks and what historical fire records and sediment cores can tell us about the Arctic Tundra's fire regime. These articles are available online or published in recent issues of the Ecological Society of America's (ESA) journals. Taking stock of U.S. strategies to restore forests in the West A study published in the June issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment is the first to analyze recent ...

Jumeirah Burj Al Arab Announces New Spa Menu and The Ultimate Fitness Retreat

2011-06-22

Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, The world's most luxurious hotel, has announced the re-design of its Assawan Spa and Health Club menu of treatments and services coinciding with the launch of The Ultimate Fitness Retreat. Burj Al Arab's Assawan Spa has partnered with PTX Performance Training to bring an exclusive programme of hospitality, high impact performance training, physical fitness instruction, healthy dining and personal mentoring to deliver The Ultimate Fitness Retreat. The programme, devised to be physically and mentally challenging, will be delivered over a four ...

UF review of resveratrol studies confirms potential health boost

2011-06-22

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida review of research finds the polyphenol compound known as resveratrol found in red wine, grapes and other fruits may not prevent old age, but it might make it more tolerable. News stories have long touted resveratrol as a cure for various diseases and a preventative against aging. "We're all looking for an anti-aging cure in a pill, but it doesn't exist. But what does exist shows promise of lessening many of the scourges and infirmities of old age," said UF exercise psychologist Heather Hausenblas, one of the researchers ...

Marriage improves odds of surviving colon cancer

2011-06-22

A new study shows that being married boosts survival odds for both men and women with colon cancer at every stage of the disease. Married patients had a 14 percent lower risk of death according to researchers at Penn State's College of Medicine and Brigham Young University. That estimate is based on analysis of 127,753 patient records. Similar to studies of other types of cancers, the researchers did find that married people were diagnosed at earlier stages of colon cancer and sought more aggressive treatment. The researchers took those and other factors into account ...

Choice Hotels Adds Two New UK Hotels in June

2011-06-22

Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH), the global hotel group behind the Comfort, Quality and Clarion brands and one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the world, has announced that two more independently-run UK hotels have joined its network; Comfort Hotel Luton and the Clarion Collection Croydon Park Hotel. The award-winning Croydon Park Hotel has been re-branded as the Clarion Collection Croydon Park Hotel. Located in the heart of Croydon town centre and only a short walk from East Croydon Station, it provides both business and leisure travellers ...

How dense is a cell?

2011-06-22

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- More than 2,000 years after Archimedes found a way to determine the density of a king's crown by measuring its mass in two different fluids, MIT scientists have used the same principle to solve an equally vexing puzzle — how to measure the density of a single cell. "Density is such a fundamental, basic property of everything," says William Grover, a research associate in MIT's Department of Biological Engineering. "Every cell in your body has a density, and if you can measure it accurately enough, it opens a whole new window on the biology of that ...

New study reduces threat level for caribou in Alberta's oilsands country

2011-06-22

(Edmonton) A University of Alberta researcher has co-written an extensive study of the caribou population in the Fort McMurray oilsands region that show the animals' survival isn't as threatened as was perceived in the past. The study recommends efforts to manage human activity around resource development before resorting to the drastic measure of a wolf kill. U of A statistical researcher Subhash Lele was part of the team that used specially trained dogs to find scat from caribou, moose and wolves in an area south of Fort McMurray. Laboratory analysis of animal scat ...

Why Some Bacteria Survive Antibiotics and How to Stop Them - New study reveals that bacteria can survive antibiotic treatment through two fundamentally different “shutdown modes”

Do kids prefer playmates of same ethnicity?

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: