Citation

Mulvey KL, Palmer SB, Abrams D. Child Dev. 2016; 87(5): 1379-1391.

Affiliation

University of Kent.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/cdev.12600

PMID

27684393

Abstract

Adolescents' evaluations of discriminatory race-based humor and their expectations about peer responses to discrimination were investigated in 8th- (Mage  = 13.80) and 10th-grade (Mage  = 16.11) primarily European-American participants (N = 256). Older adolescents judged race-based humor as more acceptable than did younger adolescents and were less likely to expect peer intervention. Participants who rejected discrimination were more likely to reference welfare/rights and prejudice and to anticipate that peers would intervene. Showing awareness of group processes, adolescents who rejected race-based humor believed that peers who intervened would be more likely to be excluded. They also disapproved of exclusion more than did participants who supported race-based humor.

RESULTS expose the complexity of situations involving subtle discrimination. Implications for bullying interventions are discussed.

© 2016 The Authors. Child Development published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Research in Child Development.

Language: en