How does a child, with no innate beliefs or expectations about race, grow up to be racist? In this talk, Steven Othello Roberts will address this complicated question by integrating some of the cognitive, social, and cultural factors that contribute to the development of racial bias. Then, he will provide a simple and empirically supported approach that parents can take to help their children be anti-racist. Indeed, because children enter the world with no innate beliefs or expectations about race, early intervention, especially from parents, can play a critical role in fostering a more equitable future.

Steven Othello Roberts is an associate professor of psychology and the director of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford University. His research focuses on the development of group-based biases, with a specific focus on racial attitudes.

Sponsored by the David A. Edwards Psychology Fund. Free and open to the public.