A Study of Race and Class Heterogeneity Among Preschool Children.

An experimental preschool was set up to study the effect of mixing children differing in SES and race on racial awareness and interaction. It was hypothesized that racial self-selection could be explained in terms of SES level and that interracial contact when different SES children were included would serve to counteract racial stereotypes and self-selection. Ss were 30 children in two classrooms. The classrooms were comprised of 13 Black (B) and 17 White (W) children, 17 Middle Income (M) and 13 Lower Income (L) children, and 15 each males and females. The children were given a Picture-Sociometric Test and RAFT test early in the school year and at the end of the year. Results show that the M children seemed to have been chosen as playmates significantly more than their L counterparts. There were no differences in the frequency with which B or W children are chosen as playmates. M children are chosen with the greatest frequency with a slightly greater tendency for the MW children to be chosen according to sociometric results. (Author/CK)