# Reducing Children’s Racial Biases via a Parent-Led Intervention

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2024 · $548,621

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Racial biases are both evident and harmful in childhood. White children show especially robust and reliable racial
biases by age 5. Many have suggested that parents should play a role in addressing the negative effects of
children's racial biases, but research to date has focused primarily on how parents of color can take action in
this domain (e.g., to buffer effects of discrimination on their children, who are frequently the targets of
discrimination). Here we test whether White parents can be effective as bias interventionists with their White
children. The broad, long-term goal of the proposed research is to improve the health and wellbeing of children
of color. The key objectives for the proposed work are to test the effects of a novel racial bias intervention
program on White parents (Aim 1) and their 5–7-year-old children (Aim 2). Parent-child dyads will be randomly
assigned to the intervention condition or to one of two control conditions. Parents in the intervention program will
complete a training program informed by theory and previous empirical work. The program will teach parents
how to address race with their children, and then parents will be given additional materials and support to practice
what they learned in the training program with their children at home. To evaluate the effects of the intervention,
participants in all conditions will complete a pre-test and two post-test assessments (one immediate, one
delayed). Assessments for parents will focus on their awareness of, and concern about, children's racial biases,
as well as parents' motivation and perceived self-efficacy to address race with their children. Assessments for
children will focus on their racial attitudes, inclusion decisions, reactions to another person's biased behaviors in
the race domain, and beliefs about their parents' racial attitudes. A further goal (Aim 3) is to test for moderation
by parent-child relationship quality and the racial diversity of participants' environments. Results from the
proposed work will reveal whether, how, and in what contexts White parents can be effective as bias
interventionists with their children. By intervening early, we may be able to forestall the entrenchment of racial
biases and decrease the likelihood that children of color will experience the harmful effects of racial biases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10892958
- **Project number:** 5R01HD106970-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** PATRICIA G DEVINE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $548,621
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-17 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10892958

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10892958, Reducing Children’s Racial Biases via a Parent-Led Intervention (5R01HD106970-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10892958. Licensed CC0.

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