Social Science and Racial Discrimination Brown v Board

Social Science and Racial Discrimination Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka Kansas

The Doll Study n n Compared black children from southern, segregated schools to black children from northern integrated schools Children asked questions to indicate preference, knowledge of racial differences, and racial self identification

Design Problems Cohort Effects Does the experiment tell us more about the difference between north and south?

Design Problems Cohort Effects Does the experiment tell us more about the difference between north and south? Applicability What does this study tell us about the difference between black and white children?

Design Problems Cohort Effects Does the experiment tell us more about the difference between north and south? Applicability What does this study tell us about the difference between black and white children? Not Blind Are the results reliable?

Design Problems What can we learn from the results? Does it matter that the experiments get different responses when they ask for “colored” dolls versus “negro” dolls?

Are Northern children even better off?

Was this ethical?

The Coloring Test 1. Color this little boy (or girl) the color you are. 2. This is a little boy (or girl). Color him (or her) the color you like little boys (or girls) to be.

Results Most children give “reality” response, while some give “phantasy” or “irrelevant” responses. n Northern children are slightly less likely to give reality responses. n Northern children are much less likely to choose brown as their color of preference. n

Design Problems n Again, no white group for comparison.

Design Problems n Again, no white group for comparison. n No way to attribute differences between groups to integration/segregation.

Why was this evidence admitted?

The Aftermath n Riddick v. The School Board of the City of Norfolk *Once school districts are given “unitary status” they are treated as if they had never been segregated. *Evidence of “white flight” is admitted as a government interest in favor of the end of bussing.