Mapping Research on Early Ethnic-Racial Awareness Development Among Infants and Toddlers: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to expand understanding of the early stages of the lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity by summarizing and mapping existing research on the development of ethnic-racial awareness among children from birth to age 3. A scoping review methodology is used to systematically identify and analyze the existing literature on early ethnic-racial awareness and developmental influences on this awareness among infants and toddlers. The final analysis included 168 unique studies within 105 papers published between January 1990 and March 2023. Findings confirm that infants and toddlers demonstrate a capacity for ethnic-racial awareness, including phenotypic appearance and language of those similar and different from their own. Findings also demonstrate the need for more research on individual differences in the development of ethnic-racial awareness, and the influences that account for variation in order to further understand how ethnic-racial awareness emerges and evolves during the racial-priming period. Published research on ethnic-racial awareness among children under 3 years of age primarily includes looking time studies with disproportionate samples of White infants. Findings also indicate an absence of studies examining early ethnic-racial socialization practices and anti-bias interventions among caregivers of infants and toddlers. Implications for future research are discussed.

Keywords: anti‐bias; ethnic‐racial awareness; ethnic‐racial socialization; infants; toddlers.

FIGURE 1

PRISMA 2020 flow diagram.

FIGURE 2

Publication of included studies by year and geography.

FIGURE 3

Ethnic‐racial diversity among study samples.

FIGURE 4

Number of studies including each age group.