Town Square

The famous “Doll Test” and understanding racial identity

The “Doll Test” was a psychological study conducted to test the racial perceptions of young children that proved to be crucial for understanding segregation’s effect on black children.

Share

Listen

To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:

<iframe src="https://embed.hpm.io/434020/433955" style="height: 115px; width: 100%;"></iframe>
X

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, questions@townsquaretalk.org or @townsquaretalk.

In the 1940's, psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark conducted a series of experiments where they had identical dolls, different only in color, and asked black children which color of doll they preferred. They found that two-thirds of the children preferred the white doll to one of their own race.

The Clarks concluded that the racism found in American institutions affects the sense of self in African American children. Their findings proved to be instrumental in the famous Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision to remove racial segregation in American schools.

The story of the doll test and the Clarks is detailed in the new book “What the Children Told Us“. We talk with the author who gives us more insight on this time in history and what other doll tests have shown in later years.

 

Tim Spofford

  • Author, "What The Children Told Us"

Richelle Whittaker

  • Educational Psychologist
  • Founder, Providential Counseling and Consulting Services
  • Founder, Next Steps Educational Counseling

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day’s most important and pressing issues.

We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

 

This article is part of the podcast Town Square with Ernie Manouse

  • Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
  • Subscribe on Google Podcasts
  • Subscribe on Spotify
  • Subscribe on TuneIn
  • Subscribe on iHeart
  • Subscribe on Pandora
  • Subscribe on RadioPublic
  • Subscribe on Pocket Casts
  • Subscribe on Overcast
  • Subscribe on Amazon Music
  • Subscribe via RSS