Rating the Honesty of White and Black Children via Implicit and Explicit Measures: Implications for Child Victims in the Criminal Justice System

Child Maltreat. 2023 Aug;28(3):450-461. doi: 10.1177/10775595231173363. Epub 2023 Apr 28.

Abstract

The present study explored implicit and explicit honesty perceptions of White and Black children and whether these perceptions predicted legal decisions in a child abuse case. Participants consisted of 186 younger and 189 older adults from the online Prolific participant pool. Implicit racial bias was measured via a modified Implicit Association Test and explicit perceptions through self-reports. Participants read a simulated legal case where either a Black or White child alleged physical abuse against their sports coach, and they rated the honesty of the child's testimony and rendered a verdict. Participants were implicitly biased to associate honesty with White children over Black children, and this bias was stronger among older adults. In the legal vignette, for participants who read about a Black child victim, greater implicit racial bias predicted less trust in the child's testimony and a lower likelihood of convicting the coach of abusing the child. In contrast to their implicit bias, participants self-reported Black children as being more honest than White children, suggesting a divergence in racial attitudes across implicit and explicit measures. Implications for child abuse victims are discussed.

Keywords: child abuse; child witness; honesty; implicit; race; trust.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Bias, Implicit*
  • Black People
  • Child
  • Criminal Law
  • Humans
  • Racism*
  • Self Report
  • White People