Interpersonal trust between native and non native children / by Carrie Lee Cerda.

Abstract

The thesis concerns the interpersonal trust between Native and Non-Native cultures/races as potentially manifested in their children. Four groups of children were tested: 35 Native children from segregated Native schools, 48 Non-Native children who attended a predominately Non-Native school, 48 Non-Native children and 30 Native children who attended mixed race schools. The children were presented with a brief description of a hypothetical child who was depicted In a photograph as having mixed Native and White features. For half of the group of children, the hypothetical child was identified as Indian (Native) and for the other half, the child was Identified as White. The children judged the extent to which the Native or the Non-Native child would tell the truth, fulfill promises and keep secrets. A same race pattern of trust expectancy was found, in which Native children expected that the Native child would be more likely to keep rather than break promises, keep rather than break secrets and tell the truth rather than lie, compared to the Non-Native child. The Non- Native children demonstrated the opposite pattern of expectations. Consistent with the social contact hypothesis, the same-race pattern expectations of promise keeping was less evident In mixed than same race schools.