Tibetans, Han Chinese Youth Of Attitude And Its Influence Factors

Ethnic conflict not only affected national stability and social harmony, but also endangered unite and development of all ethnic groups. Although many reasons caused ethnic conflict, undoubtedly, lack of identity, tolerance and negative attitude between different ethnic groups was one of main factors. Therefore, studying racial attitudes and its influence factors was very important for solving ethnic conflict, achieving ethnic group unite and maintaining national unity in multi-national country and regional.In Chinese cultural context, with a sample of Tibetan and Han about 11,14 and 18 teenagers, use several kinds of paradigms, such as explicit attitudes test involving forced-choice test, unforced-choice test and implicit association test, the current research explored ethnic attitudes development of Tibetan and Han teenagers, influence factors, attitudes for different ethnic out-group. The study also examined the attitudes for individual member in intra-group and inter-group context. The dissertation consists of five researches:Study one, with a sample of Tibetan and Han 11,14 and 18 students, using explicit ethnic attitudes test and implicit association test, we explored ethnic attitudes development of Tibetan and Han teenagers, compared the difference of explicit and implicit ethnic attitudes and analysised school ethnic environment influence to Tibetan teenagers ethnic attitudes.Based on study one, we added a ethnic group—Hui in study Two, but Hui teenagers were not involved in the course, only as reference group. Study two explored ethnic attitudes to different out-groups in Tibetan and Han teenagers.Study three examined the influence of social information for out-group attitudes. Using social distance scale and IAT, participants were randomly assigned to positive, neutral or negative social information about out-group, and we explored the influence of different social information for explicit and implicit ethnic attitudes in Tibetan and Han teenagers.Study four mainly explored the attitudes to individual members in Tibetan and Han teenagers. Presenting information about in-group and out-group members whose behaviors were normative versus anti-normative, we examined the attitudes to these members in inter-group and intra-group condition.Based on study four, presenting information about in-group and out-group members whose behavior were morally acceptable versus unacceptable, study five further examined Tibetan and Han attitudes to moral or immoral members in intergroup and intragroup condition.On the basis of the above five researches, the major conclusion are made as follow: (1) In explicit attitudes, Tibetan and Han student expressed in-group bias during primary school stage (about 11 age), and they rated in-group more positively than out-group; During junior school stage (about 14 age), they were same for in-group and out-group attitudes; During high school stage (about 18 age), Tibetan student evaluated in-group higher than evaluated out-group, Han students attitudes had no significant differences for in-group and out-group.(2) In implicit attitudes, Tibetan and Han student expressed in-group bias and remained stable at each age tested (age 11,14 and 18). That is, with the development of age, implicit ethnic attitudes had no change.(3) Tibetan and Han student expressed different attitudes for different ethnic out-group. At each age tested, Tibetan students rated Han more positively than Hui. Similarly, Han student rated Tibetan more positively than Hui.(4) School ethnic environment had important influence for Tibetan teenagers ethnic attitudes, and this effect was more salience in primary school stage. Tibetan teenagers attending homogeneous schools displayed racial bias. However, bias was not found in evaluationing in-group and out-group from heterogeneous schools.(5) Presenting social information about out-groups, which could affect attitudes to out-group and this influence effect were different in different age. During primary school stage, the evaluating to out-group in positive information was higher than negative information. However, during high school stage, social information about out-group could't change the attitude to out-groups; In addition, at each age tested, the attitude to out-group could't been affected by presenting out-group information valence.(6) Presenting information about in-group and out-group peer members whose behavior was normative versus anti-normative, or morally acceptable versus unacceptable, Tibetan and Han teenagers attitudes to anti-normative and moral members were more positively than normative and immoral members in member evaluation, group inclusion and member allocation task. Therefore, in inter-group and intra-group condition, both teenagers mainly used social moral norm as a basis for evaluating peer members, and not use of group-based criteria for judging peers member.