Dehumanization: insights from developmental science

ElsevierVolume 50, April 2023, 101262Current Opinion in Behavioral SciencesAuthor links open overlay panelHighlights•

I review the growing body of empirical evidence of dehumanization in childhood.

The existing research suggests that this phenomenon is observed across development.

I highlight several methodological critiques of current developmental work.

I outline future directions for the developmental science of dehumanization.

Dehumanization has largely been studied among adult populations in behavioral science. A relatively neglected question is the possibility that this phenomenon is present in social perception and behavior before adulthood. In this review, I synthesize the burgeoning body of work that has examined dehumanization in childhood and early adolescence. Using different measures of dehumanization, the findings suggest that the tendency to attribute less humanness to social outgroup members, as compared with ingroup members, is evident across development. I argue that, to optimize insights from developmental science, we need to innovate current methodologies to accurately measure children’s developing understanding of ‘humanness.’ We should also inquire further about the role of dehumanizing biases in children’s social behavior. I conclude with recommendations regarding how developmental research can contribute to modern theories of dehumanization.

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