Learning about historical racism positive

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A University of Texas at Austin study found the results of learning about historical racism are primarily positive.

"There is considerable debate about when and how children should be taught about racism," psychologists Rebecca Bigler and Julie Milligan Hughes said in a statement. "But little research has examined elementary-school-aged children's cognitive and emotional reactions to such lessons."

The study, published in the journal Child Development, found white children who received history lessons about discrimination against famous African-Americans had significantly more positive attitudes toward African-Americans than those who received lessons with no mention of racism.

However, African-American children who learned about racism did not differ in their racial attitudes from those who heard lessons that omitted the racism information, the study said.

The researchers presented biographical lessons about 12 historical figures -- six African-Americans and six European Americans -- to two groups of children ages 6 to 11.