Implicit measures for preschool children confirm self-esteem's role in maintaining a balanced identity
Self-esteem is one of social psychology's central constructs. Despite the wide endorsement of the importance ofself-esteem, there remains substantial variation in theoretical conceptions of how self-esteem functions. To helpaddress this point, 234 5-year-old children were tested in 3 studies that used a new implicit measure, the PreschoolImplicit Association Test (PSIAT). The PSIAT assessed associations of (a) me with good (self-esteem),(b) me with boy or girl (gender identity), and (c) boy or girl with good (gender attitude). The results documentedself-esteem in 5-year-olds, as well as own-gender identity and gender in-group preferences. Interestingly,children who had high self-esteem and strong own-gender identity displayed strong gender in-group preferences,supporting balanced identity theory's theoretical expectations that implicit self-esteem serves anidentity-maintenance function, even for young children. By preschool age, children display fundamental propertiesof adult implicit social cognition that relate to maintenance and functioning of group identities.
