Origins of intergroup bias: Developmental and social cognitive research on intergroup attitudes Introduction

Prejudice and stereotyping are central to research and theorizing in social psychology. Yet, all too often this work tacitly assumes that these phenomena spring into existence fully formed in adults. This special issue originates from the need to integrate adult social psychological approaches with developmental inquiry into the ontogenetic and phylogenetic origins of prejudice and stereotyping. The diverse set of nine papers in this special issue demonstrates the utility of this interdisciplinary approach. In this introduction, we make the case for giving developmental research a seat at the social psychological table, and briefly summarize the contributions contained in this special issue. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.