Creating Inclusive Environments: Enabling Children to Reject Prejudice and Discrimination

Developmental psychology researchers who investigate the multifaceted na�ture of prejudice, shown within everyday peer interactions, emphasize the

importance of creating inclusive environments for children where equity

and justice are promoted. This article uses the Social Reasoning Develop�mental (SRD) model to explore how children and adolescents reason about

social inclusion and exclusion, drawing on moral, social group, and psycho�logical considerations. The role of bystanders in challenging social exclusion

is highlighted, with a focus on promoting proactive bystander intervention

to create inclusive environments. This review identifies age, group identity,

group norms, intergroup contact, empathy, and theory of mind as key in�fluences on children’s and adolescents’ bystander reactions. It emphasizes

that interventions promoting inclusive peer and school norms, confidence in

intergroup contact, empathy, and social perspective-taking can foster inclu�sive environments and empower bystander action that challenges intergroup

social exclusion.