The doll studies’ method of measuring racial identity was imprecise

Evidence

The collective findings suggest that choosing dolls of different colors may be an imprecise measure of racial identity or awareness. In general, they show a tendency toward within-race preferences that is importantly influenced by the race of the experimenter, whether a child is in a multicultural or desegregated learning environment, or has been involved in race-pride programs. Thus, the intropunitive defenses outlined by Allport and implied in the Brown decision have not withstood the test of time. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1062

Categorization

• XREF: The Brown v. Board doll studies are a famous legal-history episode; this connects to broader questions of how scientific evidence gets used in landmark court rulings.
• SEED: An angle on how high-stakes social science (the doll studies anchoring Brown) later fell apart under replication-style scrutiny — the ‘solid ground’ that wasn’t.