Infants Prefer Toys Typed to Their Gender
Link: http://neurosciencenews.com/gender-toys-neurodevelopment-4721/
Article Summary: This study was seeking to determine the age in which sex differences in preference for toys would appear and under what conditions would they appear. Although the specific age was not found, researchers found that children as young as 9 months-old show a preference for toys the same as their gender. Young girls and boys ranging from 9 months to 32 months engaged in independent play in a nursery, with no parents present, and were observed by the researchers on which toys (boy toys or girl toys) they preferred to play with. Researchers also found that as age increases, the boys and girls showed a trend for a preference of toys stereotyped for boys. Lastly, toy preference was said to be influenced by biological predispositions, cognitive development, and environmental influences.
Connection to psychology: I chose this article because I just took Infant and Child Development last year and this topic relates completely to that class. I saw this first hand in my observations that I did for that class at the Day Care on campus. It was interesting to see that preference for certain toys shows up as young as 9 months, because during my observation you often see that young girls chose to read, play with the kitchen set or babies and the boys tend to drift to playing with the legos, dinosaurs, and cars. In Infant and Child Development, you also discuss how environmental factors play a role in preference of toys, as did this article. I appreciated the small detail of no parents present during the study because parents have a strong influence on the child and what toys they play with. Parents will force upon their children that girls play with dolls and dress up and boys play with trucks and legos which gives them no individuality or choice of toys early on in life. With no parents present, the children get that opportunity to explore with other toys and if they choose to play with toys that are same sex as them, that is their choice and not their parents.
Article Summary: This study was seeking to determine the age in which sex differences in preference for toys would appear and under what conditions would they appear. Although the specific age was not found, researchers found that children as young as 9 months-old show a preference for toys the same as their gender. Young girls and boys ranging from 9 months to 32 months engaged in independent play in a nursery, with no parents present, and were observed by the researchers on which toys (boy toys or girl toys) they preferred to play with. Researchers also found that as age increases, the boys and girls showed a trend for a preference of toys stereotyped for boys. Lastly, toy preference was said to be influenced by biological predispositions, cognitive development, and environmental influences.
Connection to psychology: I chose this article because I just took Infant and Child Development last year and this topic relates completely to that class. I saw this first hand in my observations that I did for that class at the Day Care on campus. It was interesting to see that preference for certain toys shows up as young as 9 months, because during my observation you often see that young girls chose to read, play with the kitchen set or babies and the boys tend to drift to playing with the legos, dinosaurs, and cars. In Infant and Child Development, you also discuss how environmental factors play a role in preference of toys, as did this article. I appreciated the small detail of no parents present during the study because parents have a strong influence on the child and what toys they play with. Parents will force upon their children that girls play with dolls and dress up and boys play with trucks and legos which gives them no individuality or choice of toys early on in life. With no parents present, the children get that opportunity to explore with other toys and if they choose to play with toys that are same sex as them, that is their choice and not their parents.
It is interesting that infants want to play with the toys that corresponds to their gender without influences from their parents. This experiment brings up the idea of Nature vs. Nurture. The environment did not influences the decision-making from the infants. Its said it to be "biological predisposition", meaning the infants are genetically wired to prefer the same gender-typed toys. At some point I know that the environment can influences the infants choice in deciding which toy to play with. Is choosing the same gender-typed toys the same as sexism? You mentioned the girls chose the kitchen set toys and babies to play with. When they grow-up, will they believe they will have to cook, produce babies to be feminine or the boys will grow-up and be into cars and rough playing? My overall question is can sexism be genetically influenced more than environmentally influenced?
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting in regards to gender studies and preference. I would really like to see a longitudinal study done for these individuals to see how they later identify themselves later on in life. For example, did the biological female babies who chose stereotypical female toys end up still identifying as female as teens and young adults? Also I am wondering if there still is an environmental component that contributed to their preferences. These babies aren't straight out of the womb so I assume that their parents and other family members have given them toys to play with before they entered this study. I wonder if it's possible that they chose toys that they were familiar with. For example, the parents gave a biological baby boy a plush truck and this baby also has received other plush cars, did the baby really choose the trucks to play with in the room because he is boy and "boys like trucks" or did he choose it because that's what he is used to playing with.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not identify with the findings of this study. I do identify as female, yet I do a lot of "male" things, even when I was a child. Yes dresses were forced upon me as a child and I did play with dolls, but I personally always preferred my brother's toys and video games. It's only very recent, that toys and video games have been becoming more gender neutral. I started out with dolls, but as I got older (even today), video games became more preferable. Now I am biologically a female and fully identify as female, yet as a child I preferred more masculine things. This is why a longitudinal study would be a great follow up to see these individuals' gender identity and even toy preference as they get older to see if this still holds true.
This is very important for child development. Forcing a child to play with a toy based on their gender stereotypes can lead to some emotional problems in life especially if the child wishes to identify with another sexual orientation. Now, of course a female can be interested in male toys and vise versa. I as well identify as a female and enjoy engaging in masculine activities. Growing up I owned predominantly female oriented toys, but as I grew older I began engaging in both masculine and feminine activities. I too agree that a follow up longitudinal study is a great idea! As people grow, so do their preferences and it would be very interesting to see how children's identities grow and emerge.
ReplyDeleteI find this very interesting that in this study children tend to pick the toy that is the same gender as them. I thought that parents always forced their children to play with toys with the same gender. I do believe that maybe the children pick the toy that looks more appealing to them. I do not really think it is about gender. Know matter what, in this society they will always be gender stereotypes, boys will play with "boy toys" and girls will play with "girl toys."
ReplyDeleteMy mom has a home daycare, and I can see it with the kids here how boys prefer the bigger toys, and the more "manly" stuff, and the girls always play with the dolls, and stuffed animals. My mom currently has two girls she babysits, and the only thing ever out in the daycare is the kitchen supplies, stuffed animals, little soft balls, and the small grocery shopping carts. Earlier this year my mom had a little boy and he would play with all of the train tracks, and the cars because he said he was a boy and he didn't like "girly" things. I also second the part about environmental aspects because my mom also watched a set of 3 siblings; 2 boys and a girl. The little girl used to play just as rough as her brothers, and with all of the cars, and fire trucks, and big blocks. I learned a fun fact in one of my old classes at the community college I attended that apparently in the old days (I'm not sure how old) pink was symbolized for boys because it represented being powerful and strong, and blue for girls because it was a gentle color. So it is crazy to think that at such a young age children pick up traits of their biology (their gender), and just who they are.
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