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Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
Gender differences in preschoolers' help-eliciting communication
1University of Edinburgh. rthompso@gettysburg.edu
The Journal of Genetic Psychology
|October 9, 1999
Summary
Girls use more help-eliciting utterances (HEUs) than boys, but these do not predict ability. Boys' HEUs predict their puzzle-solving ability, though no overall gender differences in ability were found.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistic Development
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Understanding gender differences in communication is crucial for child development research.
- Help-eliciting communication (HEC) is a key aspect of social interaction and problem-solving in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore gender differences in help-eliciting communication (HEC) among preschoolers.
- To investigate the relationship between HEC and problem-solving ability in young children.
- To examine gender-specific patterns in HEC and their link to cognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- Videotaping 71 preschoolers (38 boys, 33 girls) aged 4 years 3 months solving a challenging puzzle.
- Analyzing spontaneous speech for utterance orientation and frequency of help-eliciting utterances (HEUs).
- Correlating HEUs with puzzle-solving ability, considering gender as a factor.
Main Results:
- Girls produced significantly more HEUs than boys, especially self-disclosing HEUs.
- No significant gender differences in overall puzzle-solving ability were observed.
- While girls' HEUs did not predict their ability, boys' HEUs were predictive of their puzzle-solving performance.
Conclusions:
- Preschool girls engage in more help-eliciting communication than boys, particularly when referring to themselves.
- The predictive relationship between help-eliciting utterances and problem-solving ability differs by gender.
- Findings offer insights into gender dynamics in problem-solving and socio-linguistic development in early childhood.
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