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Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
05:35

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

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Effects of real gender and labeled gender on adults' perceptions of infants

D K Burnham1, M B Harris

  • 1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales.

The Journal of Genetic Psychology
|June 1, 1992
PubMed

Insights

Adults perceive infants based on gendered cues. Boys are seen as stronger and more playful, while girls appear more sensitive, influencing gender perceptions and development.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Adults form perceptions of infants based on various cues.
  • Gender stereotypes can influence these perceptions from an early age.
  • Understanding these perceptions is crucial for studying gender development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify factors influencing adults' perceptions of male and female infants.
  • To investigate how gender labels and actual gender affect infant perception.
  • To explore the cues adults use to infer infant characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments involving college students and mothers of infants.
  • Presentation of infant videotapes with randomly assigned gender labels.
  • Analysis of infant ratings on traits like masculinity, sensitivity, and playfulness.

Main Results:

  • Infants labeled as male were perceived as more masculine and stronger.
  • Actual male infants were rated as less sensitive and more problem-prone than females.
  • Sensitivity ratings predicted judgments of infant sex, suggesting a cue complex.

Conclusions:

  • Adults use a complex set of cues to judge infant gender and characteristics.
  • Boys are perceived as stronger and more playful; girls as more sensitive.
  • Findings have implications for gender labeling and sex-typing studies.

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