Discriminant Analyses Of Preschool Masculinity And Femininity

The nature of masculinity and femininity in the preschool years was investigated. Four criterion groups, Most Masculine boys, Least Masculine boys, Most Feminine girls, and Least Feminine girls, were selected from teachers' judgments of masculinity and femininity made by the method of pair comparisons. A covariance matrix of the teachers' personality ratings of these children was factor analyzed. Four factors were identified : Extraversion- Introversion, Social Adjustment, Competence, and an unnamed factor. A discriminant analysis on these factors indicated that MM boys were more extraverted, somewhat more competent and slightly more socially adjusted than LM boys. A second discriminant analysis indicated that M F girls were more socially adjusted, somewhat more competent and slightly more introverted than LF girls. The coefficient of congruence between the discriminant pat- terns for masculinity and femininity indicated that these constructs are not opposite ends of a continuum.