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Differential reactions to assertive and communicative acts of toddler boys and girls
Insights
Caregiver responses to infant behavior may perpetuate gender stereotypes. Adults initially reacted differently to boys and girls, but this changed as children
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Caregiver responses to infant behavior can be influenced by societal gender stereotypes.
- Infant behavior is often ambiguous, potentially leading caregivers to rely on pre-existing biases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how caregiver and peer reactions to infant and toddler behaviors differ based on sex.
- To explore the potential role of caregiver responses in perpetuating gender stereotypes.
Main Methods:
- Observational study of 34 children in infant and toddler play groups.
- Coding of infant behaviors including assertive acts and communication attempts with adults.
- Analysis of adult and peer reactions to children's behaviors at two developmental stages.
Main Results:
- No sex differences in infant behaviors at 13-14 months; adults responded differently to boys' and girls' behaviors.
- Sex differences emerged by toddlerhood (boys more assertive, girls talked more to teachers).
- Adults' differential responses diminished by toddlerhood, while peer reactions to assertive behavior favored boys.
Conclusions:
- Caregiver responses to ambiguous infant behavior may be influenced by gender stereotypes.
- As children's behavior becomes more defined, caregivers may react more directly to the behavior itself.
- Early caregiver responses, potentially guided by stereotypes, might contribute to the development and perpetuation of gendered behavior patterns.
Abstract:
34 children were observed in infant play groups. 2 sets of infant behaviors were coded: assertive acts and attempts to communicate with adults. No sex differences were observed at 13 to 14 months in any of these behaviors. However, adults attended to girls' assertive behaviors far less of the time than to boys' assertive behaviors. They attended more to girls' less intense communication attempts and to boys' more intense attempts. When 29 of the same children were observed in toddler play groups no more than 11 months later, there were sex differences in behavior. Boys were more assertive; girls talked to teachers more. Teachers no longer differentiated their responses to boys and girls. Peers reacted more to boys' assertive behavior than to girls.' We hypothesized that caregivers may use stereotypes to guide their reactions to infants because infant behavior is ambiguous. For the toddlers, behavior had become more defined, and caregivers reacted to the behaviors. By using the sex stereotype to guide their reactions to younger children, the caregivers may have perpetuated the stereotype.