NDSU
College of
Human Development
& Education
Early childhood toy preferences:
Parents’ influence on gender-typed toy preferences
INTRODUCTION The societal message of what it means to be a boy or a girl influences children at an early age, shaping their idenHHes as they develop into adults (1). Parents treat their sons and daughters differently based on what they perceive is appropriate for a boy or a girl. For example, parents dress their infants in gender-­‐specific colors, give them gender-­‐typed toys, and expect different behavior and aPtudes from boys and girls (2). Although much of the current research on gender development focuses on children aSer they are aware of their own gender idenHty, more recent research has shiSed to exploring gender socializaHon at younger ages. For example, gender-­‐typed toy preferences have been observed in infants as young as 8-­‐months-­‐old (3). The current literature posits that infants’ gender-­‐
typed toy preferences are the result of a biological predisposiHon to aXend to and prefer certain types of toys and objects (4). This supposiHon is limiHng because it overlooks the possibility that early gender socializaHon aXempts may influence even very early gender-­‐typical preferences. Goal The current study was designed to explore early gender socializaHon aXempts by parents and the impact these aXempts may have on infants’ toy preferences. Developmentally appropriate assessments measured infants’ iniHal toy preference (baseline). ASerward parents interacted with their infants during a play session in which parents encourage play with either trucks or dolls. Toy preference was then reassessed. EXPERIMENT 1
Experiment 1 examined the effects of parents’ early gender socializaHon aXempts on 4-­‐month-­‐olds’ toy preferences. Par4cipants
Joshua L. Boe, MS Candidate & Rebecca J. Woods, PhD Human Development & Family Science Familiariza4on Trials. To familiarize infants with the tesHng situaHon, a trial began with an experimenter’s gloved hands resHng inside the puppet stage for five seconds (fig. 2a). a. b. Figure 2 Pre Test Trials. ASer familiarizaHon, infants saw twelve pre-­‐test trials in which a truck and a doll were seen within the display. Four truck-­‐doll pairs were used. Each pair was shown on two consecuHve trials, however the order of each pair was randomized. Each trial began with the toys resHng on the stage floor at a 45-­‐
degree angle (fig. 1). The experimenter then liSed the toys and rotated them 90-­‐
degrees to the leS and back again, one movement per second. An aXenHon-­‐
gePng trial was shown aSer every second test trial (fig. 2b). Figure 3 Figure 4 Play Session. A five minute play session followed the pre test. Infants were randomly assigned to one of two condiHons. In one condiHon, parents were instructed to encourage play with only trucks. In the other, parents were instructed to encourage play with only dolls (fig. 3). Post-­‐Test Trials. ASer the play session, infants’ preferences were reassessed using the same procedure as the pre-­‐test trials. Eleven 4-­‐month-­‐old infants, 5 of which were male, were tested. All infants were Caucasian with parents who had at least some college educaHon. Procedure
Forced choice preferen4al looking task. To assess 4-­‐months-­‐old infants toy preferences, a forced choice preferenHal looking task (FCPL) was uHlized. FCPL tasks require trained observers to disHnguish which of two sHmuli infants gaze at longest. This task is a well-­‐established assessment tool used by infant researchers to measure visual acuity and visual preferences (5,6). Infants sat in front of a puppet-­‐stage like apparatus and saw four truck and doll pairs (see fig. 1 for an example). Results & Discussion Percent of trials in which each toy was preferred was analyzed using a 2 (sex) x 2 (free play condiHon) x 2 (toy) x 2 (pre-­‐post test) mixed ANOVA. Preliminary results indicated no sex differences, so scores were collapsed. 100% FiSeen 12-­‐month-­‐old, 7 of which were male, were tested. In this experiment, 13 infants were Caucasian, 1 was American Indian, and 1 was Black Hispanic. All parents had at least some college educaHon.
The procedures in Experiment 2 were idenHcal to those of Experiment 1, with the following excepHons. There were 8 pre-­‐test and post-­‐test trials. The play session was three minutes. Preferences were assessed using a selecHon task (fig. 4) in which infants were presented with two toys and were encouraged to make a selecHon. To avoid influencing infants’ choices, experimenters were trained to hold and move each toy idenHcally. A supervisor oversaw all procedures to ensure compliance. Results & Discussion Data were analyzed in the same manner as Experiment 1. No sex differences were found, so data were collapsed across sex.
12 months 100% Truck Doll 50% 0% Pretest PosXest Freeplay with Truck Pretest PosXest Freeplay with Doll Results indicated that infants who were encouraged to play with the doll during free play preferred the truck at baseline (p < .001) and at post-­‐test (p = .01). These findings suggest that these infants had a pre-­‐exisHng preference for the truck. Reasons for this finding are currently being invesHgated.
No significant sex differences in toy preference were observed for either age. Furthermore, results indicated that parents’ short-­‐term encouragement of play with a parHcular toy was relaHvely ineffecHve at altering infants’ toy preferences. It may be that parents’ influence on toy preferences occurs only for older aged infants or that parents influence occurs over a longer period of Hme than was tested in this study. These are quesHons for future studies. 4 months Experiment 2 examined the effects of parents’ socializaHon aXempts on 12-­‐
month-­‐olds’ toy preferences. Par4cipants & Procedure
CONCLUSIONS
Figure 1 EXPERIMENT 2
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Truck 50% Doll 0% Pretest PosXest Freeplay with Truck Pretest PosXest Freeplay with Doll Results indicated no baseline sex differences in toy preference. In fact, at baseline, infants showed no preference for either toy. InteresHngly, infants preferred the doll at post-­‐test (p = .04) regardless of the toy they were encouraged to play with during the free play sessions.
We would like to thank the research assistants of the Infant CogniHve Development Lab for their help in collecHng the data for this study and the parents who kindly agreed to bring their infants to parHcipate in our research.
REFERENCES
1.WiX, S. D. (1997). Parental influence on children’s socializaHon to gender roles. Adolescence, 32 (126), 253. 2. Thorne, B. (1993). Gender play: Girls and boys in school. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
3. Alexander, G. M., Wilcox, T., & Woods, R. (2009). Sex differences in infants’ visual interest in toys. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38(3), 427-­‐433.
4. Alexander, G. M., & Saenz, J. (2012). Early androgens, acHvity levels and toy choices of children in the second year of life. Hormones and Behavior, 62(4), 500-­‐504. 5. Sireteanu, R., Neu, B., Fronius, M., & ConstanHnescu, D.H. (1998). Live vs. video observaHon in forced-­‐choice preferenHal looking: A comparison of methods. Strabismus (09273972), 6(2), 81. 6. Teller, D. Y. (1979). The forced-­‐choice preferenHal looing procedure: A psychological technique for use with human infants. Infant Behavior & Development, 2(2), 135-­‐153.