Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Development During Infancy and Childhood385that Jeremy “must be a girl, becauseonly girls wear barrettes.” So, Jeremyattempted to prove that he really wasa boy by dropping his pants. Theother little boy was not convinced.“Everybody has a penis, only girlswear barrettes,” he countered.From about the age of 18 monthsto the age of 2 years, sex differencesin behavior begin to emerge (Miller& others, 2006). These differencesbecome more pronounced throughoutearly childhood. Toddler girlsplay more with soft toys and dolls,and ask for help from adults morethan toddler boys do. Toddler boysplay more with blocks and transportationtoys, such as trucks and wagons.They also play more actively than dogirls (see Ruble & others, 2006).Roughly between the ages of 2 and 3, preschoolers start acquiring gender-rolestereotypes for toys, clothing, household objects, games, and work. From the ageof about 3 on, there are consistent gender differences in preferred toys and playactivities. Boys play more with balls, blocks, and toy vehicles. Girls play more withdolls and domestic toys and engage in more dressing up and art activities. By theage of 3, children have developed a clear preference for toys that are associated withtheir own sex. This tendency continues throughout childhood (Freeman, 2007).Children also develop a strong preference for playing with members of their ownsex—girls with girls and boys with boys (Egan & Perry, 2001; Fridell & others,2006). It’s not uncommon to hear boys refer to girls as “icky” and girls refer to boysas “mean” or “rough.” And, in fact, preschool boys do play more roughly than girls,cover more territory, and play in larger groups. Throughout the remainder of childhood,boys and girls play primarily with members of their own sex (Hoffmann &Powlishta, 2001).According to psychologist Carole Beal (1994), boys and girls almost seem tocreate separate “social worlds,” each with its own style of interaction. They alsolearn particular ways of interacting that work well with peers of the same sex. Forexample, boys learn to assert themselves within a group of male friends. Girlstend to establish very close bonds with one or two friends. Girls learn to maintaintheir close friendships through compromise, conciliation, and verbal conflictresolution. As we’ll discuss in Enhancing Well-Being with Psychology at the endof this chapter, these gender differences in styles of social interaction persist intoadulthood.Children are far more rigid than adults in their beliefs in gender-role stereotypes.Children’s strong adherence to gender stereotypes may be a necessarystep in developing a gender identity (Powlishta, 1995b; Stangor & Ruble,1987). Boys are far more rigid than girls in their preferences for toys associatedwith their own sex. Their attitudes about the sexes are also more rigidthan are those held by girls. As girls grow older, they become even moreflexible in their views of sex-appropriate activities and attributes, butboys become even less flexible (Schmalz & Kerstetter, 2006).Girls’ more flexible attitude toward gender roles may reflect society’sgreater tolerance of girls who cross gender lines in attire and behavior. Agirl who plays with boys, or who plays with boys’ toys, may develop thegrudging respect of both sexes. But a boy who plays with girls or with girls’toys may be ostracized by both sexes. Girls are often proud to be labeled a“tomboy,” but for boys, being called a “sissy” is the ultimate insult (Thorne,Separate Worlds? In childhood, girls tendto establish close relationships with one ortwo other girls and to cement their friendshipsby sharing thoughts and feelings. Incontrast, boys tend to play in groups andfavor competitive games and team sports.How might such gender differences affectintimate relationships in adolescence andadulthood?“I don’t see liking trucks as a boy thing.I see it as a liking-trucks thing.”Cartoonbank.com