Age and Sex Differences in the Toy-Preferences of Young Children

Benjamin, Harold

doi:10.1080/08856559.1932.10533105

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…Decades of study, beginning with Benjamin's () paper, find evidence of sex differences in children's toy preference; data have been collected in a range of social contexts, using visual preference and experimental and observational methodologies. Sex differences in children's object preferences may originate in biological predispositions, which are subsequently influenced by social processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in children's toy preferences: A systematic review, meta‐regression, and meta‐analysis

Todd

Fischer

Costa

et al. 2017

Infant and Child Development

132

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From an early age, most children choose to play with toys typed to their own gender. In order to identify variables that predict toy preference, we conducted a meta‐analysis of observational studies of the free selection of toys by boys and girls aged between 1 and 8 years. From an initial pool of 1788 papers, 16 studies (787 boys and 813 girls) met our inclusion criteria. We found that boys played with male‐typed toys more than girls did (Cohen's d = 1.03, p < .0001) and girls played with female‐typed toys more than boys did (Cohen's d = −0.91, p < .0001). Meta‐regression showed no significant effect of presence of an adult, study context, geographical location of the study, publication date, child's age, or the inclusion of gender‐neutral toys. However, further analysis of data for boys and girls separately revealed that older boys played more with male‐typed toys relative to female‐typed toys than did younger boys (β = .68, p < .0001). Additionally, an effect of the length of time since study publication was found: girls played more with female‐typed toys in earlier studies than in later studies (β = .70, p < .0001), whereas boys played more with male‐typed toys (β = .46, p < .05) in earlier studies than in more recent studies. Boys also played with male‐typed toys less when observed in the home than in a laboratory (β = −.46, p < .05). Findings are discussed in terms of possible contributions of environmental influences and age‐related changes in boys' and girls' toy preferences. Highlights Gender differences in toy choice exist and appear to be the product of both innate and social forces. Despite methodological variation in the choice and number of toys offered, context of testing, and age of child, the consistency in finding sex differences in children's preferences for toys typed to their own gender indicates the strength of this phenomenon and the likelihood that has a biological origin. The time playing with male‐typed toys increased as boys got older, but the same pattern was not found in girls; this indicates that stereotypical social effects may persist longer for boys or that there is a stronger biological predisposition for certain play styles in boys.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in children's toy preferences: A systematic review, meta‐regression, and meta‐analysis

Todd

Fischer

Costa

et al. 2017

Infant and Child Development

132

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The stereotypic value of these toys was determined from a combined review of published studies and a questionnaire survey based upon these published reports (Benjamin, 1932;Vance & McCall, 1934;Vener & Weese, 1965;Vener & Snyder, 1966;Clark ef a/., 1969;Fagot & Patterson, 1969;Goldberg & Lewis, 1969;Brindley ef al., 1973;Connor & Serbin, 1977;Fagot, 1977;Tauber, 1979). The studies yielded a small core of toys about which there was consensus (e.g.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The social representation of gender and young children's play

Lloyd¹,

Smith²

1985

British J of Dev Psycho

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Toy choice and vigorous play with toys were observed in 60 pairs of children aged 19 to 42 months playing with gender stereotyped toys, first with their mothers and then with a familiar same or opposite gender peer. Choice of opposite gender toys was greater in the action play of mixed pairs. In pretend play, only girls in the oldest age group chose girls' toys more frequently and used opposite gender toys less in mixed pairs. Boys engaged in significantly more vigorous play with toys but the difference between the play of boys and girls was not statistically significant in the peer condition. The ability of girls to access social representations of gender was invoked to account for their more mature, gender differentiated behaviour.

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“…The convenience sampling method is a cost-effective sampling method, which endows the research with speed and practicality (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2011). As there are many factors affecting pre-school and elementary school students' perception of play (Benjamin, 2012;Fein, 1981;Pierce, 2000), children of different ages and genders were involved in the study. Table 1 shows the personal information of the children participating in the study.…”

Section: Study Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opinions related to play concept of children in early childhood

Yilmaz¹,

Pala²

2019

Pegegog

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The aim of this study was to determine the play perceptions of children in early childhood. The study group consisted of four children (two preschoolers and two first graders) aged between 72 and 86 months. The study, designed in line with qualitative research approach, employed the phenomenological design. The data in the study were collected by means of photographs, drawing writing technique and semi-structured interview technique. In the analysis of the data, thematic and content analysis technique was used. The participants’ perceptions of play are explained under three themes. In this regard, the perception of play has been examined under the themes of “Structural Features of Play” including concepts such as competition, happening in a certain time and place, existence of rules, existence of action, performing individually or in group, focus on fun rather than learning; “Affective Features of Play” including concepts such as its inducing happiness/excitement and “Play in terms of Ethical Features” referring to features of sportsmanship and obedience to authority. In the study, it was found that while the pre-school children stated that they should have a toy to play, the elementary school 1st grade students stated that they do not need a toy to play. While the pre-school children argued that it was possible to play both inside and outside the school, the first grade students emphasized that play is not possible inside the class.

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Age and Sex Differences in the Toy-Preferences of Young Children

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Sex differences in children's toy preferences: A systematic review, meta‐regression, and meta‐analysis

Sex differences in children's toy preferences: A systematic review, meta‐regression, and meta‐analysis

The social representation of gender and young children's play

Opinions related to play concept of children in early childhood

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