Children's responses to same- and other-gender peers: An experimental investigation with 8-, 10-, and 12-year-olds.

Abstract

This research compared how participants in the age range of middle childhood (N = 565, approximate ages 8, 10, and 12 years) resppnded to provocation by a same- or an other-gender peer. In a laboratory play session, participants were provoked in two ways: by losing at a computer game and by being teased by a confederate actor. Immediately following the provoking play session, participants were interviewed about their perceptions of the provoking peer, emotional responses, coping strategies, and social goals. For both the baseline and provocation periods, observational data indicated that facial, verbal, and gestural responses to an other-gender peer were more negative than to a same-gender peer. With other-gender partners, participants reported liking the peer less, trying less to get along with the provocateur, and coping with the provocation by trying to play better rather than by verbally confronting the actor.

Children’s emotional experience of peer provocation: The relation between observed behaviour and self-reports of emotions, expressions, and social goals

“…The same-gender dyads included here are the same participants from the study and the other-gender dyads are those included in Underwood et al (2001).…”

Enemies in the Gendered Societies of Middle Childhood: Prevalence, Stability, Associations With Social Status, and Aggression

“…Other times, opposite-sex enmities may be reflective of a polluted social dynamic between the sexes. For example, Underwood, Schockner, and Hurley (2001) placed eight-, ten-, and twelveyear-old children in an experimental scenario where they were teased by either a same-or opposite-sex confederate while losing at a computer game. Observational data taken during the teasing episode indicated that children who were teased by opposite-as compared to same-sex peers showed more negative facial expressions, made more negative remarks, and displayed more negative gestures.…”

Social Interaction During Computer-based Activities: Comparisons by Number of Sessions, Gender, School-level, Gender Composition of the Group, and Computer-child Ratio

“…Gender differences as a function of group composition may be less prevalent in very young populations, similar to the finding in both US and Canadian studies that gender segregation in play increases in prevalence from preschool to elementary school (Maccoby 1988;Serbin et al 1993). Specifically, elementary school children find playing with peers of the opposite gender less pleasing and are likely to behave more negatively toward opposite-gender than same gender peers (Underwood et al 2001). Maccoby (1998) suggests that gender segregation is the result of an incompatibility in play styles.…”