Who should play the instrument?: Effects of pitch and loudness on children’s gender associations with musical instruments

Abstract

From a young age, children incorporate gender into their understanding of the world. This study investigated whether pitch, loudness, and size affect gender-instrument associations. North American children (28 girls, 29 boys; Mage = 9.36 years) and undergraduates (30 women, 18 men, 2 non-reporting, Mage = 19.57 years) selected whether a girl or boy should play fictional instruments (loud or soft, high or low, large or small). Children and adults selected boys more often for low- than high-pitched instruments (15% and 25% difference), and boys selected boys more often for loud than soft instruments (16% difference). Results suggest pitch and loudness impact gender-instrument associations, and that gender-instrument associations do not stem solely from past exposure to specific pairings.