Abstract

Young children often gender-stereotype toys, associating certain toys as being meant for boys and others as being meant for girls. These stereotypes can be seen in the behavior of many nursery age children (ages 3-5) and at this young age, the importance of creating friendships and fitting in with peers starts to become apparent to them. The current study tests whether peers influence young children’s play behavior towards gender-stereotyped toys. The study will give each child 6 toys options; 3 of these toys will be stereotypical boy’s toys and 3 will be stereotypical girl’s toys. Each child will have the opportunity to choose a toy to play with for a few minutes. The child will then be shown a video depicting a same-sex peer playing with a stereotyped toy opposite of the type of toy the child had chosen to play with earlier. The child will then be allowed to choose one of the six toys to play with again. This study will test whether peers influence children’s decisions in their play behavior.

Advisor

Casey, Michael

Department

Psychology

Disciplines

Child Psychology | Developmental Psychology

Publication Date

2016

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2016 Sarah Cali