title: Developmental trajectories of sex-typed behavior in boys and girls: a longitudinal general population study of children aged 2.5-8 years.
abstract: The stability of sex-typed behavior from the preschool to the middle school years was examined. The Preschool Activities Inventory, a measure of within-sex variation in sex-typed behavior, was completed by the primary caregiver when the child was 2.5, 3.5, and 5 years, and a modified version, the Child Activities Inventory, was completed by the child at age 8. The investigation involved a general population sample of 2,726 boys and 2,775 girls. Sex-typed behavior increased through the preschool years, and those children who were the most sex typed at age 2.5 were still the most sex typed at age 5, with those children who showed the highest levels of sex-typed behavior during the preschool years continuing to do so at age 8.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Family Research, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom. seg42@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Golombok
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rust
authors.forename: Karyofyllis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zervoulis
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Croudace
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Golding
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hines
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior