title: An experimental test of the effects of gender constancy on sex typing.
abstract: This study provides an experimental test of the hypothesis that level of gender constancy understanding affects children's sex typing. Preschool-age children (N=62, mean age=47 months) were randomly assigned to experimental lessons that taught that biological traits (including gender) are either fixed (pro-constancy condition) or mutable (anti-constancy condition). Posttests revealed that the lessons were effective; children in the pro-constancy condition showed higher gender constancy and appearance-reality distinction scores than did children in the anti-constancy condition. Sex typing did not, however, differ between treatment conditions at immediate and 3-month posttesting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Arthur
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Bigler
authors.forename: Diane N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Ruble
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping