title: Challenging gender stereotypes: Theory of mind and peer group dynamics.
abstract: To investigate the social cognitive skills related to challenging gender stereotypes, children (N = 61, 3-6 years) evaluated a peer who challenged gender stereotypic norms held by the peer's group. Participants with false belief theory of mind (FB ToM) competence were more likely than participants who did not have FB ToM to expect a peer to challenge the group's stereotypes and propose that the group engage in a non-stereotypic activity. Further, participants with FB ToM rated challenging the peer group more positively. Participants without FB ToM did not differentiate between their own and the group's evaluation of challenges to the group's stereotypic norms, but those with ToM competence asserted that they would be more supportive of challenging the group norm than would the peer group. Results reveal the importance of social-cognitive competencies for recognizing the legitimacy of challenging stereotypes, and for understanding one's own and other group perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Studies, University of South Carolina, USA. mulveykl@mailbox.sc.edu.
authors.forename: Kelly Lynn
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Mulvey
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Killen
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011606:Psychosexual Development; D012919:Social Behavior; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D013240:Stereotyping; D056345:Theory of Mind