title: Affecting Girls' Activity and Job Interests Through Play: The Moderating Roles of Personal Gender Salience and Game Characteristics.
abstract: Gender schema theory (GST) posits that children approach opportunities perceived as gender appropriate, avoiding those deemed gender inappropriate, in turn affecting gender-differentiated career trajectories. To test the hypothesis that children's gender salience filters (GSF-tendency to attend to gender) moderate these processes, 62 preschool girls (M = 4.5 years) were given GSF measures. Two weeks later, they played a computer game about occupations that manipulated the game-character's femininity (hyperfeminized Barbie vs. less feminized Playmobil Jane). Following game play, girls' interests in feminine activities showed an interaction of game condition and GSF: High-GSF girls showed intensified feminine activity interests only with Barbie; low-GSF girls showed no change with either character. Neither GSF nor game condition affected occupational interests. Implications for GST, individual differences, and occupational interventions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University.
authors.forename: Emily F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Coyle
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University.
authors.forename: Lynn S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Liben
mesh_terms: D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D057227:Femininity; D006801:Humans; D009790:Occupations; D013240:Stereotyping