Young children’s classification, stereotyping and play behaviour for gender neutral and ambiguous toys

Abstract

Developmental intergroup theory would predict that children develop fewer or weaker stereotypes about toys that have less distinguishable gender attributes than those that are clearly associated with a gender. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of neutral and ambiguous toys in 31 three-to five-year-old children's play behaviour and understanding about gender. Overall, children did not categorise more perceptually salient (ambiguous) toys than less distinguishable (neutral) toys to their own gender. Colour was the most frequently used reason for the toys' gender assignment. The findings also showed that with age, girls' play complexity increased linearly, whereas boys' scores did not. A play substitution scale measuring play creativity or maturity showed no gender differences. The discussion highlights the role of perceptual salience in sexdimorphic toy preferences and behaviour and their application to educational issues.

Evaluating the Impact of Design Affordances in Preschool Children's Toy Preferences

“…Constructive play preference started to build-up as children got older, but most girls were still immersed in the dollhouse. Consistent with other studies (Giddings and Halverson, 1981;Cherney and Dempsey, 2010), boys, more than girls, occupy themselves in spatial-temporal toys such as vehicles and blocks. …”

“…It was expected that girls would be less attracted to the wheel loader and boys less attracted to the dollhouse. Since the dollhouse scored the highest play value, the results are consistent with (Cherney and Dempsey, 2010): the feminine toy available in the catalogue has generated the highest play engagement due to more interactive features. Thus, it can be stated that the play value increases whenever design affordances are easily perceived and together with the play activity, they match the development level (ability) and motivation of the child.…”

“…Nonetheless, most of the girls (M = 128.2, SD = 105.86) preferred to play with the dollhouse across all ages as seen in Table 1. Prior research (Cherney and Dempsey, 2010) suggests that boys tend to play more frequently with masculine toys rather than feminine. Analysing this result according to the age of children, a new pattern emerged.…”

The value of toys: 6–8-year-old children's toy preferences and the functional analysis of popular toys

“…The background variable examined is usually the gender of informants (Cherney & Dempsey, 2010). Children's levels of reading (Billie, 1984), the social values of surrounding society (Nelson, 2005), the degree and frequency of their exposure to toy commercials (Bujitzen & Walkenburg, 2000;Pine & Nash, 2002), and brand awareness (O'Cass & Clarke, 2002) have also been the main subject or co-subject in past studies, though -with the exception of Billie's (1984) study -gender related analysis has played a marked role in all of the works mentioned.…”

Adopting Digital Technology in Teaching and Learning Environment in Early Childhood Education Classes in Nairobi County, Kenya

“…Saturation of digital technologies particularly computers has been found to improve social interaction. Cherney, & Dempsey, (2010), found an increase in interaction when children worked in pairs at a computer than when playing with puzzles on the floor. When exposed to appropriate technologies, children become independent in learning and are more likely to grow into autonomous and successful technology users.…”