| This study related gender stereotyped cognitive skills and specific behaviors to gender-typed play in children aged five through nine years. The study examined two types of gender-typed play, one that has been largely researched (sex-typed toy choice) and another that has been little researched (sex-typed play themes). Each type of play was correlated with cognitive skills and specific behaviors that have been shown to be sex-typed. The cognitive skills and specific behaviors explored in this study relate to two models of sex-role development, one being the "masculine" model and the other being the little known "feminine" model. The "masculine" model of play suggests that the type of play favored by boys promotes instrumental, achievement oriented behaviors. The "feminine" model of play suggests that the type of play favored by girls promotes nurturing, responsive behaviors. This study did not attempt to determine which model was "better"; rather, it concentrated on reviewing each as promoting beneficial traits. It also focused on the manner in which each type of sex-typed toy choice and play theme related to the tenets of each model. The results of this study indicated that both types of play (toy choice, play theme) were related to several cognitive skills and behavioral traits, but not to as many as were predicted. This study also found limited support for the "masculine" model of play by finding that "feminine" toy choice was correlated with higher ratings of anxiety by teachers. Other findings were that "masculine" toy choice was correlated with higher parental ratings of aggression and social competence in a subgroup of clinically referred girls. However, all of the correlations found were moderate to weak. The role of sex-typed play in relation to sex-typed behaviors in five- to nine-year old children was also discussed. |
