TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors affecting infant toy preferences
T2 - Age, gender, experience, motor development, and parental attitude
AU - Liu, Liquan
AU - Escudero, Paola
AU - Quattropani, Christina
AU - Robbins, Rachel A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. Infancy published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Congress of Infant Studies
PY - 2020/9/1
Y1 - 2020/9/1
N2 - In contrast to the anecdotal claim that “male infants like cars and female infants like dolls,” previous studies have reported mixed findings for gender-related toy preferences in infancy. In Experiment 1, we explored the emergence of gender-related preferences using face–car pairs (Experiment 1a, n = 51, 6–20 months) or face–stove pairs (Experiment 1b, n = 54, 6–20 months). In Experiment 2 (n = 42, 14–16 months), we explore the effect of toy properties, infants' past toy exposure, activity levels, and parental attitudes on such preferences using a wider range of toys. For both studies, infants demonstrated a general preference for faced stimuli over other objects, except for male infants who showed no preference between dolls and cars at around 15 months. Infants' prior experience participating in motor-intensive activities, with wheeled toys and parental attitudes appeared to relate to female infants' preferences for dynamic toys. These results indicate a range of factors influence gendered toy preferences and suggest that nurture plays an important role.
AB - In contrast to the anecdotal claim that “male infants like cars and female infants like dolls,” previous studies have reported mixed findings for gender-related toy preferences in infancy. In Experiment 1, we explored the emergence of gender-related preferences using face–car pairs (Experiment 1a, n = 51, 6–20 months) or face–stove pairs (Experiment 1b, n = 54, 6–20 months). In Experiment 2 (n = 42, 14–16 months), we explore the effect of toy properties, infants' past toy exposure, activity levels, and parental attitudes on such preferences using a wider range of toys. For both studies, infants demonstrated a general preference for faced stimuli over other objects, except for male infants who showed no preference between dolls and cars at around 15 months. Infants' prior experience participating in motor-intensive activities, with wheeled toys and parental attitudes appeared to relate to female infants' preferences for dynamic toys. These results indicate a range of factors influence gendered toy preferences and suggest that nurture plays an important role.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087216626&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/infa.12352
DO - 10.1111/infa.12352
M3 - Article
SN - 1525-0008
VL - 25
SP - 593
EP - 617
JO - Infancy
JF - Infancy
IS - 5
ER -