Role theorists maintain that good same-sex parent models are necessary for children to develop knowledge of appropriate sex roles. Cognitive theorists say that development of such knowledge depends on contact with good models, but models need not be parents. In the first phase of the study, children's knowledge of adult sex roles was determined…

Used a standard picture-ranking task to assess preschooler's attitudes about orthopedically handicapped individuals. Found that children as young as preschool age can hold a functionally related preference for a normal over a physically handicapped person. Children who held this preference interacted differently in social situations than children…

This article analyzes the interaction between sex role and "pupil role" in the early childhood education setting. It postulates that teachers and schools have a demonstrated investment in socializing children to a passive, docile, and dependent role, beginning at the preschool level. This role, called "pupil role," corresponds closely to the…