Two studies calculated the amount of time boys and girls spent playing with toy dishes and tools, examining whether this varied as a function of children's perceptions of social expectations of gender, awareness of gender stereotypes, and situational constraints. Results indicated that situational and perceived social constraints influenced…

Highlights key findings described in Barrie Thorne's book, "Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School," which reports research focusing on American children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Indicates that gender segregation starts at birth and that socialization and the environment are the most salient factors in gender segregation. (AC)

Report concerns research to develop a broad and flexible method for assessing familiarity with slang for various topics. (Authors)

Middle class Japanese children whose willingness to cheat in a game had been observed at age four were administered a version of a Machiavellianism scale seven years later. Developmental changes in Machiavellianism, sex differences, and belief behavior congruency were considered in the Japanese cultural context. (Author/GC)

A study of the sport socialization of children between the ages of nine and 12 indicated that White children are influenced by specific agents of socialization such as fathers and teachers, while Black children are influenced by situational and contextual variables. Noteworthy from the gender comparisons is the predominantly same-sex influence on…

Upon reviewing recent research on early appearing sex differences the author concludes that stereotypic expectations elicit differential early behaviors. These account for cognitive and personality differences which lead to fulfillment of different roles in adulthood. (MS)

The distinction between "stereotype" as a cognitive structure and "stereotyping" as a complex set of intra- and inter-personal processes is discussed in light of relevant research in cognitive and social psychology. (Author/EB)

One of the focal points of this study is the investigation of the relationship between rates and types of imitative responding and responsiveness to social reinforcement (approval). Subjects were 96 children (5 to 6 years old) equally divided according to sex and race (Negro and white). Findings indicate that: (1) it seems tenable to assume that a…

Explains the need for examining socialization forces in identifying strategies of differential treatment of preschool boys and girls. Reports analyzed areas of differences in teachers' interactions with boys as compared with girls in different curriculum areas. (Author/AS)

The relative influence of best friends and social crowds of 324 older adolescents (eleventh graders) on cigarette smoking was examined to determine influences as a function of sex, conformity, and friendship mutuality. Best friends, rather than social crowd, appeared to be the major influence in this group. (SLD)

This booklet contains two papers on sex role identification and a description of a Big Brothers program to provide male models for boys whose fathers no longer live with them. The first paper explores the ways that children learn and confirm their sex roles. A rationale for the development of more androgynous sex roles is also presented. The…

In his films, Spike Lee proclaims the existence of a dynamic and multifaceted African-American society, but he consistently delimits a peripheral role for African-American women, subordinate to that of the African-American man. Lee's work will fall short of its potential until it reflects the inherent value of African-American women. (SLD)

A questionnaire which explored children's beliefs about war and the Vietnam conflict was administered in 1971 to 2,677 children in grades three through eight. The study of these responses examines four aspects of socialization to international strife: (1) how and when children acquire attitudes toward war, (2) what attitudes children have about…