Among the findings are that girls become more self-reliant and responsible than boys at an earlier age and that the non-social behavior of boys reflects their greater free time and lack of responsibilities. The responses of adults are inconclusive, but consistent with findings on childrens behavior. (Author/AM)

Examines the conceptual basis of preschoolers' judgments regarding cross-gender behavior, taking into consideration the type of sex-role regularity and whether it is male or female sex-role stereotype. (HOD)

Describes two measures of gender salience, one assessing the use of the gender dimension in classifying new information and the other assessing its use in making affiliation choices. The developmental course of gender salience from age three to age seven and the relation between salience and sex-role development were examined. (HOD)

The literature on children's acquisition of sex-typed knowledge, preference, and behavior is reviewed, and a matrix of sex-typing constructs and sex-typed content areas is offered. Two major themes are discussed. The first theme concerns the importance of activities, interests, and peer associations in the early acquisition of sex-typing…

One technique for helping children adjust to changing role models is bibliotherapy--the use of children's books to facilitate identification with and exploration of sex role behavior. Confronted with change in various social systems, particularly the family, children are faced with conflicts concerning their sex role development. The process…

To assess sex role development in Mexican-American males, about 40 kindergarten boys from low middle to very low socioeconomic backgrounds were divided into 2 statistical test groups according to whether their fathers were or were not resident in the home. Data were obtained from toy preference scorings, which followed Biller's 1968 measure;…

This book seeks to explain how gender affects human development from infancy through adolescence and into adulthood. The book's introduction states the two theses of the book: first, gender differences appear primarily in group, or social, contexts; and second, gender differentiation can be understood only in a developmental context--the sexes…