Abstract
b18Kohlberg's (1966) hypothesis that the attainment of gender constancy motivates children to attend to gender norms was reevaluated by examining these links in relation to age. Ninety-four 3- to 7-year-old children were interviewed to assess whether and how constancy mediates age-related changes in gender-related beliefs. As expected, results indicated a general pattern of an increase in stereotype knowledge, the importance and positive evaluation of one's own gender category, and rigidity of beliefs between the ages of 3 and 5. Moreover, the stability phase, rather than full constancy, mediated some of these relations. After age 5, rigidity generally decreased with age, with relations primarily mediated by consistency.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1121-1136 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Child development |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2007 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Education
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
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Cite this
Ruble, D. N., Taylor, L. J., Cyphers, L., Greulich, F. K., Lurye, L. E., & Shrout, P. E. (2007). The role of gender constancy in early gender development. Child development, 78(4), 1121-1136. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01056.x