Boys Blue Psychology

LoBue, V. & Deloache, J. (2011).”Pretty in pink: The early development of gender-stereotyped colour preferences”. British Journal of Development Psychology, 29(3),656-667.

Notecard#1

How and why do children develop gender-stereotypical behavior? Do girls really prefer pink and boys blue? These are questions that LoBue and Deloache set out to determine. Some suggest that since gender-stereotyped color dressing is so prevalent in babies, that infants develop a preference for these colors as they grow up.

In studies with preschool children in the United States, the authors found that both boys and girls showed a preference for primary colors. Another study by the authors showed that the color red is preferred by infant

(1975). “Fnctionalism, Darwinism, and the psychology of women: A study in social myth”. American Psychologist, 30(7), 739-754. Notecard#3

Shields (1975) article focused on female psychology during the last half of the 19th century through the first third of the 20th century. The author identified the principal issues of her time and how they capture a spot in current psychological theory.

Shields (1975) discussed that there were three very significant theories during this time; (a) the differences between male and female brains; (b) the thought of greater male variability and the relation to social and academic issues; and (c) maternal instinct and its meaning. Shields argued that the thought was that men have bigger brains, and therefore they must be more intelligent than women. The article outlined that it was also believed that women would lack the ability to learn because their hormones would interfere; women were only able to bear children and do menial household tasks.

Shields discussed that the idea that the sexes might differ in their tendency to vary was introduced by Darwin in 1868; Darwin called up on the idea of greater male variability in an endeavor to explain the complicated nature of male secondary sex characteristics. Like many other 19th century scientists, Darwin considered female mental inferiority a fact of

The authors discuss that because children spend long periods of time at school interacting with their peers, schools are a major setting for gender socialization can affect gender differentiation through two sources; teachers and peers. The authors discuss that teachers and peers are also sources of learning about gender. Schools are characterized by gender segregation; the authors argued that children tend to select same sex playmates, which affects their play experiences, leading to spending more time in stereotypical play.

The authors noted that teacher’s gender stereotypes and prejudices can shape their classroom behavior in at least three ways; (a) teachers often model gender stereotypic behavior; (b) teachers often exhibit different expectations for males and females; and (c) teachers facilitate gender biases by making gender as important by using it to label and organize students.

The authors noted that peers also teach their classmates stereotypes by punishing them verbally or physically for failing to conform to their