Abstract
This study examined childrens' stereotypes about sex differences in emotionality. Thirty preschoolers were presented with hypothetical emotional situations and asked to indicate the gender of the expressor and reasons for their choice. Although fear was consistently associated with females, gender attribution was situation specific for anger and happiness. Examination of preschoolers' explanations for gender attributions revealed that females made greater use of sex-role and imagery categories than did males. Furthermore, a significant age difference in the use of categorical and noncategorical responses was reported, with younger children making a greater number of noncategorical explanations. Children who used imagery to mediate gender choice relied primarily on hair color and length as gender-specific cues.
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Birnbaum, D.W., Chemelski, B.E. Preschoolers' inferences about gender and emotion: The mediation of emotionality stereotypes. Sex Roles 10, 505–511 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287259
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287259