Abstract
The relationship between sex role flexibility and prosocial behavior among preschool children was investigated. Subjects included 16 boys and 18 girls, ranging in age from 36 to 60 months, from intact families of the upper middle class. A nonhierarchical multiple regression analysis was undertaken to determine the contributions of the predictor variables of sex, age, IQ, and sex role flexibility, as well as their interactions with prosocial behavior (criterion variable). Results indicated that while the overall regression model was not significant, the variable of Sex × Sex Role Flexibility did contribute significantly to the model. Inspection of the correlation coefficients associated with this variable revealed that while sex role flexibility and prosocial behavior among boys were significantly and positively related, among girls no significant relationship was found.
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This research was partially supported by funds from the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station Project, W144, Social Competence in Children. The authors are indebted to the teachers and children of the Oregon State University Child Development Centers. Appreciation is given to Bruce Cunningham, Jan Hare, and Ed Long for their assistance in data collection. Special thanks are due to Darren Pennington for his contribution to data analyses and to Virginia Adduci for her comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. Both authors contributed equally to this research project. This research was presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations in Atlanta, Georgia, November 1987.
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Doescher, S.M., Sugawara, A.I. Sex role flexibility and prosocial behavior among preschool children. Sex Roles 22, 111–123 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288158
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288158