Infants’ visual preferences for gender-stereotyped toys and their knowledge
of stereotyped toys were examined in two experiments using an adaptation of the
preferential looking paradigm. Girls and boys aged 12, 18, and 24 months were tested
for their preference for photos of vehicles or dolls, and for whether they
associated (“matched”) these two stereotyped sets of toys with
the faces and voices of male and female children. Results of Experiment 1 (N = 77)
demonstrated significant preferences for gender stereotyped toys appearing by 18
months of age. In Experiment 2 (N = 58), girls were able to associate the
gender-stereotyped toys with girls’ and boys’ faces by 18 months
of age, but boys were not. Implications for theories of early gender development are discussed.
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