Passiveness Experiment

Further, certain toys seem to suggest that boys are valued higher in society than girls (Starr, 1999). The information appears to show that there may be more stereotyping with regard to toys offered to boys. It seems that most parents choose more masculine and gender-neutral toys for the boys such as, soldier action figures, wrestling kits, and karate fighters (Starr, 1999). These types of toys encourage competitive and aggressive behaviors, however; they are also more constructive, conductive to handling, and more reality based (Starr, 1999).

​“girls’ toys were associated with physical attractiveness, nurturing, and ​domestic skill, whereas boys’ toys were

In the first step, there were two objects placed in a case. In the second step, a screen cam up and cover the two objects in the case. Third, an empty hand enters the case and fourth, one object was removed from the case. Lastly, There are two different outcome. As one being the possible in which the screen drops and reveals one object in the case or the impossible outcome in which the screen drops and revealing two objects in the case. There are two conditions in this experiment. The most condition that is appropriately to be the experimental condition is the kids that will see the impossible outcome because they are being presented the independent variables. There would be different infants being tested in each conditions because it gives equal chances to both groups. It is necessary to have a separate control group because. A possible control group will be the infants that will see the possible outcome which will reveals two objects from the case. The habitation technique is used in this experiment by acknowledging how infants will respond to a stimulus given to them. The independent variable in the experiment is the amount of objects that were put in the case and the dependent variable is the different outcomes.

     From early childhood, children are taught traits that are conceptualized as typically male and female normative patterns through toys. They don’t know it but sex dimorphism is actually happening while they are playing with their toys. Toys such as building sets, trucks, cars, sports equipment and war toys (guns and soldiers) are usually bought for and played with by young boys. What these boys don’t realize is

Toys play an important role in childhood development as children learn roles and skills from playing. As a result, the toys children are subjected to have an affect on which roles, interests, and skills are learned and practiced. Through Lego’s product Duplo, I will demonstrate the influence particular gendered toys have on children and their performance of traditional gender roles. Gender, which is a learned performance, is something society has been taught from a very early age and toy advertising has played a significant role in reinforcing the performance. One tradition that is reinforced and naturalized by society is the ideology of a male dominated society, representing strong characteristics of heterosexuality and masculinity; also known as hegemonic masculinity. Therefore, using Ideological Criticism, I will analyze how through the branding and design of Lego’s Duplo toys, children have been constructed to do gender differently, ultimately perpetuating and reinforcing hegemonic masculinity.

Gender role expectations are inescapable in our society as we naturally tend to sort humans into categories, the easiest one being gender. Upon first meeting a person, most people automatically classify the other’s gender. With this classification come the inevitable gender role expectations. Even for those who consciously try their hardest not to cloud their perceptions of others based on “traditional” gender role expectations, it is almost impossible not to subconsciously succumb to these expectations that are ingrained in our minds virtually since the day we are born. These expectations often influence how one interacts with another. This is especially important when taking into consideration the effects that gender socialization of children through gendered toys, media, and parental affects child development.

In the world of toy marketing, choices are made with direction put in place for both genders (girl and boy). For example, as I walked down each toy aisle, I felt the gender conformity among the parents as they were with their children. With multiple aisles and two dominant colors (pink and purple) designated for girls, the message (in my perspective) marketed on the toy package yelled: “Your ambition is to be stylish, while a nurturing mother who partakes in domestic works!” In addition to the toy packages being in pink, the words (on the toy) were predominately frivolous and amusing. On the contrary, the boys’ aisle contained wide varieties of colors, although the color blue caught my eye the most. The boys’ toys entailed sports, building sets, as well as action figures. Conversely, the message in my perspective, marketed on the toy package screamed: “You have the power to do whatever you want; however, it is imperative that you build yourself physically, as well as train yourself in order to properly excel.” This type of act, referred to as the social role theory—“a gender difference that mainly results from the contrasting roles of females and males” (p.165),—gives a great cause of difference in gender regarding power, nurture, and

In our society, there are norms of what is considered to be feminine and what is to be considered masculine, but how are these norms constructed? Through the use of toys, books, and clothing, children are socialized into their “appropriate” gender. These objects provide influence over behavior and appearance, showing boys and girls what is appropriate for each gender. After some investigation it was found that the toys, books, and clothing that children use not only foster the norms of gender behavior and appearance, but also construct gender roles in their young minds.

In the first stage of the experiment, children were brought to the experimental room by the controller and the model, who was in the hallway outside the room and was invited to come in and join in the game. The room was set up for playing and the activities were selected because they had high interest for nursery school children. One area was arranged was a child’s play area, where there was a table and chair, potato prints and stickers. After settling the child in its corner the adult model was brought to the other side of the room where there was a small table, chair, tinker-toy set, a mallet and a big inflatable Bobo doll. After the model was seated the experimenter left the experimental room (Diessner, 2008).

Observe the details of the experiment with the 16-month old babies who are shown Cookie Monster and Big Bird. Explain the experiment’s design, including the question posed by the researchers and the conclusions they reach regarding children’s acquisition of

In this case they were unaware which is classified as a double blind experiment due to the lack of knowledge the experimenter had on which pile were the stereotyped words versus the neutral ones. Next, the construct validity was clear I knew exactly what was actually being tested which was does the elderly stereotyped words influence the speed of walking. In terms of whether or not the experiment was reliable I would say yes because, the results were consistent with the hypothesis along with the data. In addition to the external validity they conducted a similar experiment with different set of people to convey you will get the same results if the study were to be replicated. The internal validity was strong also because the experiment conveyed if participants were primed the result would show in their

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.

and the activities they encourage. In one study parents were asked to sort toys into masculine,

I found this section quite interesting, actually. It really opened my eyes to how the different genders are raised and taught to be. From kindergarten, girls are praised for being quiet, cooperative, and submissive whereas boys are expected to be loud and superior. Girls are encouraged to play with toys that are more feminine like dolls, kitchen sets, and art sets while boys are encouraged to play with blocks and weapons such as balls, toy guns, and swords. It’s even been observed that even when the boys play with the more feminine toys, they play with them differently than the girls do by pulling the heads off of dolls or using toy silverware as swords during play sword fights. It’s even been seen that they would use the dolls in “damsels in distress” situations. Now these facts aren’t saying that girls don’t participate in the occasional game of kickball or the play fights or that the boys don’t play house or color, because that does happen. But more often than not, you will observe the normal gender activities being portrayed.

What are gender appropriate activities for a five year old boy? Is it okay for him to play house and care for baby dolls, or must he only play with matchbox cars and tonka trucks? Children raised by an opposite-sex parent, with an opposite-sex sibling, will be more likely to engage in gender specific play of their sibling. I performed a qualitative study, observing a little boy in different settings while playing. In one setting, the boy was provided with toy cars and trucks, along with a tea set, with no other children present. The toys were presented to him separately. In the second observation, the boy was outdoors, in the presence of two little girls, doing gymnastics, cheerleading tumbles, and cartwheels for a length of time. He was later joined by another male child, playing with Transformers.