Sex Identity in London Children: Memory, Knowledge, and Preference Tests

Abstract

Recall, recognition, knowledge, and preference for masculine and feminine items were tested in 100 London five-year-old white boys and girls from working and middle professional class families. Class differences did not reach statistical significance, but those trends that did surface were in hypothesized direction: more cognizance of adult labelling and less sex-typed rigidity in preferences in the professional as compared to the working class group. Sex differences were more clearly and frequently apparent than class differences: Both boys and girls preferred same-sex items to opposite-sex items (highly significant statistically); fewer ‘errors’ in Recognition and Knowledge tasks by girls; lesser stereotypy in Preference tests by middle class boys (although still stereotyped)