| Abstract: | Sex biases in children's sociometric preferences were examined developmentally using rating-scale data from 195 girls and 191 boys in kindergarten through the third grade (Study 1) and from 91 girls and 88 boys in the third through sixth grades (Study 2). Results of both studies indicated that children at each grade level rated opposite-sex classmates significantly lower than same-sex classmates. Furthermore, there was a significant linear trend for children's sex biases to increase with age, with this trend being particularly pronounced in the younger grades (i.e., kindergarten to Grade 3). Specifically, children received significantly lower ratings from opposite-sex peers in Grade 3 than they received in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2. Results are discussed in terms of future research in the area of sociometric assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
