Children's reasoning about the importance of gender and familiarity in social interactions.

Abstract

This study examined preschoolers' use of gender and familiarity information in reasoning about social interactions. Eighty-one children (37 4-year-olds, 44 kindergartners) predicted who a hypothetical child would choose as a partner in several social situations. Children made forced choices between two social partners: a same-sex vs. opposite-sex peer (gender condition), a friend vs. a new person in class (familiarity condition), and a same-sex new person vs. an opposite-sex friend (mixed condition). Forty undergraduates (20 male, 20 female) performed the same task. Sixty-six parents of the children answered a questionnaire about their child's behavior. Results indicate that children are remarkably consistent in their choices in all test conditions. When both gender and familiarity are relevant social cues, familiarity is the more powerful predictor of and explanation for children's social interactions. Most children predicted same-sex partner choices in the gender condition, but gender was rarely an explanation for such a choice. Children were consistent in choosing either the friend or the new person in the familiarity and mixed conditions. Children who were consistent in their choice of a friend or a new person were more likely than others to justify their choice by mentioning the notions of friendship or newness appropriately. Girls and kindergartners were more likely than boys and 4-year-olds (respectively) to justify their choices appropriately by referring to gender and familiarity. Children, especially girls, with close same-sex friends and siblings were more likely than others to choose a same-sex partner in the test conditions. Adults, like children, consistently predicted interactions between same-sex peers. However, both adult undergraduates and parents were more likely than children to predict that children would prefer a friend over a new person as a social partner. Information provided by parents on children's sociability and social behavior was not related to children's predictions of peers' social interactions. These findings suggest that adults hold notions about the importance of familiarity that may not match children's beliefs. In sum, results suggest preschoolers are competent in using interpersonal factors in reasoning about their social world; furthermore girls may be more attuned to interpersonal factors at an earlier age than boys.