The Development of Gender Understanding: Judgments and Explanations

WEHREN, AILEEN, and DE LISI, RICHARD. The Development of Gender Understanding: Judgments and Explanations. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1983, 54, 1568-1578. Gender understanding in 3-, 5-, 7-, and 9-year-olds was investigated using data from gender constancy judgments and explanations for correct, incorrect, and ambiguous judgments. There were 10 males and 10 females at each of the 4 ages. Results verified the acquisition of understanding of gender stability prior to gender constancy, as well as a shift with age from no constancy to pseudoconstancy to true constancy. Pseudoconstancy appears to be based on an inability to reconcile societal norm information with the initial label of a person as male or female rather than on the existence of perceptual change, as has been suggested. No clear order of acquisition emerged of knowledge of aspects of constancy (activities, physical attributes, and psychological traits). The results make clear the need for analysis of both gender constancy judgments and explanations in any investigation of gender understanding.