Sex-based learning bias appears in children before gender identity develops

Evidence

There is ample evidence from psychological experiments—going back forty years—that both children and adults preferentially interact with, and learn from, same-sex models over opposite-sex models. In young children, these biases emerge even before they develop a gender identity and influence their learning from parents, teachers, peers, strangers, and celebrities. In fact, children learn their sex roles because they copy same-sex models, not vice versa. Evidence indicates that this learning bias influences diverse cultural domains, including musical tastes, aggression, postures, and object preferences. — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 169

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Gender differences are learned developmental outcomes, not natural expressions — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom,…, 668; Prejudice development is constrained by cognitive stages, not just learning — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 2004; Early divergence between boys and girls is socially imposed, not instinctual — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 676

Broader Connections

• Gender differences are learned developmental outcomes, not natural expressions #corroborates (0.78) — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 668
• Early divergence between boys and girls is socially imposed, not instinctual #corroborates (0.76) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 676
• Prejudice development is constrained by cognitive stages, not just learning #complicates (0.75) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2004