Gender Biases in Early Number Exposure to Preschool-Aged Children

Alicia Chang; Catherine M. Sandhofer; Christia S. Brown

doi:10.1177/0261927x11416207

journal article Aug 25, 2011

Gender Biases in Early Number Exposure to Preschool-Aged Children

Alicia Chang Catherine M. Sandhofer Christia S. Brown

Journal of Language and Social Psychology Vol. 30 No. 4 pp. 440-450 · SAGE Publications

View at Publisher Save 10.1177/0261927x11416207

Abstract

Despite dramatically narrowing gender gaps, women remain underrepresented in mathematics and math-related fields. Parents can shape expectations and interests, which may predict later differences in achievement and occupational choices. This study examines children’s early mathematical environments by observing the amount that mothers talk to their sons and daughters (mean age 22 months) about cardinal number, a basic precursor to mathematics. In analyses of naturalistic mother–child interactions from the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES) database, boys received significantly more number-specific language input than girls. Greater amounts of early number-related talk may promote familiarity and liking for mathematical concepts, which may influence later preferences and career choices. Additionally, the stereotype of male dominance in math may be so pervasive that culturally prescribed gender roles may be unintentionally reinforced to very young children.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

50

[1]

Self-Efficacy Beliefs as Shapers of Children's Aspirations and Career Trajectories

Albert Bandura, Claudio Barbaranelli, Gian Vittorio Caprara et al.

Child Development 10.1111/1467-8624.00273

[2]

Bates E. (1988)

[3]

10.1126/science.6648516

[4]

Bernstein-Ratner N. (1982). Acoustic study of mothers’ speech to language-learning children: An analysis of vowel articulatory characteristics (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Boston University, Boston, MA.

[5]

10.1037/0022-0663.96.1.97

[6]

Bloom L. (1973)

[7]

10.4159/harvard.9780674732469

[8]

10.1016/j.cedpsych.2009.01.002

[9]

Carlson-Luden V. (1979). Causal understanding in the 10-month-old. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder.

[10]

10.1016/j.lindif.2007.04.005

[11]

10.1017/s0305000909990390

[12]

10.1111/1467-9280.00347

[13]

Demetras M.

[14]

Demetras M. (1989)

[15]

10.1037/11546-004

[16]

10.1037/11546-016

[17]

10.1037/10325-002

[18]

Eccles J. S. (2000)

[19]

Motivational Beliefs, Values, and Goals

Jacquelynne S. Eccles, Allan Wigfield

Annual Review of Psychology 10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135153

[20]

10.1023/a:1021047122532

[21]

10.1037/0012-1649.38.4.519

[22]

10.1037/0022-3514.74.2.435

[23]

10.1016/b978-0-08-024696-3.50009-0

[24]

10.1023/a:1011332704215

[25]

10.1126/science.1154094

[26]

10.1080/00224549909598248

[27]

10.1002/tea.10048

[28]

10.1016/j.appdev.2005.02.007

[29]

Higginson R. P. (1985). Fixing-assimilation in language acquisition (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Washington State University, Pullman.

[30]

10.1016/j.jesp.2009.04.029

[31]

10.1037/0012-1649.27.2.236

[32]

10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.139

[33]

10.1126/science.1160364

[34]

Moderators of gender effects on parents' talk to their children: A meta-analysis.

Campbell Leaper, Kristin J. Anderson, Paul Sanders

Developmental Psychology 10.1037/0012-1649.34.1.3

[35]

10.1037/0033-2909.109.2.267

[36]

10.1017/s0305000900013866

[37]

10.1037/a0014240

[38]

National Science Foundation. (2008). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/technotes.cfm

[39]

10.1007/bf03173428

[40]

10.1073/pnas.0809921106

[41]

Sachs J. (1983)

[42]

10.1037/0012-1649.42.1.70

[43]

10.1037/0003-066x.60.9.950

[44]

10.1037/h0036026

[45]

Suriyakham L. W.

[46]

10.1037/0012-1649.39.1.34

[47]

10.1007/bf00287620

[48]

Syntactic subjects in the early speech of American and Italian children

Virginia Valian

Cognition 10.1016/0010-0277(91)90046-7

[49]

10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00757.x

[50]

10.1037/0012-1649.27.4.552

Metrics

52

Citations

50

References

Details

Published: Aug 25, 2011
Vol/Issue: 30(4)
Pages: 440-450
License: View

Authors

A

Alicia Chang

University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA

C

Catherine M. Sandhofer

University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

C

Christia S. Brown

University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

Cite This Article

Alicia Chang, Catherine M. Sandhofer, Christia S. Brown (2011). Gender Biases in Early Number Exposure to Preschool-Aged Children. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 30(4), 440-450. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927x11416207

Gender Biases in Early Number Exposure to Preschool-Aged Children

You May Also Like