toy preferences (monkeys)

• Conclusions: Toy preferences in monkeys reflect behavioral and cognitive biases influenced by hormones and social processes
• Ethical Issues:

  • Housing and care were appropriate for the monkeys
  • Monkeys were not deprived and were not distressed during the study
• Applications to Everyday Life:

  • Study findings can guide toy companies in designing toys to increase sales based on gender-specific preferences
• Nature vs. Nurture Debate:

  • Nature: Monkeys choosing gender-specific toys support biological influences
  • Nurture: Social factors influence children's toy choices through processes like social learning
• Strengths and Weaknesses:

  • Strengths: use of animals to eliminate socialization bias, standardization
  • Weaknesses: different comparisons between monkeys and children
• socialisation


  learning how to behave in a socially accepted way
• play


  childhood behaviors done for fun rather than utility
• gender stereotype bias

  societal bias manifested in behaviors, traits, emotions, and occupations
• aim 1

  Investigate if toy preferences in monkeys resemble those in childre
• aim 2

  test if sex differences in toy choices are biologically determined
• research method

  field experiment and structured observation
• experimental design


  independent measure design
• sample feature

  21 male and 61 female Rhesus monkeys
• sample feature

  living in the Yerkeys Private Research Center in the U.S.
• sample feature

  there were 135 monkeys in the center
• sample feature

  14 adults were excluded because of hormonal treatments
• sample feature

  39 excluded because they were too young (infants)
• sample feature

  they were living in natal groups in 25x25m outdoor areas
• sample feature

  feeding was done twice a day +additional vegetables and fruits daily
• wheeled toys

  cars, trucks or wagons (16-46 cm)
• plush toys

  Scooby-Doo or Winnie-the-Pooh (14-73 cm)
• 7 trials, of 25 minutes each, observed through two video cameras (directed towards each toy)
• trial began with the monkeys indoors, while one plush toy and one wheeled toy were placed at 10 m apart in the outdoor area
• counter balancing

  switching the toys positions (eg: plush toys on the left, with wheeled toys on the right, then in the next trial they would switch the toys positions up)
• each animal interaction with the toy was identified and each action on a behavioural checklist was coded
• recorded the time at which each activity occurred, the frequency of each behaviour and the duration of continuous activity
• monkey was excluded if they showed less than 5 behaviours (17 were not included)
• monkey behaviour - shiff


  coming very close to the toy with the nose
• monkey behaviour - destroy


  using mouth or hands to bite or tear toy
• monkey behaviour - throw


  project into air with hands
• males significantly prefered wheeled toys (m: 9.77) compared to plush toys (m: 2.06)
• females showed no significant difference of preference for plush toys (m:7.97) compared to wheeled toys (m:6.96)
• males duration of interaction was significantly longer with wheeled toys (m:4.76) compared to plush toys (m:0.53)
• females duration of interaction was not significantly different between plush toys (m:1.49) and wheeled toys (m:1.25)
• males showed significantly lower frequency of play with plush toys (m:2.06) compared to females (m:7.97)
• there was no significant difference between males and females in the frequency on interaction with wheeled toys and plush toys
• magnitude of preference

  for females: total frequency/duration for plush toys - total frequency/duration for wheeled toys
• males had a significantly higher frequency of magnitude of preference score compared to females
• males had a significantly higher duration of magnitude of preference score compared to females
• overall males showed a significantly higher preference for the wheeled toys than females showed for the plush toys