Hilliard and Liben (2010)

• Aim: 


  To investigate how social category salience affects the development of gender stereotypes and inter-group behavior in preschool children.
• Method


  • Design: Field experiment with pre-test/post-test design
  • Sample: 57 US children (age range: 3 years 1 month to 5 years 6 months)
• IV & DV:

  • Independent Variable: Gender salience (high vs. low)
  • Dependent Variables:

  1. Gender attitude (measured by POAT-AM test)
  2. Play behavior with opposite-sex peers
• Procedure

  1. Pre-test: Children completed POAT-AM gender attitude test
  2. Observation of play behavior
  3. Two-week intervention:

  • High salience condition: Gender-specific language and organization
  • Low salience condition (control): No changes to usual practices

  1. Post-test: Repeat of POAT-AM and play behavior observation
  2. Debriefing program to counteract potential negative effects
• Conclusion: 


  Increased gender salience leads to increased gender stereotypes and decreased inter-group play in preschool children, supporting Social Identity Theory's predictions about in-group favoritism and out-group homogeneity.
• Results:

  1. High salience condition:

  • Significant decrease in "both" responses on POAT-AM (increased gender stereotypes)
  • Significant decrease in play with opposite-sex peers

  1. Low salience condition:

  • No significant changes in gender attitudes or play behavior