Preferences for same-sex playmates (gender segregation) emerge

Preferences for same-sex playmates (gender segregation) emerge

• A. between infancy and 2 1/2 years of age.
• B. at birth.
• C. in adolescence.
• D. in adulthood.

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that children start preferring playmates of the same gender early in development. Around the toddler years, roughly between infancy and about two and a half years, kids begin to show a clear preference for peers who share their gender and engage more in gender-typical play. At birth there isn’t a stable pattern of peer gender preference, and by adolescence or adulthood gender segregation is already firmly established. So the best fit for when this preference first emerges is the period from infancy up to about 2 1/2 years old.

The idea being tested is that children start preferring playmates of the same gender early in development. Around the toddler years, roughly between infancy and about two and a half years, kids begin to show a clear preference for peers who share their gender and engage more in gender-typical play. At birth there isn’t a stable pattern of peer gender preference, and by adolescence or adulthood gender segregation is already firmly established. So the best fit for when this preference first emerges is the period from infancy up to about 2 1/2 years old.