The influence of televised models on toy preference in children

Eighteen boys and 18 girls aged 4–6 years viewed one of three videotapes in which fantasy characters used culturally stereotyped arguments to assign masculinity, femininity, or sex-role neutrality to a standard set of sex-neutral toys. After viewing the videotape, subjects were observed for 10 minutes in free play with the test toys and with a less attractive set of comparison toys which were not shown. The videotaped portrayal of sex appropriateness significantly affected toy choice. Children of both sexes spent more time playing with the test toys when they were identified as sex appropriate than with the comparison toys. When the test toys were identified as inappropriate for their sex, however, children spent more time playing with the less desirable comparison toys. The implications of these findings were discussed in light of media protrayal of male and female models.