Hassett et al. Flashcards
What year was this study done in
2008
What is the title of this study (what it explores overall)
Monkey Toy preferences
What are sex differences
The way males and females differ that are caused directly by sex- both physical and behavioral
Do hormones directly impact behavior?
Yes
How much more testosterone do males have than females
Males have 10x the amount of testosterone as women
What are the two theories on differences between males and females
Socialization and Biology
What is an example of socialization between boys and girls
Boys often engage in active, sometimes aggressive play with guns, trucks, building sets, etc. while girls often play with things like dolls in a nurturing way
What is one reason why humans are difficult to study
Our social and physical environments affect our brain’s structure and function
Why would studying children’s development be difficult
Because of the huge number of extraneous variables, it would be unethical to control
What was the aim of this study
To investigate whether toy preferences in monkeys resemble those of children, to test whether sex differences in toy choice are biologically determined by sex
What kind of experiment was this, and what environment did it take place in
This was a field experiment, and it took place in the monkeys’ natural environment
What design did this experiment follow, and what does this design mean?
Independent measures design - An experimental design in which you only assign participants to one of your experimental conditions
What was the independent variable in this experiment
Gender
What was the dependent variable in this experiment
Activities with toys
Had the monkeys already played with the toys
No, the toys were new to the monkeys (to avoid the fatigue effect)
What kind of monkeys were included in this design
Rhesus monkeys
What was the size of this experiment (number of male and female monkeys?)
21 male and 61 female rhesus monkeys
How many adult monkeys were not studied, and why not
14 adults were not studied, because they had had hormone treatment previously
How many infants were not studied, and why not
39 infants were not studies, because they were too young
What was the environment where the experiment took place like
25m x 25m outdoor space, temperature-controlled indoor space as well, and appropriate food and water provided
How were the toys divided, and according to what?
Toys were divided into 2 categories according to properties rather than gender typing
What did Category #1 look like, and how many of these items were there
Category #1 was “wheeled toys”, which matched typical boy toys (6 of them)
What did Category #2 look like, and how many of these items were there
Category #2 was “plush toys”, which matched typical girl toys (7 of them)
How many trials did each social group have, and how long did they last
Each social group had 7 trials lasting 25 minutes each
