ERIC Number: EJ1342661
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Apr
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Individual Differences in the Development of Gendered Speech in Preschool Children: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study
Munson, Benjamin; Lackas, Natasha; Koeppe, Kiana
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v65 n4 p1311-1330 Apr 2022
Purpose: We evaluated whether naive listeners' ratings of the gender typicality of the speech of children assigned male at birth (AMAB) and children assigned female at birth (AFAB) were different at two time points: one at which children were 2.5-3.5 years old and one when they were 4.5-5.5 years old. We also examined whether measures of speech, language, and inhibitory control predicted developmental changes in these ratings. Method: A group of adults (N = 80) rated single-word productions of 55 AMAB and 55 AFAB children on a continuous scale from "definitely a boy" to "definitely a girl." Children's productions were taken from previous longitudinal study of phonological development and vocabulary growth. As part of that study, children completed a battery of standardized and nonstandardized tests at both time points. Results: Listener ratings for AMAB and AFAB children were significantly different at both time points. The difference was larger at the later time point, and this was due entirely to changes in the ratings of AMAB children's speech. A measure of language production and a measure of inhibitory control predicted developmental changes in these ratings, albeit only weakly, and not in a consistent direction. Conclusions: The gender typicality of AMAB and AFAB children's speech is perceptibly different for children as young as 2.5 years old. Developmental changes in perceived gender typicality are driven by changes in the speech of AMAB children. The learning of gendered speech is not constrained or facilitated by overall speech and language skill.
Descriptors: Preschool Children, Speech Communication, Age Differences, Developmental Stages, Predictor Variables, Inhibition, Self Control, Gender Differences, Identification (Psychology), Sexual Identity, Individual Differences, Social Influences, Acoustics, Articulation (Speech), Cues, Speech Skills, Language Skills
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation; Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A