ERIC Number: EJ1367131
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Feb
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: EISSN-1939-0599
Meta-Analytic Evidence against Sex Differences in Infants' and Toddlers' Preference for Prosocial Agents
Margoni, Francesco; Block, Katharina; Hamlin, Kiley; Zmyj, Norbert; Schmader, Toni
Developmental Psychology, v59 n2 p229-235 Feb 2023
Can well-documented gender differences in evaluations of prosocial versus antisocial actions found in childhood and adulthood be traced to sex differences in basic sociomoral preferences in infancy? We provide an answer to this question by meta-analyzing sex differences in preference for prosocial over antisocial agents in a set of 53 samples of American and European infants and toddlers aged between 4 and 32 months (N = 1,094). Although the original studies were agnostic to sex differences, we were able to retrieve the original data sets and estimate the effect of infants' and toddlers' sex on sociomoral preferences. Employing both a standard frequentist and a Bayesian approach to meta-analysis, we found strong evidence supporting the absence of sex differences in sociomoral preferences among infants and toddlers. We discuss the relevance of this finding for theories and descriptions of the emergence and developmental trajectory of gender differences in morality.
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Infants, Toddlers, Prosocial Behavior, Preferences, Antisocial Behavior, Meta Analysis, Foreign Countries
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States; Europe
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/uq3zs/