TODDLERS INTERMODAL AND VERBAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GENDER

Toddlers' intermodal and verbal knowledge about gender was examined in two experiments. In the first, 18-month-olds were presented with phot os of adult male and female faces paired with a female or male voice, or with the labels lady and man. Children spent more time looking at t he pictures matching the voices than at the same pictures paired with mismatching voices. However, only girls could match the gender labels to the appropriate faces. In Experiment 2, child pictures and labels ( boy and girl) replaced the adult stimuli. Unexpectedly, 18- and 24-mon th-old children failed to match the faces and voices of children. Howe ver boy was understood by the age of 18 months. These results suggest that toddlers' knowledge about gender labels has been underestimated.