Nature-Nurture: Results support nature side of the debate -
biological sex influenced choice of type of toy.
Individual / Situational: Individual hormone levels appear to be
driving behaviour (there are participant variables in hormone levels)
Use of animals in psychological research: ethics (previously discussed)
can we generalise animal results to humans?
Determinism-Free Will: Biologically deterministic - states biological
sex will affect toy choice through whether activities offered by toy
match cognitive abilities driven by hormone levels.
Approved by Ethics Board at University
Housed socially (according to preference), no
deprivation, no aversive stimuli, pain or distress.
Should animal studies happen at all?
Standardised procedure, counterbalancing, different pairs of
toys used,
Operationalising of DV: structured observation, objective, quantitative
measures (duration / frequency), videotaping increases accuracy. Two
observers - allows checking for inter-observer reliability.
Risk of observer bias - researchers knew the population well,
and also the aims of the study
Limited range of toys / types of toy - human toys used with
monkeys - low mundane realism.
Captive monkeys - low generalisability to wild monkeys / humans
Rhesus monkeys show similar preferences to
human infants, even with no clear gender
differences in socialisation.
Human, and monkey, toy preferences reflect
“hormonally influenced behavioural and cognitive
biases” which interact with learning experiences
within the social environment.
Significant positive correlation between social rank and
frequency of interaction with both types of toy. Most
significant for high ranking females and plush toys.
Issues and Debates
Ethics
Evaluation
Hassett et al (2008)
monkey toy preferences
Conclusion
Duration: females played with wheeled toys
for less time (1.27) compared to males (4.76)
females played with plush toys for more time
(1.49) compared to males (1.27)
Applications to
everyday life: Suggests children’s biology may draw them to toys offering
specific activities.
Parents could choose toys which offer multiple activities - e.g.
trucks with expressive faces (empathy), plush toys with
moving parts (spatial skills)
socialisation: the process of learning to behave in a way
Psychology investigated:
that is acceptable to society
sex differences: (behavioural) differences in emotional,
motivational, or cognitive differences between biological sexes.
play: a voluntary behaviour allowing the individual to practise
skills we need to survive in adulthood.
the role of hormones: hormones can affect brain structures
and physical abilities, through this process they may
influence behavioural preferences
Aims: To investigate whether sex differences in toy
preferences of (rhesus) monkeys were the same as
those in the toy preferences of human children.
Sample: 135 rhesus monkeys housed socially at Yerkes
Primate Research Centre. In Atlanta, Georgia, US.
39 babies excluded - hard to tell gender, 14 who participated in prenatal hormone
Sample study excluded, and those who interacted with toys less than 5 times excluded
Final sample - 34 (23F, 11M) who interacted with toys 5+ times.
IV: biological sex (male or female) DV: duration, frequency and type of interaction with toys
Procedure: Two different types of toy used (masculine/wheeled, 6) or feminine (plush,
Results: 7). One of each placed 10 metres from each other. Left/right placement
counterbalanced. Placed while monkeys were inside, then they were let
outside to interact
Frequency: males preferred
wheeled toys (9.77) over Seven 25-minute observations. Recorded using palm pilots, also video-
plush toys (2.06) taped. Frequency of interactions, duration (in minutes) and type of
females show no significant interactions (behavioural checklist). Rated by two observers, who
preference (7.97 vs. 6.98) discussed any unclear data. Also recorded age, social rank, and
biological sex