Resumen

PONTES, Fernando Augusto Ramos; MAGALHAES, Celina Maria Colino  y  MARTIN, William Lee Berdel. Children's preferences for Miriti toys: the influence of gender and dyad composition. Rev. bras. crescimento desenvolv. hum. [online]. 2008, vol.18, n.2, pp.170-178. ISSN 0104-1282.

Data from different studies of sex differences in play indicate that boys and girls prefer different play activities and toys; in most studies commercial toys were used, or toys were not present in play activities. Considering that these preferences are interactionally contextualized, the aim of this study was to verify children's preferences for specific toys made out of Miriti (a palm native to wet areas - Maurita flexuosa L.), as well as the extent to which preferences varied as a function of gender and dyad composition. The study involved the participation of 116 children in the 4 to 10-year old age range attending a municipal school. In a special room, 52 Miriti toys were arranged on shelves. Children were grouped according to their choice into three dyads: two girls, two boys, and boy-girl. These dyads were taken to observational rooms where play sessions were filmed. The Ethology 2.3 Program was used to record the frequency and duration of play episodes with specific toys. No significant between-age differences in toy choice were observed. With reference to gender, boys tended to prefer three typical toys, whereas the girls chose only one. It was noted that sex differences tended to be most apparent among same-sex dyads, thus supporting findings from analyses taken at an individual level. Nevertheless, analysis of two-sex dyads revealed mixed preferential patterns, as sometimes the children played with specific toys preferred by boys, and sometimes they did not present significant differences compared to the girls group, being more similar to the female pattern.

Palabras clave : Play; Gender differences; Dyad composition; Miriti toys.

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