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>I have had people tell me that boys like trucks and girls like dresses because of chemical differences in their brains. In regards to gender differences I fin

>I have had people tell me that boys like trucks and girls like dresses because of chemical differences in their brains. In regards to gender differences I find some of the primate evidence[0][1] rather compelling. This doesn't mean that I believe any gender should be treated differently than the other of course but it seems rather obvious to me that some differences exist outside of any conditioning that human societies may provide. [0]http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/101220-chimpanzees-play-nature-nurture-science-animals-evolution/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/101220-chimp... [1]http://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-29418230/monkey-test-shows-gender-choices http://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-29418230/monk...

ZeroGravitas 9y ago
Note that the primate evidence showed that the girls played equally with the stuffed animals and the wheeled toys. This reminds me of colour preference, where girls are more likely to say they like pink than boys and so people conclude pink is for girls and blue is for boys, yet if you ask what their favourite colour is, the top pick for both sexes is blue. So the evidence on trucks doesn't support the claim you replied to, but maybe they'd be on firmer ground if they said boys had proportionately less interest in stuffed toy animals than trucks.
- KekDemaga 9y ago
  Not all instances of playing with something are equal. In terms of total interactions the females played with both the same number of instances but they also played with the dolls a significantly longer period of time.
  - ZeroGravitas 9y ago
    Specifically talking about this paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2583786/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2583786/ It seems the duration shows the same pattern as counting the number of interactions: "males interacted for a greater total time with wheeled than with plush objects while females did not differ in the duration of interactions with the toy types"

ZeroGravitas 9y ago

Note that the primate evidence showed that the girls played equally with the stuffed animals and the wheeled toys. This reminds me of colour preference, where girls are more likely to say they like pink than boys and so people conclude pink is for girls and blue is for boys, yet if you ask what their favourite colour is, the top pick for both sexes is blue. So the evidence on trucks doesn't support the claim you replied to, but maybe they'd be on firmer ground if they said boys had proportionately less interest in stuffed toy animals than trucks.

KekDemaga 9y ago
Not all instances of playing with something are equal. In terms of total interactions the females played with both the same number of instances but they also played with the dolls a significantly longer period of time.
- ZeroGravitas 9y ago
  Specifically talking about this paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2583786/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2583786/ It seems the duration shows the same pattern as counting the number of interactions: "males interacted for a greater total time with wheeled than with plush objects while females did not differ in the duration of interactions with the toy types"