Targeting parental language to reduce the development of gender stereotypes in early childhood

New York University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Gender stereotypes—including related to science, math, and intellectual potential more generally—take root in early childhood and contribute to immediate and long-term gender disparities in science engagement and achievement. The goal of this project is to reveal the processes underlying the development of such stereotypes in early childhood, while at the same time developing new approaches to reduce stereotype acquisition. The project tests the hypothesis that subtle but powerful features of how parents talk about gender with young children contribute to the development of a general, abstract belief that gender leads to fundamentally different kinds of people. In this way, language that contributes to the abstract expectation that boys and girls are fundamentally different from one another facilitates stereotype acquisition, even if the language itself does not include any stereotypic content. The present project tests this conceptual model and compares it to theoretical alternatives via an intervention design that targets different aspects of parent language and knowledge. This project will test whether targeting the language that young children hear about gender can reduce the development of gender stereotypes over time, while also addressing fundamental questions about how beliefs are spread across communities through subtle features of language. This project will conduct an experimental intervention study with longitudinal follow-up involving young children (ages 3-4) and their parents. The experiment involves unmoderated remote, intervention research that facilitates participation across broad and diverse populations of families. The intervention targets mechanisms in parent-child conversation that facilitates the acquisition of social stereotypes in early childhood. Families of approximately 450 children will be randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions, targeting either the (a) linguistic structure of parents’ references to gender, (b) parents’ knowledge about stereotype development, or (c) a control condition. Then, the project will remotely document parent-child conversations referring to gender and code the conversations for features of content and linguistic structure using cutting-edge artificial intelligence methods. They will then chart the trajectory of children’s language related to gender stereotypes about science, math, and intellectual ability over eighteen months. This research will reveal how language contributes to the development of gender stereotypes over time, while at the same time identifying new intervention approaches for disrupting their acquisition. This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.