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Abstract
The
hunter-gatherer theory (M. Eals and I. Silverman, 1994) predicts that females
should have better incidental memory for objects and locations than males.
This study tested this prediction with 3-6 yr olds (Exp 1) and adults (Exp
2). In Exp 1, 80 children were asked to recognize 18 gender-stereotyped
toys which they had previously seen in a playroom for 2 min. In Exp 2, 40
adults were asked to recall the identity and location of 30 gender-stereotyped
objects which they had previously seen in an office for 2 min. Analyses
in both studies indicated that females and males remembered more toys or
objects congruent with their own sex but that there was no overall advantage
for females. Implications for the hunter-gatherer theory, gender schema
theory, and our understanding of the development of incidental memory are
discussed.
Cherney,
I.D., &
Ryalls, B. O. (1999). Gender-linked differences in the incidental memory
of children and adults. Journal
of Experimental Child Psychology, 72 (4), 305-328.
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