Sex and social influence: Does sex function as a status characteristic in mixed-sex groups of children?

168 White 4th and 5th graders were assigned to 4-person teams, each consisting of 2 boys and 2 girls, of unfamiliar peers matched on grade, height, socioeconomic class, and field independence. Teams were randomly assigned to expectation training or control conditions and, on the basis of their team's assignment, Ss received 1 of the 2 treatments. Following the treatment condition, team members were brought together for the first time to play a cooperative board game. Group interaction was videotaped and subsequently coded; Ss were interviewed individually following the game. Analyses of control team data showed that, with regard to S perceptions, sex functioned as a status characteristic with girls who were perceived as less competent and less leaderlike than boys; these perceptions were not supported by sex differences in behavior. The experimental treatment, which did not change Ss' behavior, improved peer perceptions of girls relative to boys. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)