Stereotypes In Jean Piaget's Stages Of Cognitive Development

Development of Stereotypes

According to Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, children go through four stages of development which are sensory motor, pre-operational, concrete- operational, and formal operations. The second stage, which is pre-operational is the age where preschool age students who are between the ages of two and a half to four years old start to develop a sense of self. Between two and a half and three is the age where children start to develop stereotypes associated with gender roles as well as views of how the world works around them. Children who are in the age range of two and a half and four that are enrolled in a child care program are being exposed to various views about what is acceptable behavior for their

Francis’s study analyzes three to five-year-old preschool students as well as their parents about their views about toys and viewing materials based on gender. The study showed that parental beliefs shaped their child 's opinions of gender roles based on the toys they played with. The parent 's idea of what is female and what is male is transferred onto the toys their child plays with which in terms developed their child 's stereotype of what is male and female based on their toy selection and color. In the article “How do today 's children play and with which toys?”, by Klemenovic reference that a child 's view on gender stereotypes is developed by their parents who train them on how to use the toys. Klemenovic (2014) states "Adults start training in the first months of a child 's life because knowledge of objects is the outcome of other people 's behavior towards us" (Klemenovic, 2014, p. 184). Young children’s development of gender stereotypes is largely influenced by his or her parent’s actions and view on what they consider male or female. A parent’s color preference and toy selection can influence a child’s gender bias or association to a specific