Sex-of-Child Differences in Father-Child Interaction at One Year of Age

SNOW, MARGARET ELLIS; JACKLIN, CAROL NAGY; and MACCOBY, ELEANOR E. Sex-of-Child Differences in Father-Child Interaction at One Year of Age. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1983, 54, 227-232. Father-child interaction involving 12-month-old children was observed for differences relating to the sex of the child. 2 independent samples were examined in an effort to determine the replicability of any findings. 107 dyads were observed in total. Differences were found between father-son and father-daughter dyads in such behaviors as father prohibitions, child mischievousness, mutual proximity, toy exchange, and child toy play. It was concluded that by 12 months of age boys and girls have already begun to differ in how they behave in the presence of their fathers, and fathers have begun to differ in how they treat sons and daughters.