RE: Psychology Addict # 30 | What Makes a Boy a Boy & a Girl a Girl?
@abigail-dantes, you simply do not post enough. Your posts are so interesting to read.
Where to start with this one.
Firstly, I think that the Loius Theroux documentary you reference is one of the best he has done. I found it quite confronting. As a parent I tried to place myself in the shoes of the parents in the show and I really don’t know what I would do. On the one hand, the early intervention available is so effective at smoothing the transition for these children when the time comes. It almost seems an obvious solution to act as early as possible given it gives such good outcomes for those who are able to commence their transition before puberty. On the other hand though I can’t help but wonder if a child of that age is capable of making such a significant decision with such long term consequences. I truly don’t know what I would do if I was in the parent’s shoes.
On another topic you raise though, primatology is such a fascinating field. My primary interest in psychology to date has been in the areas of morality and ethics. Issues such as where do concepts like altruism and empathy originate from and how can they be reconciled with traditional evolutionary theory is fascinating to me. The ability of primatologists to draw such insightful conclusions in relation to nature vs nurture arguments from the study of primates is incredible.
In this instance I would be really interested to see what controls were in place in the studies you quote to control for gender differences in the species that were studied. It could be argued that gender differences are less relevant in the study of morality and ethics as these concepts are largely gender insensitive. The different traits of the species of primate studied assist the primatologist to draw conclusions based on gendered differences as to the origin of traits such altruism, empathy and violence.
In a study that focuses more specifically on gender issues however I think the traits of the primates themselves can’t help but influence the results. As chimpanzee societies are male dominated, violent and aggressive , whereas Capuchin societies are matriarchal and correspondently less violent and chaotic, I cant help but feel the vastly different behavioural norms that exist in how infants are reared, and also the social cues the infants receive would influence the results enormously. Perhaps that’s my next research project 😊
Thanks again for your fascinating post.
Hello @aghunter :) What a beautiful comment this is.
I really appreciate your honesty as a parent. I am not a parent; but I have a beautiful little niece and a very naughty little nephew. I couldn't stop thinking of them while watching Theroux's documentary. As you can see in my post, similarly to you, the question that permeates my mind is whether a child that young is capable of making such a decision!
I am also fascinated by primates and am particularly interested in their general behaviour and cognitive capacities. Like you said, certain traits were more evident in certain species than in others, like for example boy chimpanzees (male dominated and violent) are the ones, across the species mentioned here, more likely to explore new grounds further from their mothers and develop riskier behaviours; while the Capuchin females even have more of a fruit rich diet, which contribute to a more calmer environment.
Still, despite their different traits similar behaviour was seen in the boys and girls across the species mentioned here :) Here is the link to a piece of research that explores the behaviours of a variety of species http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jnr.23862/full; you will most likely find there the controls you are interested in! I hope it can contribute to your next project!
All the best to you and your family :))