Systematic Review and Meta‐Analyses Reveal no Gender Difference in Neonatal Social Perception.
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| Title: | Systematic Review and Meta‐Analyses Reveal no Gender Difference in Neonatal Social Perception. |
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| Authors: | Karson, Lindsay (AUTHOR), Minhas, Hersimren (AUTHOR), Dhesi, Manraj (AUTHOR), Davies, Jeffrey (AUTHOR), Patel, Julie (AUTHOR), Eliot, Lise (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Social Development. Feb2025, Vol. 34 Issue 1, p1-18. 18p. |
| Subjects: | Gender differences (Psychology), Gender differences (Sociology), Newborn infants, Behavioral assessment, Social perception, Empathy |
| Abstract: | Women score higher than men on measures of social cognition such as empathy and reading non‐verbal cues. How early does this gender difference emerge? Systematic review and meta‐analyses were used to assess gender difference in social perception within 1 month of birth. A total of 31 studies (40 experiments) reported on gender effects in 1936 neonates (50% girls) between 1968 and 2021. No significant difference (Hedges' g = 0.076, p = 0.321) was found across 20 experiments measuring visual fixation on human faces. Nine experiments on neonatal imitative crying also revealed no gender difference (g = 0.157, p = 0.118). Seven studies using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale found no gender difference in total orientation (g = 0.161, p = 0.154), but girls oriented more to both animate (g = 0.279, p = 0.011) and inanimate (g = 0.242, p = 0.003) stimuli in the studies that analyzed these separately. Existing evidence supports a possible maturational difference but not a specific social advantage for girls at birth. While more research and better reporting are needed, the present findings challenge the claim that girls are innately more socially perceptive than boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Women score higher than men on measures of social cognition such as empathy and reading non‐verbal cues. How early does this gender difference emerge? Systematic review and meta‐analyses were used to assess gender difference in social perception within 1 month of birth. A total of 31 studies (40 experiments) reported on gender effects in 1936 neonates (50% girls) between 1968 and 2021. No significant difference (Hedges' g = 0.076, p = 0.321) was found across 20 experiments measuring visual fixation on human faces. Nine experiments on neonatal imitative crying also revealed no gender difference (g = 0.157, p = 0.118). Seven studies using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale found no gender difference in total orientation (g = 0.161, p = 0.154), but girls oriented more to both animate (g = 0.279, p = 0.011) and inanimate (g = 0.242, p = 0.003) stimuli in the studies that analyzed these separately. Existing evidence supports a possible maturational difference but not a specific social advantage for girls at birth. While more research and better reporting are needed, the present findings challenge the claim that girls are innately more socially perceptive than boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 0961205X |
| DOI: | 10.1111/sode.12790 |
