ABSTRACT
Social developmental psychology is a rich area for the study of gender. Countless gender differences in children's and adolescents' social interaction and personality styles have been documented. These include gender differences in the size of play groups (e.g., Benenson, 1990, 1994), in the tendency to discuss emotions (e.g., Kuebli, Butler, & Fivush, 1995), in the proximity to adults sought during play (e.g., Omark, Omark, & Edelman, 1975), and in achievement motivation styles (e.g., Dweck & Bush, 1976; Stipek & Gralinski, 1991), to name just a few. However, despite the field's success in documenting gender differences, few attempts have been made to determine whether constructs and theories of social-emotional development can be applied in the same ways to both girls and boys (see Cross & Madson, 1997; Gilligan, 1982, for important exceptions).
