Maureen Thompson and Lynn Loutzenhiser, Ph.D.

1
The Knowledge of Infant Development Study
Maureen Thompson and Lynn Loutzenhiser,
Ph.D. University of Regina

• Results
• Hypothesis Men who show greater conformity to
  masculine norms, and women who show less
  conformity to feminine norms, would have fewer
  child care experiences and less knowledge of
  infant development.
• Result Men who showed greater conformity to
  masculine norms had significantly lower KIDI
  scores, r -.321, p lt .05. The extent to which
  women conformed to feminine norms had no
  significant correlation to their KIDI scores, r
  .276, p lt .05.
• Discussion
• As expected, women had significantly more
  knowledge of infant development and more
  experience with infants then men. This result
  was expected because female roles encourage women
  to be caregivers at an early age, resulting in
  more experience and knowledge then men .
• As expected, scores from the Catalog of Previous
  Experience with Infants and KIDI scores were
  significantly correlated for both men and women.
  This result was expected because experience
  informs knowledge.
• As expected, men who showed greater conformity
  to masculine norms have fewer child care
  experiences and less knowledge of infant
  development than men who show less conformity to
  masculine norms. This result was expected
  because of the notion that women are primary
  caregivers to infants in traditional sex roles,
  therefore, the stronger a man conforms to
  masculine norms, the less he may deem it
  necessary to learn about infant development.

• Methods
• Female Participants filled out the Conformity to
  Feminine Norms Inventory (CFNI Mahalik, J.R.,
  Morray, E.B., Coonerty-Femiano, A., Ludlow, L.H.,
  Slattery, S.M., Smiler, A., 2005).
• Male Participants filled out the Conformity to
  Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI Mahalik, J.R.,
  Locke, B.D., Ludlow, L.H., Diemer, M.A., Scott,
  R.P.J., Gottfried, M.G., 2003).
• Sample
• Participants consist of 131 childless
  undergraduate students, 62.6 were female and
  37.4 were male, from the University of Regina
  Psychology Participant Pool.
• Average age of female respondents was 20.5
  years, and
• average age of male respondents was 21.5 years.
• Results
• Hypothesis Men will have fewer childcare
  experiences and knowledge of infant development
  than women
• Result When compared to women, men scored
  significantly lower on the KIDI, t(129) 3.36, p
  lt .001, and the Catalog of Previous Experience
  with Infants, t(129) 2.98, p lt .004.

• Abstract
  
• This study sought to understand how knowledge
  of infant development is influenced by previous
  childcare experiences and sex roles, while also
  comparing sex differences in childless men and
  women. It was hypothesized that men would have
  fewer childcare experiences and knowledge of
  infant development than women, and that previous
  childcare experiences would contribute to
  knowledge of infant development. It was also
  hypothesized that men who show greater conformity
  to masculine norms, and women who show less
  conformity to feminine norms, would have fewer
  child care experiences and less knowledge of
  infant development. Results indicated there was a
  significant difference in knowledge of infant
  development and previous childcare experience
  scores between men and women, with women scoring
  higher. Also, previous childcare experiences are
  significantly correlated to knowledge of infant
  development scores. Lastly, men whose scores
  showed greater conformity to masculine norms were
  significantly correlated to lower scores on
  knowledge of child development, however, women
  whose scores showed less conformity to the
  feminine norms were not significantly correlated
  to lower knowledge of infant development scores.
• Introduction
• Mothers and fathers of infants often relate to
  their infants in different ways. For example,
  mothers are often considered the primary
  caregivers, (i.e.. responsible for feeding,
  changing, and comforting the infant), while
  fathers are seen as secondary caregivers
  (Palkovitz, 1984) . Fathers are also often less
  involved in childcare tasks with their infants
  than mothers (Cook, Jones, Dick, Singh, 2005)
  One implication of this discrepancy may be due to
  levels of experience, or knowledge of infant
  development.
• Mothers may have more previous childcare
  experiences and a better understanding of infant
  development than fathers, thus mothers may have
  more realistic expectation of infant behaviours.
  Although this may be possible, few researchers
  have empirically examined differences between men
  and womens previous childcare experiences and
  their knowledge of infant development, as most of
  these studies focus solely

• Introduction
• on mothers (Huang, Caughy, Genevro, Miller,
  2005 Hess, Teti, Hussey-Gardner, 2004 Benasich
  Brooks-Cunn, 1996 McBride, 1990 Stevens,
  1984). Moreover, studies that look at these two
  variables have only included parent samples,
  therefore, it is unknown whether men and women
  are different on these variables before
  parenthood. Furthermore, variables that may
  relate to previous childcare experience and
  knowledge of infant development have rarely been
  examined (Huang, Caughy, Genevro, Miller, 2005
  Hess, Teti, Hussey-Gardner, 2004 Larossa, 1998
  Lamb, 1995). As researchers have linked sex role
  norms to father involvement with infants
  (Palkovitz, 1984), sex role norms may also be
  linked to these areas.
• Objectives
• In order to increase our understanding of men and
  womens previous childcare experiences and
  knowledge of child development, we need to
  examine not only parents, but men and women who
  have not yet become parents . Thus, the purpose
  of this study is to examine similarities and
  differences in young men and womens previous
  childcare experiences, knowledge of infant
  development and whether these are associated with
  sex role affiliation.
• Hypotheses
• It was hypothesized that men would have fewer
  childcare experiences and knowledge of infant
  development than women
• It was hypothesized that previous childcare
  experiences would be significantly associated
  with knowledge of infant development for both men
  and women.
• It was also hypothesized that men who show
  greater conformity to masculine norms, and women
  who show less conformity to feminine norms, would
  have fewer child care experiences and less
  knowledge of infant development.
• Methods

• 
  
  Discussion
• Contrary to expectations, women who showed less
  conformity to feminine norms did not have fewer
  child care experiences and less knowledge of
  infant development than women who showed more
  conformity. This could be due to the instrument,
  as it does not tap many areas of chid caring. It
  may also be because the female role often
  involves childcare, whether the female individual
  conforms to feminine norms or not. Therefore,
  one may not conform to feminine norms, but still
  have much experience and knowledge about infants.
  
• Future Research
• Include expectant or new parents to see if there
  is a shift in knowledge during the expectancy or
  transition to parenthood period.
• Use a sex norm instrument that includes
  traditional childrearing sub-scales to see if
  women who adhere to more traditional parental
  roles have more childcare experience or knowledge
  of child development than women who do not.