Monday, 2nd May, 2005

I love silly scientific experiments that claim to investigate gender stereotypes—especially if they involve monkeys:

Scientific American: His Brain, Her Brain

…The researchers presented a group of vervet monkeys with a selection of toys, including rag dolls, trucks and some gender-neutral items such as picture books. They found that male monkeys spent more time playing with the "masculine" toys than their female counterparts did, and female monkeys spent more time interacting with the playthings typically preferred by girls. Both sexes spent equal time monkeying with the picture books and other gender-neutral toys.

…But, when given the choice, both male and female monkeys went for the banana every time.