Perhaps more than any other area of child development, the study of gender typing has responded to societal change; hence, theoretical revision marks the study of gender typing. At one time, psychoanalytic theory offered an influential account of how children acquired "masculine" and "feminine" traits. Social learning theory, with its emphasis on modeling and reinforcement, and cognitive-developmental theory, with its focus on children as active thinkers about their social world, are major current approaches to gender typing. A recent information-processing view, gender schema theory, combines elements of both theories to explain how children acquire gender-typed knowledge and behavior.

According to Maccoby, early on, hormones affect play styles, leading to rough, noisy movements among boys and calm, gentle actions among girls. Then, as children begin to interact with peers, they choose partners whose interests and behaviors are compatible with their own. During the preschool years, children acquire a wide variety of gender stereotypes about activities, behaviors, and occupations. Stereotypes involving personality traits and achievement areas are added in middle childhood. At the same time, a more flexible view of what males and females can do emerges.

Cross-cultural similarities in gender typing are not consistent enough to support a strong role for biology. Powerful environmental influences on gender typing exist. Beginning in infancy, adults view boys and girls differently, and they treat them differently. According to social learning theory, behavior precedes self-perceptions in the development of gender identity. In contrast, cognitive-developmental theory assumes that self-perceptions emerge first and guide children's behavior. In fact, gender-typed behavior is present so early in development that modeling and reinforcement must account for its initial appearance.

Biological, social, and cognitive factors combine to make early adolescence a period of gender intensification. Girls are advanced in early language development and in reading achievement and are more emotionally sensitive, compliant, and dependent. Boys do better at spatial and mathematical skills and are more aggressive.

The developmental challenges of adolescence combined with gender-typed coping styles seem to be responsible for the higher rate of depression among adolescent girls. Parents and teachers can counteract young children's readiness to absorb gender-linked associations by delaying access to gender stereotypes and pointing out exceptions as well as the arbitrariness of many gender inequalities in society.