Gender and Age Differences in Preference for Works of Art

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine preference for relative degree of realism or abstraction in a work of art as a function of gender and grade level. Three hundred and thirty nine elementary school students, divided into grades one and two and grades five and six, participated in the study. Each participant was administered the Salkind Picture Preference Scale (Salkind & Salkind, 1973) to measure their preference for degrees of realism in a work of art. A two-way analysis of variance revealed that preference scores for boys remain constant across grades, while scores for girls decrease significantly. At the fifth and sixth grade, preference scores become more realistic. Additional analysis revealed distinct patterns of preference across all items. Results are discussed in light of implications for understanding age and gender differences in preference and the application of such findings to art education.