幼儿在什么时候开始意识到自己是个男孩子或女孩子呢?最早的性别认定,亦即把自己算作男性或女性,通常在一周岁半时形成,并且是自我意识最稳定的核心组成部分。随着年龄的增长,性别认定的外延和内涵不断发生变化,两岁的孩子知遭自己的性别,但不会对这种知识加以论证。三四岁时他能够清楚地区分身边人的性别,但常常把性别同诸如服装这样偶然的外部标志联系在一起,并且认为 When did a child start to realize he or she was a boy or girl? The earliest identification of sex, which counted itself as a male or female, usually took place at the turn of a year and a half and was a central part of the most stable self-awareness. As we grow older, the denotation and implications of gender identity change constantly, and two-year-olds know their own gender but do not argue about it. At the age of three or four, he can clearly distinguish the sexes of his own people, but often associate gender with occasional external signs such as clothing,