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Reply	Michael Marshall says: The following answer has been selected and edited by New Scientist staffBoys and girls are somewhat different even at birth, but I don't think little girls are born to skip. Most likely, girls skip because they see other girls doing it, and boys don't skip because they don't see other boys doing it. By the age of 3, girls identify themselves as "girls" and take their cues on how to behave from other girls they see - in particular, those slightly older than themselves.By the age of 3, girls identify themselves as 'girls' and take their cues on how to behave from other girls they see, in particular slightly older girlsJudith Rich Harris, child development psychologist, US  (no votes) Tags: human body, plants.
	posted on 2008-10-08 18:09:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Michael Marshall says: The following answer has been selected and edited by New Scientist staffBoys run and jump and in general are more active than girls. This is because boys will become physically larger than girls and exercise is a way of developing muscle, skeletal and neural systems to support that difference. I'd guess the skipping is related to the sorts of games girls play that involve skipping - games that boys usually eschew. In short, skipping is probably a result of female socialisation.Anthony Pellegrini, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, US  (no votes) Tags: unanswered, human body, plants.
	posted on 2008-10-08 18:09:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Norman says: These two explanations predict different things. Pellegrini's explanation is that the difference is genetic, while Harris's explanation is cultural. Therefore, according to Harris, we may find a culture where girls do not skip, while Pellegrini would say no such culture exists.Over to the anthropologists.  (no votes) Tags: unanswered, human body, plants.
	posted on 2008-10-09 09:30:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Deanne says: Pellegrini - Genetic: Boys in general are more active because of physical and developmental differences. Cultural: Skipping is probably a result of female socialisation.Harris - Genetic: Boys and girls are somewhat different, even at birth. Cultural: Don't think girls are born to skip, they probably copy other girls.They seem to be agreeing to me. And the genetic/cultural causes need not be mutually exclusive. There may well be societies where children don't routinely skip, but the playfulness of movement is very similar to the actions of many young animals (four legged as well as two). As it happens, I have seen boys skipping on several occasions, albeit not as commonly as girls. They probably get it beaten out of them. That'd be "culture" for you!  (no votes) Tags: unanswered, human body, plants.
	posted on 2008-10-09 13:16:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Ron Seiden, PA, USA says: Genetically or culturally, it's another aspect of males focusing on the destination but females focusing on the journey. This has ramifications of misunderstanding as adults, for example a female with a problem wanting sympathy while the male seeks simply to solve the problem. (Or, in my own life, my wife wanting me to stop the car at every attraction [or distraction] along the way while I'm trying to get where we're going.) Boys run and jump as the most active way to move along while girls skip to increase their enjoyment of the passage.  (no votes) Tags: unanswered, human body, plants.
	posted on 2008-10-09 19:41:00 | Report abuse

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