Are Adults Aware of the Cues They Use to Label Someone as “Male” or “Female”?

This study investigated adults' awareness of gender labeling processes by comparing the types of labeling strategies described by adults in two conditions. Adults who were asked candidly about gender labeling processes reported using biological cues and cultural cues, whereas adults who were shown a picture to label reported using cultural cues. This difference shows inconsistency between adults' awareness of labeling processes, prompting further exploration in the metacognition behind gender labeling by situation.