Because this is the first volume to advance an integration of both
disciplines' perspectives on gender, there is a high degree of diversity. First
of all, the contributions to this volume emerged from either a social
psychological or a developmental background, promoting diversity in the
conceptual approaches taken, the kinds of questions asked, and the
methodology employed. Furthermore, some chapters focus on theoretical
issues, whereas others present original pieces of empirical research. As
stated more explicitly in the introductory chapter, the existence of multiple
vantage points is particularly beneficial at this point in that it fosters cross-
fertilization of ideas and allows freedom to choose from equally promising
directions of gender research. In order to lend structure to this diversity,
however, the approaches and findings covered in the various chapters are
organized by means of a general conceptual framework rooted in a
multidimensional view of gender.

Laying the groundwork for a developmental social psychology of gender
appeared to be a task both overdue and challenging. Hence, we were
extremely pleased at the response that our invitations to contribute to the
volume received. As editors, we would like to thank the authors of the
individual chapters for accepting this challenge. We are also grateful for
their patience and willingness to respond to our questions and suggestions at
all stages of the project. The commitment by the contributors to the
integrative effort is reflected in the creativity and scholarship with which
they set about answering the intriguing, and often highly intricate, issues
emerging at the intersection of developmental and social psychological
research on gender.

In terms of the writing level and complexity of material presented, the
book is targeted at advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and
professionals in social psychology, developmental psychology, and inter-
disciplinary gender studies. Due to the richness and diversity of topics
covered in the chapters, this volume is also of direct interest to readers in
neighboring disciplines such as educational psychology, sociology, and
anthropology.

We hope that the integrative approach advanced in this volume will
stimulate much innovative research concerned with the joint analysis of
developmental change and social influence. The time is ripe for social
psychologists and developmentalists to recategorize their perceptions of
group boundaries and to develop a common in-group identity -- that of a
developmental social psychology of gender.

Thomas Eckes Hanns M. Trautner

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