SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

Question 1

SLT

Answer 1

• suggests children develop their gender through observation and imitation. It states gender development occurs when children observe behaviour from the SSP, and the SSP is considered a role model, and so they identify with them (as they see themselves as the same- meaning more likely to imitate).
• Identification can be reinforced if the child observes the SSP being positively rewarded (this is an example of vicarious reinforcement). For example, girls see their mother putting on makeup and see that their father compliments her.
• Punishment also plays a role in the development of gender seeing a person being punished for gender inappropriate behaviour. Therefore, through differential reinforcement (when children get rewarded/punished for different behaviours) a child learns their gender identity.
• If a behaviour is repeated often enough it becomes internalised i.e it becomes part of the individuals identity.
• Therefore, SLT can explain that as society has changed the acceptable gender roles within society have also changed For example, women becoming more assertive, men becoming more caring/nurturing.

Question 2

One strength of SLT of GD is that there supporting research.

Answer 2

• For example, Smith and Lloyd studied 4-6 month old babies who were dressed half the time in boys clothing and half the time in girls clothing.
• Adults were observed when interacting with the baby, and they found that with babies assumed as boys they were encouraged to be adventurous and active while girls were frequently told they were pretty when playing with dolls.
• This suggests that gender appropriate behaviours are positively reinforced with praise through differential reinforcement, which demonstrates the key principles of the SLT in GD.
• This is an advantage as it increases the validity of the theory

Question 3

One strength of SLT of GD is that it can explain changing gender roles in society.

Answer 3

• For example, the concept of androgyny where a person has an equal balance of masculine and feminine traits compared to stereotypical 19th century views.
• This can be explained by a shift in social expectations and cultural
  norms over the years that has meant that new forms of gender appropriate behaviours have been reinforced.
• This is an advantage as SLT is a more comprehensive explanation of GD as it can account form changes over time, unlike biological explanations

Question 4

One limitation of SLT of GD is that it’s a limited explanation.

Answer 4

• For example, Dubin found despite a child observing the behaviour of the same sex role model at an early age the selection and imitation of such behaviour occurs much later on- SLT doesn’t explain why.
• This evidence supports Kohlberg’s theory that children do not become active in their GD until they reach gender constancy.
• Therefore the SLT doesn’t
  explain how or why it happens, e.g age, showing the SLT is more descriptive than explanatory.
• This is a disadvantage as it’s an incomplete explanation

Question 5

One limitation of SLT of GD is that it places little emphasis on the influence of genes and hormones on GD.

Answer 5

• For example, it focuses on the environment. Yet, from the case study of Reimer it was seen that
  raising a biological male as female is not possible due to the influence of gender and hormones.
• This means that SLT is reductionist as it doesn’t take biological factors into account that shape GD.
• This is a disadvantage as it’s an incomplete explanation that has limited explanatory power.