A2 - gender Flashcards
(94 cards)
what does sex mean?
biological factors - fixed, non changing male or female
what does gender mean?
the social and physiological characteristics of males and females which are fluid
what does gender role mean?
culturally determined male and female behaviours
what is a gender schema?
a mental template for gender that changes with experience
what does gender identity mean?
a person’s perception of oneself as male or female
what is gender dysmorphia?
when a male or female feels they belong to the wrong gender or are confused about their gender
what were the aims of Smith and Lloyd’s research?
examine whether adults treat infants differently based on perceived gender
what was the hypothesis of Smith and Lloyd’s research?
adults would exhibit gender-stereotyped behaviours when interacting with infants, based on assumptions about their child’s gender
when was smith and lloyd’s research?
1978
who were the participants in smith and Lloyd’s research?
32 infants, 16 boys and 16 girls between the ages of 5 and 10 month
what were the conclusions drawn from Smith and Lloyd’s study?
adults’ treatment of infants is influenced by gender stereotypes, which may encourage the development of sex-differentiated behaviours from a very young age
what was the procedure of Smith and Lloyd’s study?
the researchers used a ‘cross dressing’ experiment where the infants were dressed as either boys or girls, irrespective of their actual gender
Adults were then asked to play with the infants and were provided with toys that were stereotypically associated with boys (such as hammer) or girls (dolls)
The adults’ behaviour was observed, particularly which toys they offered to the babies and how they interacted
what were the findings of Smith and Lloyd’s research?
adults consistently played with the infants based on the perceived gender of the child
adults also tended to interact more vigorously with babies they thought were boys, and more gently with those they thought were girls
Strength of sex-role stereotype research by Smith and Lloyd
one of the first studies to show empirical evidence of how gender roles are imposed on infants from early life
laid the foundation for future research in gender socialisation
what is androgyny?
when individuals display equal levels of masculine and feminine traits/characteristics
AO1 description of Bem’s BSRI
Bem introduced the concept of psychological androgyny
She tested her ideas by creating a psychological test to measure androgyny - the Bem Sex Role Inventory
there were 40 traits (20 f/m) and 20 neutral items
each person rated themselves on a 7-point Likert scale
given a score for femininity, masculinity, androgyny
categorised as masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated
AO3 for androgyny and psychological health
P - research has found a positive correlation between androgyny and psychological health, as Bem predicted
E - For example, Prakash et al. (2010) tested 100 married females in india on masculinity/femininity and a range of outcome measures related to health: physical health, depression, anxiety and perceived stress. Masculinity/femininity was measured using the personal attribute scale (another test used to assess androgyny). Females with high masculinity scores had lower depression scores, etc. whereas those with high femininity scores had higher depression scores, etc.
E - This supports the view that androgyny has a psychoprotective effect, because those with a strong sense of both masculinity and femininity were better off in terms of their health.
AO3 - reliability of BSRI (strength)
P - a strength of the BSRI is its high reliability
E - Research has demonstrated high test-retest reliability for the BRI over a four-week period;
correlations range from 76 to .94 (Bem, 1981). A short form of the scale has been developed using just 30 items and has a good correlation of .90 with the original. Having a shorter form improved the internal reliability of the test because the less socially desirable terms were removed, such as ‘gullible and childlike!
E - High reliability is vital for any test to produce meaningful
AO3 validity of the BSRI (limitation)
P - The BSRI has been criticised for lacking validity.
E - First, the link between androgyny and psychological health may be due to self-esteem, as socially desirable traits in the BSRI boost self-esteem. Second, response bias may skew results, with some people selecting higher ratings and being classified as androgynous. Lastly, the adjectives, chosen in the 1970s, no longer reflect modern views of gender, making the BSRI outdated.
E - Thus, it lacks both internal and temporal validity.
how does sex develop in males?
XY —> androgens —> development of testes —> testosterone —> development of penis and changes to the brain
how does sex develop in females?
XX —> development of ovaries —> oestrogen —> uterus and vagina/ changes to the brain
outline Klinefelter syndrome
when a boy is born with an extra X chromosome
they are genetically male and some often don’t realise they have the pattern
1 in 660
what is the chromosome pattern of Klinefelter syndrome?
XXY
what are the physical characteristics of Klinefelter syndrome?
tall
feminised physique
female type pubic hair pattern
small testes
breast development sometimes
poor beard growth
90-95% infertile