Cognitive Theories

Question 1

Describe what Kohlberg stated about gender development

Answer 1

~ suggested childrens ideas about gender developed in stages
~ believed children only can learn about gender behaviour when they learn gender is constant at age 6-7
~ biological maturation dictates readiness to understand gender and child is active in this process

Question 2

Describe Kolhberg’s stages of gender development

Answer 2

1- gender identity (2-3 vrs)
-child learns which gender they are
-also recognise others as m/f
-only based on physical appearance, don’t understand gender doesn’t change
2- gender stability (4 - 5 yrs)
-Child learns gender is fixed → males stay male + females stay female
~ however don’t realise gender says the same in situations: it boy acts like a girl becomes one
3- gender constancy (6-12)
- children now fully understand gender + realise stays the same, even if they look or behave differently

Question 3

Outline Kohlberg’s stages of gender development

Answer 3

1- Gender identity (2-3 yrs)
~child learns which gender they are
~can also recognise others as m/f but only based on physical appearance
2- Gender stability (4 - 5 yrs)
~ child learns gender is fixed → males stay male + females stay female
~ however don’t realise gender says the same in situations: if boy acts like a girl he becomes one
3- Gender constancy (6-12)
~ children now fully understand gender + realise it stays the same, even if they look/ behave differently
~ children become ready to learn about gender appropriate behaviours

Question 4

What happens after children reach gender constancy?

Answer 4

• once chila establishes understanding of gender constancy, begins paying attention to same-sex models + copying them → occurs independently from gaining rewards from parents = self-socialisation

Question 5

Who created gender schema theory of gender development?

Answer 5

Martin + Halverson

Question 6

Define gender schema

Answer 6

Generalised representation of our knowledge about gender + gender-appropriate behaviour

Question 7

How do gender schemas change as children develop?

Answer 7

They become more complex and detailed —> start creating gender schemas ~3yo, looking at same sex role models after establishing gender identity
~ at first schemas are rigid and inflexible but become more flexible as they age

Question 8

Describe how behaviours are added to children’s schemas

Answer 8

• Children develop scripts of activities performed by males/females
  —> monitor environment for behaviours consistent with their ideas of gender appropriate behaviours + assimilate into their thinking
  —> ignore inconsistent behaviour and behaviour of outgroup (opposite sex), only focusing on their ingroup (same sex) = ingroup bias

Question 9

Outline research support for gender schema theory

Answer 9

Liben + Signorella (1993)
- showed 106 primary school children 60 drawings of male + female characters in diff occupations
- children recalled more pictures of men performing masculine behaviour + women performing feminine ones
- suggests that children remember gender-consistent information + forget gender-inconsistent behaviour

Question 10

Give limitations for gender schema theory

Answer 10

Cultural differences → cannot explain similarities of expectations in diff cultures
for male/female behaviour
~ gendered behaviour is due to innate, instinctual processes + not schemas
→ evolutionary explanation may be more suitable as if schemas were fully at play, we would expect greater variability in gendered behaviour
Alexander & Hines
- demonstrared male vervet monkeys were significantly more likely to play w/ masculine toys whilst females played w/ feminine toys
→ had no prior experience of toys and weren’t socialised in gendered behaviour