gender Flashcards
psychology paper 3 (36 cards)
what is sex?
persons biological status determined by chromosomes XX (female) XY (male)
what is gender?
persons psychological and cultural differences affected by what you have learned is masculine/feminine etc
what are sex role stereotypes?
shared expectations that people hold in society about what is masculine and what is feminine communicated through media schools etc
what was seaveys sex role stereotypes procedure?
- the aim was whether gender labels affects how adults respond to babies
- 3 month old baby in yellow baby suit
- 1/3 ppt were told baby was male other 1/3 ppt were told baby was female and other 1/3 werent given label
- ppt left to play with baby for 3 mins and in room was some toys a ball a doll and plastic ring
what was seaveys sex role stereotypes study findings?
- baby labelled female ppt more likely gave it to play with doll
- baby labelled male ppt more likely gave it the plastic ring
- when no gender given female ppt interacted with baby more the males
- in no label condition ppts decided themselves what babys sex was based off physical terms (hard grip is boy soft hands is girl etc)
- therefore adults interact differently with baby based off gender
what is androgyny?
a balance between male and female characteristics researcher says androgynous people better equiped to deal with life
how is androgyny measured using bems sex inventory?
- 60 different characteristics split into 3 groups
- 20 masculine 20 feminine 20 neutral
- respondants rated themselves out of 7 on each item
- scoring high on both male and female traits showed androgynous and low meant undifferentiated
what is the role of chromosomes in gender?
23 pairs of chromosome 23rd pair is sex genes egg always carry X chromosome and sperm X or Y
Y gene carrues SRY gene which causes release of androgens (male sex hormones) causes embryo to develop as a male without it embryo develops as a female
what is the role of hormones in gender?
hormones affect development of brain and reproductive organs after puberty hormones trigger secondary sexual characteristics. both sex release same hormones but in different concentrations
what is testosterone?
male hormones which develops male sex organs and affects brain developement + linked to aggression
what happens if a female is exposed to large amounts of testosterone in womb?
show greater interest in stereotypical male activities
what is oestrogen?
female hormones which develop female sex ograns and controls menstruation + linked to heightened emotion before menstrual cycle
what is oxytocin?
love hormone relased during birth or sexual activities facilitates bonding and stimulates lactation (allows mothers to breastfeed baby)
what are atypical sex chromosome patterns?
any pattern that deviates from typical XX or XY
what is klinefelters syndrome?
affects males who have chromosome pattern of XXY affects 1 in 500/1000
what are physical symtoms of klinefelters syndrome?
- reduced body hair
- breast development after puberty
- rounder/softer body shape
- gangly limbs
- coordination issues and clumsy
what are psychological symptoms of klinefelters syndrome?
- poor developed language skills and ready ability
- passive and shy
- dont cope well with stress and have memory problem solving difficulties
what is turners syndrome?
affects females who have chromosome pattern of XO (missing last chromosome) affects 1 in 5000
what are physical characteristics of turners syndrome?
- no mentsrual cycle
- sterile
- dont develop breasts (shield chest)
- webbed neck
- high waist to hip ratio
what are psychological characteristics of turners syndrome?
- higher reading ability
- lower performance on spatial and maths tasks
- socially immature
- difficulty fitting in
what is kohlbergs theory of gender development?
gender identity :
- around 2 child can correctly label themselves as boy/girls
- around 3 can identify others as boy/girl but dont know sex is permanent
gender stability :
- around 4 kids realise their gender identity will remain consistent over time
- cant apply to other people and get confused by external appearances
gender constancy :
- around 6 recognises gender is stable over time and constant across different situations for everyone
- this is when a child pays attention to gender appropiate behaviour and imitations of role models occur here
what is the gender schema theory?
- child establish gender identity (2-3 yrs)
- begins to search environment for info to develop gender schema
- cognitive system forms develops generalised representations of everything to do with gender and gender appropiate behaviour (toys clothes etc)
- schema expands to inc behaviours and personality traits
- for kids schemas form around stereotypes and by 6 have fixed stereotypical idea ab what is appropriate for their gender
what are ingroups and out groups in GST?
ingroup: own gender
outgroup: opposite gender
children have better understanding of what is appropriate to their ingroup and pay more attention to in rather than out group but by 8 develop schemas for both genders
what does frued say about gender development?
it occurs in phallic stage of psychosexual stages boys go through oedipus complex girls go through electra complex