gender Flashcards
(41 cards)
Describe the process of brain masculinisation that takes place when a male foetus is
in the womb? Give lots of detail: When? What happens? Why does it happen?
Male foetus begin producing testosterone from testes week 8 while in the womb( major source of testosterone in womb) , then mothers also produce some testosterone, then circulates and changes brain development for male foetuses, facilitates right hemisphere, changes 2D:4D ratio(finger length), a rough marker of testosterone exposure.
What is 2D:4D ratio and what is it used to indicate?
testosterone exposure when,
Are there biologically-caused differences in sociability between males and females?
yes, evidence that boys look more at a mobile than girls, girls look more at experimenter interacting with them, and 12 months old girls make more eye contact with experimenter than boys
What is social learning theory?
It is children who observe others, imitate, that the gender typed behaviour is reinforced. It consists of observation, imitation, and reinforcement. Evidence:
a), females and males can be observed behaving differently
b) girls and boys are treated differently
c) girls and boys receive encouragement to behave in gender consistent manner
d)girls and boys receive discouragement to behave in gender inconsistent ways
Describe a cognitive theory of gender role development. Provide evidence for this
theory
Children must first identify self as boy or girl, that one accepts gender schemas(roles) and knowledge(schemas about gender)
what happens before 1 year?
differentiation female from male
what happens between 1 and 2 years
children start to show same gender preference
what happens between 2 and 3 years
Label others and self by gender
What happens between age 4 and 7?
Young children focus on appearance; later they learn about typical behaviours and traits associated with girls
What are the nine characteristics that make up temperament when the infant is
around 3 months of age, and what is the frequency of the resulting overall
characterisations as easy, difficulty or mixed?
activity level , rhythmicity approach and withdrawal, adaptability, intensity of reaction, responsiveness threshold, quality of mod, distractibility, and attention span,40% of children are easy (positive, regular, adaptive)
10% are difficult (negative, irregular, unadaptive)
50% are other
Discuss the stability of temperament characteristics, for instance, shyness.
One of the most durable & consistent traits, shyness has a genetic component, there are few environmental components, typically more likely if they have a dominating older sibling,
Discuss the causes and likelihood of post-natal depression.
10-15% of mothers develop post-natal depression;
o Not wanting to hold their babies or feeling detached
o Have negative thoughts about the baby
o Have sleep problems
o More likely to occur if the baby is fussy, has feeding problems, colic or reflux
o Can cause suicide or infanticide
More life difficulties, lower coping self-efficacy, lower
social connectedness, more isolation, lower family
wellbeing, lower life satisfaction
What two types of anxiety increase toward the end of a child’s first year?
stranger and separation anxiety
What does fetal testosterone compromise?
development of left hemisphere(language), but facilitate right hemisphere function such as musical, mathematical, and spatial, leading greater tendency of left handed
What does high fetal testosterone leads to?
Low 2D:4D Ratio
What are some biological origin of difference?
-Chromosomes
-Hormone level during prenatal development(about 8 after conception, the boys produce the testerone in the womb)
-Internal reproductive organs
-Brain organisation
-External genitals
-Later hormone levels(about 1 year and adult, it is not until adolescence, the changes in hormone)
How much does boy weigh more than the girl?
5%,* Boy infants take longer to be born (100 minutes
longer on average for 1st birth)
- Boys are slightly more active and irritable
Where is difference do not lie?
- Perception
- Motor milestones such as sitting, crawling,
walking, running, jumping
Whats is congenital adrenal hyperplasia in girls?
high prenatal androgen levels, male hormones, leads to greater masculinisation.
What is androgen insensitivity syndrome in boys?
have both ovarian and vestibular tissue, can have ambiguous genitalia
What happens when the daughters of a mother have testosterone during pregnancy?
usually come from the boys’ testes
What is study done by Alexander & Hines (2002), test the gender difference among vervet monkeys?
Other studies show male primate
preference for rough & tumble play
and female primate interest in the
young, social learning theory
What is Hassett et al. (2008, Hormones and Behavior)’s study?
Masculine = wheeled toys
Feminine = stuffed toys
What is the study looking at the all categories of toys?
Only significant difference is counter-stereotypical: dolls, where the male monkey is preferably liking to play with the dolls, this leads to conclusion: the males and females have very similar preference
* Both males and females interacted more with neutral than
with “masculine” toys
* Females, but not males, interacted more with neutral and
“masculine” toys than with “feminine” toys
