4.5. Cognitive Explanation: Gender Schema Theory

Question 1

What does it mean by interactionist?

Answer 1

Nature: born with ability to create schemas
Nurture: these schemas develop with experience

Question 2

How does GST back up Kohlberg?

Answer 2

Our understanding of gender runs parallel to intellectual development
We are active in structuring our own learning

Question 3

Examples of schema for girls

Answer 3

makeup
organised
pink
smell nice
nurse
glitter
dolls

Question 4

Examples of schema for boys

Answer 4

cars
short hair
blue
builder
disorganised
sport
dinosaurs

Question 5

What happens once a child has reached gender identity

Answer 5

They actively search their environment to develop their schema- goes against Kohlberg

Question 6

What happens to children by 6 years old?

Answer 6

Children have fixed and stereotypical views/ attitudes about gender.
Anything that doesn’t fit with their schema, they disregard (girl playing with dinosaurs)

Question 7

What happens to children by 8 years old?

Answer 7

By 8 years, we have a good understanding of both genders (we have developed elaborate schemas).
This leads to negative evaluations of your outgroup (teasing)

Question 8

What is an ingroup?

Answer 8

same sex =reinforce our knowledge and boost self esteem

Question 9

What is an outgroup?

Answer 9

opposite sex = don’t pay as much attention to

Question 10

Strength: Martin and Halverson

Answer 10

• Children under 6 years old remembered more photographs of gender consistent behaviour than of gender inconsistent behaviour after 1 week.
• They would change the behaviour of the inconsistent person to fit with their norm

Question 11

Strength: Bostin and Levy

Answer 11

• Compared girls and boys abilities to assemble sequences of pictures in the correct order (4 pictures), there were pictures of typically female and typically male activities
• The children were better at sequencing their own sex typical activities than the opposite = ingroup

Question 12

Weakness: overlooks social factors

Answer 12

This theory overlooks social factors and cannot explain why gender schemas develop and take the form they do -> it’s weak in explaining gender development

Question 13

Weakness: boys vs girls resistance

Answer 13

• Boys show more extreme gender-type behaviour and greater resistance to opposite sex activities than girls
• GST doesn’t explain this, SLT can through operant conditioning

Question 14

Weakness: back up Kohlberg

Answer 14

Backs up that gender knowledge runs parallel to intellectual development but GST states we look for role models and actively shape our schemas from 2-3 (once we know we are a boy/girl)- Kohlberg said this happened once we achieve consistency.