6. cognitive explanations - gender schema theory Flashcards
Martin and Halverson’s theory shares Kohlberg’s view that children develop their understanding of gender by
actively structuring their own learning rather than by passively observing and imitating role models.
According to Martin and Halverson once a child has established gender identity around the ages 2-3, they will begin to
do what? how does this contradict kohlberg’s view?
search the environment for information that encourages development of gender schema. This contrasts with Kohlberg’s theory as he believes this process only begins after they have progressed through all three stages
Schema is a mental construct that develops via experience and used to organise knowledge. A gender schema is
a generalised representation of everything we know in relation to gender and stereotyping gender related behaviour.
Gender schemas expand to include a whole range of behaviours and personality traits. For younger children schema are likely to be formed around
what? what does it mean?
stereotypes, e.g. boys play with trucks, girls play with dolls. These provide a framework that directs experience as well as the child’s understanding of itself.
By the age of 6 children have
what? what does it mean about information relating to the other gender?
a rather fixed and stereotypical idea about what is appropriate for their gender. For this reason, children are likely to misremember or disregard information that does not fit in with their existing schema.
Children tend to have a much better understanding of the schema that are
what? think ingroup/outgroup
appropriate to their own gender (the ingroup). This is consistent with the idea that children pay more attention to information relevant to their gender identity rather than of the other gender (the outgroup).
ingroup identity also serves to bolster the child’s self-esteem.
It is not until children are a little older that they develop elaborate schema for
both genders as opposed to their own
AO3: strength of gender schema
CAN EXPLAIN CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Gender schema theory can account for cultural differences in stereotypically gender appropriate behaviour.
Traditional cultures that believe women should take a nurturing role and men should pursue a career will raise children who form a schema that is consistent with this view. In societies where perceptions of gender have fewer rigid boundaries children are more likely to acquire more fluid gender schema.
This is a strength because Martin and Halverson’s theory can explain how gender schema are transmitted between members of a society and how cultural differences in gender stereotypes come about.
AO3: strength of gender schema
RESEARCH SUPPORT - Martin and Halverson photos
Key principles are supported by evidence.
Martin and Halverson’s own study found that children under the age of 6 were more likely to remember photographs of stereotypically gender-appropriate (e.g. woman washing dishes) behaviour than photographs of gender inappropriate behaviour (woman fixing a car) when tested a week later. Children ended to change the gender of the person carrying out the gender inappropriate activity in the photographs when asked to recall them so that the gender behaviour was appropriate.
This provides support for gender schema theory which predicts children under 6-year-old would do this in contrast to Kohlberg who said this would only happen in older children.
AO3: limitation of gender schema
EARLIER GENDER IDENTITY - a longitudinal study (countersupport)
Gender identity probably develops earlier than Martin and Halverson suggested.
A longitudinal study of 82 children looked at the onset of gender identity. Data was obtained from biweekly reports from mothers on their children’s language from age 9 to 21 months alongside videotaped analysis of children at play. The key measure of gender identity was taken to be how and when children labelled themselves as boy and girl. This occurred on average at 19 months, almost as soon as children began to communicate which suggest children have a gender identity before this but don’t communicate it.
This means that Matin and Halverson may have underestimated children’s ability to use gender labels about themselves.
