Chapter 12 Flashcards
What are two main gender roles found across a variety of cultures?
Wife, mother, woman
Husband, father, man
What are the research supported differences between men and women?
Boys and girls engage in different play activities
Females sometimes have greater verbal abilities
Males outperform females on many tests of spatial ability
Girls display greater memory ability
Males engage in more physical and verbal aggression
Females and males perform similar on math tests
Boys are more physically active
Females are more nurturing and empathetic
Males use computers more and have higher confidence in computers use
Trace the development of infant knowledge about gender
3 months- can distinguish between male and female faces
18 months- emerging understanding that they are either like other males or females
24 months-girls understand which activities are associated with males and which with females
30 months-boys understand which activities are male
2.5-3- all children give verbal proof that they have acquired a basic sense of gender identity
What are the typical gendered behaviors that we see in childhood?
Infancy- preference for gender appropriate toys
30-36 months- begins to favor same sex toys
Childhood- gender toy selection the same but girls may start playing with boy toys
Elementary age - gender segregation
Theories of gender role development
Bio social theory- parents and other people label and begin to react to children on the basis of the appearance of their genitalia. The children assume gender roles based on these reactions.
Social learning theory-argues that children learn masculine or feminine identities, preferences and behaviors through differential reinforcement. Children are rewarded for sex appropriate behavior and punished for behaviors more appropriate for members of the opposite sex. Observational learning-children adopt the attitude and behavior of same sex models
Kohl berg cognitive theory- children first understand that they are girls or boys and then actively seek same sex models and information on how to act like a boy or girl
Martin and Halverson cognitive theory- children acquire gender schemata that allows them to classify objects, behaviors and roles as appropriate for male or female. More of an information processing model
What are the influences on sexual orientation development that are research supported including heritability, social influence and hormonal influences?
Genetic influences, hormonal influence during the prenatal period. Still not clearly defined
What are three generalizations from the research on sexual attitudes among adolescents and young adults?
Sex with affection in the context of a committed relationship is acceptable
Double standard has declined but not disappeared over the years
Adolescents are confused about sexual norms due to mixed messages being received
Gender similarities hypothesis
Males and females are similar on most but not all psychological profiles
Gender intensification
Gender differences may be magnified by hormonal changes associated with puberty and increased pressure to conform to gender roles
Parental imperative
The requirement that mothers and fathers adopt different roles to raise their children
Androgyny
A balancing or blending of both agentic and communal traits
Biological sex
Physical characteristics
Gender
Societal beliefs
Gender constantcy
Gender remains the same throughput our lives despite superficial appearance changes
Gender stability
Gender identity is stable over time
