Cog. Explanations Of Gender Development - Gender Schema Theory Flashcards
What is a gender schema?
An organised set of beliefs and expectations related to gender that are derived from experience. Such schema guide a person’s understanding of their own gender, and gender-appropriate behaviour in general.
Who developed the gender schema theory?
Martin and Halverson
What are the similarities between gender schema theory and Kohlberg’s stage theory?
- Both cognitive-developmental theories which suggests thinking changes with age/ increases with maturation
- Both suggest that children actively structure their own learning of gender
- Both after that children develop gender identity between the ages of 2-3 years
What are the differences between gender schema theory and Kohlberg’s stage theory?
Kohlberg’s theory says that gender roles develop after gender constancy and children search for gender appropriate information at around the age of 7. Whereas gender schema theory states that after children establish gender identity at 2-3 years they start to develop a basic gender schema for boys and girls.
Describe gender schema theory
Gender schema theory is a cognitive developmental theory which argues that children’s understanding of gender increases with age and children develop their understanding of gender by actively structuring their own learning.
Once children have established gender identity between the ages of 2-3 years, they start to develop a basic gender schema for boys and girls. The first gender schemas that children form relate to activities associated with each sex and so begin to form sex role stereotypes. The schema direct the child’s behaviour, this reinforces existing ideas about gender.
A child belongs to either an ‘in group’ (same sex) and the opposite sex is viewed as the ‘out group’. This division shapes the child’s behaviour as soon as they are aware of which ‘group’ they belong to. They actively seek out information about appropriate gender behaviours and actions for their gender group.
As the child’s cognitive abilities develop, their gender schemas become more complex and sophisticated. By age 6 years the child has a fixed and stereotypical idea about what it appropriate for its gender.
It is not until age 8-10 that children start to develop schemas of the opposite sex which matches the complexity of the same-gender schema.
What happens to a child’s notion of gender at age 6?
The child has a fixed and stereotypical idea about what is appropriate for their own gender.
What happens at the age 8-10?
Children start to develop schemas of the opposite sex which matches the complexity of the same-gender schema.
EVALUATION OF GENDER SCHEMA THEORY
Outline the evaluation points of gender schema theory
- There is evidence to support it
- It explains young children’s rigid gender beliefs
- GST can complement Kohlberg’s theory
- Overemphasis on cognitive factors
- There may be no link between schema and behaviour
- There is contradictory evidence
EVALUATION OF GENDER SCHEMA THEORY
What evidence is there that supports gender schema theory?
Martin and Halverson - found that children under 6 years of age remembered more photographs of gender-consistent behaviour than of gender-inconsistent behaviour a week later. They tended to change the sex of the person carrying out the inconsistent activity.
Additionally, Martin and Little found that children under the age of 4 years, despite lack of gender stability and gender constancy, still demonstrated strongly sex-typed behaviours and attitudes.
This support for gender schema, along with evidence against Kohlberg’s theory, suggests that GST might be a more valid explanation. (Also shows that children DO use schemas to help them make sense of their world - they will sometimes use schemas to reorganise information so that it is consistent with their view of gender even if it is not accurate).
EVALUATION OF GENDER SCHEMA THEORY
How can GST explain young children’s rigid gender beliefs?
The idea of ingroup schema explains children discount information that conflicts with existing schema in favour of information that confirms ingroup schema.
Similarly, children display ingroup bias in paying more attention to information that is relevant to their own experience.
This suggests that gender schema theory is useful in explaining many aspects of how young children think about gender.
EVALUATION OF GENDER SCHEMA THEORY
How can GST complement Kohlberg’s theory?
Stangor and Ruble suggest that gender schema and gender constancy are different processes. A schema relates to the organisation of memory - it enables children to store information.
In contrast gender constancy is about motivation - once children have a firm idea of what it means to be a boy or girl they are motivated to engage in gender-appropriate activities.
So together the two theories can provide quite a detailed account of how gender development occurs.
EVALUATION OF GENDER SCHEMA THEORY
Evaluate the importance of schema being exaggerated
One limitation is that the importance of schema has been exaggerated.
It is likely that the importance of schemas and other cognitive factors in determining behaviour are exaggerated within in the theory.
Overlooking social factors (such as parental influence and reinforcement) means that the theory does not really explain why gender schema develop and take the form they do.
This suggests that the theory oversimplifies the process of gender development.
EVALUATION OF GENDER SCHEMA THEORY
Describe the limitation of the link between schema and behaviour
Another limitation is there may be no link between schema and behaviour. A prediction is that schema determine behaviour, as such it should be possible to change gender behaviour by challenging schema stereotypes.
But schema do not always determine behaviour (e.g. Couples with strong views about sex equality may still organise chores on stereotypical lines).
This challenges GST because, even though people hold certain attitudes, this doesn’t seem to affect their behaviour - and the basis of gender schema theory is that attitudes do determine behaviour.
EVALUATION OF GENDER SCHEMA THEORY
Is there any contradictory evidence?
A limitation of the theory is that research has suggested that children can label their gender group earlier than gender schema theory suggests. Evidence has suggested that when children were observed and their language recorded in order to identify when they first started labelling themselves as a boy or girl, that they were already using gender labels by aged 19 months.
This goes against gender schema theory and suggests it isn’t a valid explanation.
