Cognitive Explanations: Gender Schema Theory

Question 1

What did Martin and Halverson suggest children’s understanding of gender changes with?

Answer 1

Age.

Question 2

What view do Martin and Halverson share with Kohlberg?

Answer 2

That children develop their understanding of gender by actively structuring their own learning rather than passively observing and imitating role models.

Question 3

What is a gender schema?

Answer 3

A generalised representation of everything we know in relation to gender and gender - appropriate behaviour.

Question 4

What did Martin and Halverson suggest happens once a child establishes gender identity?

Answer 4

They begin to search the environment for info that encourages development of gender schema.

Question 5

In young children what are gender schemas likely to be formed around?

Answer 5

Stereotypes

Question 6

What happens by age 6?

Answer 6

Children have fixed, stereotypical ideas on what’s appropriate - children are likely to dismember or disregard info that doesn’t fit with their existing schema.

Question 7

What do children have a better understanding of?

Answer 7

The schema appropriate to their own gender.

Question 8

What happens to gender schema at around 8?

Answer 8

Children develop schemas for both genders

Question 9

What does in group identity serve?

Answer 9

To bolster the child’s level of self-esteem.

Question 10

Research support

Answer 10

Martin and Halverson children were more likely to remember photographs of gender-consistent behaviour than photographs of gender inconsistent behaviour when tested a week later
Tended to change the sex of the person carrying out gender-inconsistent behaviour.
Supports the idea that memory may be distorted to fit existing gender schema.

Question 11

Earlier gender identity

Answer 11

• Gender identity probably develops earlier than Martin and Halverson suggested.
• Zoslus et al. Studied 82 children to look at the onset of gender identity
• The Key measures of gender identity was how and when children labelled themselves as ‘girl’ or ‘boy’.
• This was on average 19 months.
• Suggests that children have gender identity before this but don’t communicate it.
• So Martin and Halverson may have underestimated children’s ability to use gender labels about themselves.

Question 12

Evaluation:
Contradicts Kohlberg

Answer 12

• There are a few studies which don’t support Kohlbergs theory e.g. Bussey and Bandura.
• Boys aged 4 ‘felt good’ playing with gender appropriate toys and ‘bad’ playing with opposite gender toys but Kohlberg would suggest this wouldn’t happen until later.
• Suggests GST may be more accurate to explain gender development.

Question 13

Cultural differences

Answer 13

• Gender schema theory can account for cultural differences in gender-appropriate behaviour.
• Cherry suggested gender schema influences how people process info and culturally appropriate gender behaviour.
• Traditional cultures believe women will raise children and men will have a career - raise children who form the same schema.
• Martin and Halverson theory can explain how gender schema is transmitted and how cultural stereotypes come about.
• Contrats the psychodynamic approach which suggests gender identity is more driven by unconscious biological urges.