Cognitive explanations: Gender schema theory

Question 1

What is the gender schema theory?

Answer 1

• Carol Martin and Charles Halverson’s account is a cognitive - developmental theory which argues that childrens understanding of gender changes with age.
• the gender schema theory also agrees that the understanding of gender is developed by actively structuring their own learning actively rather than passively observing and imitating role models

Question 2

What is a gender schema?

Answer 2

• A schema is a mental construct that develops via expierence and are used by our cognitive system to organise knowledge around particular topics
• Therefore a gender schema is a generalised representation of everything we know in relation to gender and stereotypically gender - appropriate behaviour
• According to Martin and Halverson, once a child has established gender identity around the age of 2-3 years he/she will begin to search the environment for information that encourages development of gender schema.
• This contrasts kohlbergs view that this process only begins after they have progressed through all 3 stages, around the 7 with gender constancy

Question 3

How do gender schema determine behaviour

Answer 3

• gender schema expands to include a wide range of behaviours and personality traits
• For young children, schemas are likely to form around sterotypes such as boys playing with trucks, these provide a framework that directs expierences as well as understanding the childrens understanding of themselves
• By the age of 6, children have a rather fixed and stereotypical idea about what is appropriate for their gender
• For this reason, children are likely to misrememeber or disregard information that does not fit with their existing schema

Question 4

How is ingroup information better remembered

Answer 4

• Children tend to have a much better understanding of the schema which is appropriate in their own gender (the ingroup).
• therefore children pay more attention to information relevant to their gender identity rather than that of the other gender, the outgroup
• it is not until the age of 8 that they develop elaborate schema for both genders
• ingroup identity also serves to bolser the childs level of self esteem

Question 5

What is a strength of this?

Answer 5

• One strength of gender schema theory is that its key principles are supported by evidence. Martin and Halversons own study found that children under the age of 6 were more likely to remember photographs of stereotypically gender - appropriate behaviour than photographs of gender inappropriate behaviour when tested a week later. Children tended to change the gender of the person carrying out the gender - innappropriate activity in photographs when asked to recall them so that the gender behaviour was now appropriate.
• This provides support for the gender schema theory which predicts that children under 6 would do this

Question 6

What is a weakness of this research

Answer 6

• earlier gender identity
• A limitation of gender schema theory is that 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 twice - weekly reports from mothers on their children’s language from 9 to 21 months, alongside videotaped analysis of children at play. The key measure was how long it took for the children to label themselves as boy or girl. This occurred on average at 19 months which is almost as soon as children begin to communicate. This suggests that Martin and Halverson may have underestimated childrens ability to use gender labels about themsleves.

Counterpoint = It may not be appropriate to argue about specific ages for Martin and Halversons theory. The key point in the theory is that there is a shift in a childs thinking and that the ages are averages, rather than absolutes

Question 7

What is another strength?

Answer 7

• Another strength is that the gender schema theory can account for cultural differences in stereotypically gender - appropriate behaviour. Kendra Cherry argues that gender schema not only influences behaviour but also what counts for culturally - appropriate behaviour. In more traditionalist cultures, women take more nuturing roles wherewas in societies where perceptions of gender have less rigid boundaries, children are more likely to have more fluid gender schema. however, Martin and Halverson ‘s theory can explain how gender shcmea is transmitted between members of a society and how cultural differences come about