Cognitive Explanations: Gender Schema Theory

Question 1

What do schemas influence according to Martin and Halverson (1983)?

Answer 1

Schemas affect how individuals behave, what information they attend to, and what they remember.

This theory implies that children remember images that align with their gender schemas.

Question 2

At what age do children begin to search for rules and create schemas about gender behavior?

Answer 2

Age 3.

This is when children start to understand gender identity and begin to categorize behaviors as masculine or feminine.

Question 3

What was the primary finding of the study conducted by Liber and Signorella?

Answer 3

Children recalled more pictures of men performing masculine activities and women performing feminine activities.

This suggests that children develop a bias towards their own gender group.

Question 4

What does the term ‘outgroup’ refer to in the context of gender schema theory?

Answer 4

The opposite gender or anything that does not fit within the category of one’s own gender.

This concept highlights how children categorize information based on gender.

Question 5

What did Alexander et al. (2009) find regarding gender schema development in infants?

Answer 5

Infants show preferences for gender-stereotyped toys as early as 3-9 months.

This indicates that gender identity may develop earlier than previously proposed.

Question 6

According to the research by Losul et al., at what age do children start labeling themselves as a boy or girl?

Answer 6

By age 19 months.

This suggests that the age-related predictions of gender schema theory may be incorrect.

Question 7

True or False: Children are more likely to remember gender-inconsistent information.

Answer 7

False.

The research indicates that children remember information that is consistent with their gender schemas.

Question 8

Fill in the blank: Martin and Halverson’s research suggests that children pay attention to information that aligns with their _______.

Answer 8

schemas.

This means that children filter information based on what fits their gender identity.

Question 9

What is the significance of the findings from the study involving 1100 primary school children?

Answer 9

It shows that children develop a bias towards their own gender group in recalling gender-related images.

This reinforces the idea of gender schemas influencing memory and perception.