Cognitive Explanations - Kohlberg & Gender Schema Theory Flashcards
Kohlberg’s Stages: Background
- Draws on his own levels of moral development
- Also draws on Piaget’s idea that there are biologically predetermined stages we all go through when forming new ideas
Kohlberg Stage 1: Gender Labelling
Characteristics
- Ages 2-3 years old
- Labelling of self as boy or girl, and others as man or woman
- Labelling of others first
- Label based on appearances
Kohlberg Stage 1: Gender Labelling
Explanation
- Piaget calls this pre-operational thinking
- Lacks internal logic (abstract)
- Inconsistent - based on external factors that can change
Kohlberg Stage 1: Gender Labelling
Effect on Gender Development
By the end of this stage, children have schemata for simple masculine and feminine characteristics
Kohlberg Stage 2: Gender Stability
Characteristics
- Ages 4-7 years old
- Children realise gender is stable over time
- No realisation that gender is stable across situations
Kohlberg Stage 2: Gender Stability
Explanation
- Pre-7 years old, Piaget noticed that children have no concept of conservation
- Conservation: the idea that individuals retain the same internal properties regardless of external appearance
Kohlberg Stage 2: Gender Stability
Effect on Gender Development
At the end of this stage, children start to realise that gender and appearance are separate, so anyone can perform any behaviour, even when it is not stereotypical
Kohlberg Stage 3: Gender Constancy
Characteristics
- Ages 7 years old and above
- Children start to develop the belief that gender is independent of time, place, or appearance (constancy)
- Children start to show preferences for gender appropriate behaviour
Kohlberg Stage 3: Gender Constancy
Explanation
- Gender appropriate behaviour is the result of understanding gender can’t change
- If it can change, there’s no harm in performing the actions of either gender as it one day might be yours
Kohlberg Stage 3: Gender Constancy
Effect on Gender Development
At the end of this stage, gender will be fixed in the child’s mind and they will reject gender-inappropriate behaviour
Martin & Halverson (1981)
- Added to Kohlberg’s theory by proposing 2 changes
- Learning of gender-relevant info happens before constancy (can happen at labelling stage)
- The Gender Schema you form will have effects on your psychological functioning later in life - especially in cognitive abilities (eg. memory & attention)
Schemata
- Gender Schema Theory (GST) focuses on schema formation
- Children’s schemata formed using info from TV/parents/school
- Contain info coloured by cultural norms
- Very simplistic at first - full of stereotypical info
In-Group & Out-Group Bias: Formation
- As children develop they form schemata about others as well as building their own gender schema
- Links are made between parts of your self-schema and groups you identify with (eg. gender groups, families, friends, hobbies)
In-Group & Out-Group Bias
- Developed through cognitive processing
- Natural - has evolutionary benefits
- Maximisation of in-group positive qualities
- Maximisation of out-group negative qualities
- Builds self-esteem and reinforces stereotypes
Resilience of Gender Beliefs
- GST explains how gender beliefs become so fixed & powerful
- Information that isn’t schema consistent is ignored or disregarded
- Attention & working memory rely on top-down influence from stored schematic info
- We don’t ignore out-group info on purpose, it’s just never perceived
