Cognitive explanations: Kohlberg's theory

Question 1

What are the assumptions of kohlberg’s theory?

Answer 1

• Kohlbergs theory is that a child’s understanding of gender roles, behaviour and attitude becomes more sophisticated with age as a result of biological maturation
• He thought that gender development occurs in three stages and the transition from stage to stage is gradual
• These stages are gender identity, gender stability and gender constancy

Question 2

What occurs during gender identity?

Answer 2

• This happens around the age of 2, when children are able to correct identify themselves as a boy or a girl
• At 3, children can identify other people as girls or boys and respond to questions like which one of these looks like you
• However, their understanding of gender does not go further than simple labelling and their view of gender is not fixed

Question 3

What occur during gender stability

Answer 3

• According to kohlberg, children aquire gender stability at age 4
  -this comes with the realisation that gender stays the same but children can not apply this logic to other people, therefore they are confused by changes in external appearance.
• They may describe a man who has long hair as a woman and believe that people change gender if they engage in activities that are more associated with a different gender

Question 4

What occurs during gender constancy?

Answer 4

• Gender constancy appears in the final stages of development. This occurs around the age of 6 and their understanding of gender can be applied to other people as well as themselves. They are also not confused in changes in outward appearance. Although they may regard a man wearing a dress as unusual, they still understand that there is a man underneath
• during gender constancy, children also start to seek gender appropriate role models to identify and imitate.
• Once a child has a fully developed and internalised concept of gender at constancy, they can embark upon an active search for evidence that confirms these concepts

Question 5

What is a strength of kohlbergs theory

Answer 5

• there is research support of kohlbergs stage theory that suggests that gender streotyping emerges around the age of 6
• Damon (1977) told a children story about george, a boy who liked to play with folls and asked children to comment on the story. Four year olds said it was fine for George to play with dolls. In contrast, six year olds thought it was wrong for George to play witn dolls. They had gone beyond an understanding what boys and girls do and had started developing rules about what they ought to do.
  Counterpoint = Other research challenges the idea that gender - appropriate behaviour develops around the age of 6. Bussey and Bandura found that children as young as four reported feeling good when playing with gender - appropriate toys and bad when doing the opposite. This contradicts kohlbergs theories as gender appropriate information can start to absorb from the age of four

Question 6

What is a limitation for Kohlbergs theory?

Answer 6

• One limitation of Kohlbergs theory is that it relies on unsatisfactory methods. Bem criticised the methodology used in studies that link gender and cognitive development. The key test of gender constancy in studies that gender stays the same despite changes in appearance and context. Bem argued that it is because children are confused about due to our culture we are unable to differentiate each gender from another, as we use clothing and hairstyle to identify males and females.
• In reality, the best way to identify men and women is through males and females is through physical differences such as genitalia. Bem demonstrated that 40% of children aged 3-5 years were able to demonstrate constancy if they were shown a naked photo of the child to be identified. This shows that the typical way of testing gender constancy may misrepresent what younger children know

Question 7

What is another limitation of kohlbergs theory

Answer 7

• A further limitiation of kohlbergs theory is that research suggests that there are different degrees of gender constancy
• Carol Martin (2002) praise kohlberg’s theory for recognising that children’s understanding of their own and other peoples gender guides their thoughts and behaviour. However, they point at though that exactly when and how this understanding affects children’s gender - related behaviour remains unclear. Martin et al suggests that there may be different degrees of gender constancy. An initial degree may orient children to the importance of gender - in choosing friends or seeking information. A second dregree of constancy may heighten childrens responsiveness to gender norms, particularly under conditions of conflict such as choosing clothes or attitudes