COGNITIVE EXPLANATIONS: KOHLBERGS THEORY Flashcards
1
Q
Who did kohlberg base his theory on
A
Piaget theory of cognitive- developmental
2
Q
What did piget suggest in the cognitive explanation (2)
A
- Piaget described all children as egocentric until the age of around 6 or 7. In other words, they assume everyone sees the world in the same way as they do. When they decentre, children begin to appreciate that other people’s views and feelings may not always match their own.
- Piaget also introduced the notion of conservation. Older children acquire the understanding that the properties of an object (the object’s “essence”) remain the same even when its outward appearance changes. This also occurs after around age 6 or 7. For instance, the same amount of liquid may “look different when placed in a different sized glass but the volume of liquid (provided none is spilt or drank!) remains the same.
3
Q
Define gender identify (2)
A
Acquired around age 2.
The child recognises that they are a boy or a girl and possesses the ability to label others as such.
4
Q
Define gender stability (2)
A
Happens around age 4.
The child understands that their own gender is fixed and they will be male or female when they are older.
5
Q
Define gender constancy (2)
A
Usually reached by age 6 or 7.
The child realises that gender is consistent over time and situations; they begin to identify with people of their own gender and start to behave in gender-appropriate ways.
6
Q
- What is the stages in development in KT (3)
A
- Kohlberg’s cognitive-developmental theory of gender is based on the idea that a childs understanding of gender (including what counts as appropriate gender-roles, behaviours and attitudes) becomes more sophisticated with age.
- Understanding of gender runs parallel to intellectual development as the child matures biologically
- Gender development is thought to progress through three stages. The ages suggested by Kohlberg are approximate and reflect the fact that the transition from stage to stage is gradual rather than sudden.
7
Q
Explain the first stage: gender identity (3)
A
Egocentric
- Around the age of 2, children are able to correctly identify themselves as a boy or a girl= gender identity. - At 3, most children are able to identify other people as male or female, and can correctly respond to questions such as, Which one of these is like you?' if they are shown a picture of a man or a woman. Their understanding of gender tends not to stretch much beyond simple labelling. - Often, children of this age group are not aware that sex is permanent
8
Q
- Explain the second stage: gender stability (2)
A
Egocentric
- realisation that they will always stay the same gender and that this is an aspect of themselves that remains consistent over time. - children of this age cannot apply this logic to other people in other situations. They are often confused by external changes in appearance - they may describe a man who has long hair as a woman and they also believe that people change sex if they engage in activities that are more often associated with the opposite gender (such as a female builder or a male nurse).
9
Q
Explain the third stage: gender constancy ( 3)
A
De-centre
children recognise that gender remains constant and consistent across time and situations, and this understanding is applied to other people's gender as well as their own. they are no longer fooled by changes in outward appearance. Although they may regard a man Wearing a dress as strange or unusual, the child is able to acknowledge that he is still a man "underneath'. Now have cognitive ability to conserve
10
Q
Explain imitation of role model (3)
A
Gender constancy is also significant in that children of this age begin to seek out gender-appropriate role models to identify with and imitate.
this connects closely with ideas in social learning theory (though social learning theorists, in contrast, argue that these processes can occur at any age rather than only after the age of 6). For Kohlberg, once the child has a fully developed and internalised concept of gender at the constancy stage, they embark upon an active search for evidence which confirms that concept.
11
Q
What was the phase 1 study done by Frey et Al (3) for evidence of kohlbergs theory
A
- Interviewed 55 2 to 5-year-olds
- gender identity was tested by asking questions such as ‘are you boy or girl?’
- gender stability was tested by asking questions such as ‘when your grow up will you be a mummy or a daddy?’
- gender constancy was tested by asking questions such as ‘if you were opposite sex would you be a boy or girl?’
12
Q
What was found in phase one in Frey’s study to support kohlbergs theory(2)
A
- Children with classified as low on gender consistency if they answered incorrect on gender labelling or gender stability items and otherwise were identified as high in gender constancy
- children’s responses to questions largely reflected the age of gender understanding identified by Kohlburg
13
Q
What was the phase 2 study done by frey et al to support kohlbergs theory(2)
A
- Children shown short film showing man and women engaging in simple parallel activities on different sides of the screen
- the amount of times that children’s eyes were fixated on each side of the screen when measured
14
Q
What was found in phase 2 in freys study supporting kohlbergs study(4)
A
- children with high levels of gender constancy were shown more selective attention to same-sex models
- high consistency boys watched the male model rather than the female model more than the low constancy boys→the opposite was true for girls
- selective attention to the same sex model was more stronger among the high constituency boys then among the high constituency girls
- both boys and girls spent more time watching the male model than the female model
15
Q
- Conclude both phases of freys study supporting kohlbergs theory
A
all the results indicate influence of those cognitive and social factors in gender development
