Cognitive Explanations of Gender

Question 1

What is the cognitive approach concerned with?

Answer 1

The thinking and understanding behind gender rather than the source

Question 2

What are the two theories?

Answer 2

Kohlberg’s developmental theory and gender schema

Question 3

How does Kohlberg believe understanding of gender develops?

Answer 3

That understanding of gender will increase along with the child’s understanding of the world

Question 4

What are the three stages?

Answer 4

Gender identity, gender stability and gender constancy

Question 5

What is Gender Identity stage?

Answer 5

Child can correctly label their own sex and identify other’s 2-3 years
Limitations:
Understanding is based on physical characteristics
Don’t understand sex is consistent across time

Question 6

What is Gender Stability stage?

Answer 6

Child understands that their gender is stable and won’t change 3-4 years
Limitations:
Realise changing appearance does not change how they feel inside
Do not have the cognitive ability to understand this must also apply to others

Question 7

What is Gender Constancy stage?

Answer 7

Child has full understanding of gender and that everyone stays the same sex forever despite changes in appearance 4.5-7 years
In this stage children actively seek out role models to imitate the beahviours of to develop their gender identity.

Question 8

Outline Damon’s study.

Answer 8

Aim- to see if children’s understanding of gender changes with age
Method- Told children a story about a boy who liked to play with dolls even though his parents discouraged him. Children then asked if the boy should be allowed to play with dolls
Results- Responses varied with age
4 yrs- it was okay but couldn’t say why
6yrs- it was very wrong and shouldn’t be allowed
Older- should be allowed but recognised it to be unusual
Conclusion- Supports the idea that children’s understanding of gender appropriate behaviour changes with age and reflects their cognitive development, it does not support the three stages

Question 9

Outline how SLaby and Frey confirmed the 3 stages.

Answer 9

Asked series of questions to test for stages
gender identity- asked if a doll in photo was male or female
gender stability- asked what sex they would be when they grew up
gender constancy- asked children if they would be a boy or girl if they wore opposite sex clothes

Question 10

(Evaluation) Why are the two studies a strength?

Answer 10

Damon- supports the idea of understanding of gender increasing with age
Slaby and Frey- confirmed the three stages

Question 11

(Evaluation) Why is cross cultural support a strength?

Answer 11

Stages been found to apply in different cultures, can be generalised and more likely to be correct

Question 12

(Evaluation) Why is the inability to explain the cause of gender development a weakness?

Answer 12

It does not explain why gender development occurs so it is possible the cause lies with something else

Question 13

(Evaluation) Why is gender identification occuring sooner than proposed a weakness?

Answer 13

Suggests that parts of the theory i.e. the ages aren’t correct

Question 14

How does schema theory argue gender develops?

Answer 14

Gender develops when children begin to categorise and make sense of the world in terms of gender appropriate behaviour

Question 15

What is a gender schema?

Answer 15

A unit of knowledge of information such as appropriate behaviours, characteristics and roles of males and females. They are used to interpret info in the environment and decide how to behave as a boy or girl.

Question 16

How early can gender schemas develop?

Answer 16

2 years

Question 17

What is the first stage of schema formation?

Answer 17

Children form schemas about activities and toys associated with each sex and notice boys and girls play differently. They essentially form stereotypes

Question 18

What is the second stage of schema formation?

Answer 18

The child seeks out further info such as appearance and pays more attention to activities/toys associated with their own sex, as a result gender appropriate behaviour becomes part of their thinking

Question 19

What is the final stage of schema formation?

Answer 19

Only info that is consistent to the schema will be added this allows their stereotypes about males and females to remain intact

Question 20

Outline Martin and Halverson’s study that supports gender schema.

Answer 20

Aim- to demonstrate that children do distort inconsistent info to fit their schema
Method- Showed children photos of people carrying out activities. Sometimes they were gender consistent (example) or gender inconsistent)
The children’s recall was tested a week later
Results- Recall of consistent phots was good but recall of the inconsistent was poor and often distorted
Conclusion- Children use schemas to make sense of the world and reorganise info that does not fit their gender schema, supporting gender schema theory

Question 21

(Evaluation) Why is identification with own sex sooner than Kohlberg suggested a strength?

Answer 21

Evidence to support it, suggests there are inaccuracies in Kohlberg’s

Question 22

(Evaluation) Explains why children do not automatically copy a same sex role model, why is this a strength?

Answer 22

More like real life, more ecologically valid

Question 23

(Evaluation) The theory cannot account for why boys display more extreme gender behaviour than girls, why is this a weakness?

Answer 23

It is incomplete

Question 24

(Evaluation)Why is the tendency to describe rather than explain gender development a weakness?

Answer 24

It is likely to be driven by something else

Question 25

(Evaluation) Why is the evidence limited and why is this a weakness?

Answer 25

Experiments lack ecological validity and the childrens answers may not be reliable

Question 26

(Evaluation) Why is the inability to explain children choosing to play with the sam esex before the age gender supposedly develops a weakness?

Answer 26

Theory suggests children should mix and it cannot, it is incomplete