Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory Flashcards
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
parts
Stages in development
└Stage 1: Gender identity, Stage 2: Gender stability, Stage 3: Gender constancy
Imitation of role models
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
person
Kohlberg’(1966)
Stages in development
└based on the idea that a child’s understanding of gender becomes more sophisticated with age
└understanding of gender runs parallel to intellectual development as child matures biologically
└3 stages, gradual progression
Stages in development
list
Stage 1: Gender identity
Stage 2: Gender stability
Stage 3: Gender constancy
Stages in development
1) Gender identity
age 2
awareness of own gender
└child recognises that they are a boy or a girl
└can label others as a boy or a girl
Stages in development
2) Gender stability
age 2
child understands own gender is fixed over time
└can’t apply this logic to other people in other situations
└confused by external changes in appearance
└e.g man with long hair
Stages in development
3) Gender constancy
age 6/7
child realises gender is consistent over time and situations
└can apply this to other people
└begin to identify with people of own gender
└start to behave in gender appropriate ways
Imitation of role models
└occurs in gender constancy
└children begin to seek out gender appropriate role models to identify with and imitate
└connects with social learning theory
└although they argue these processes can occur at any age, not just after age 6
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
strengths
summary
Evidence supports the sequence of stages- Ronald Slaby and Karin Frey (1975), Robert Munroe et al (1984)
Comparison with the biological approach - Munroe et al (1984)
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
strengths
Evidence supports the sequence of stages
└Ronald Slaby and Karin Frey (1975)
└children were presented with split screen images of males and females performing the same tasks
└younger children spent roughly the same amount of time watching both sexes
└children at the gender constancy age spent longer looking at the model who was the same sex as them
└suggests Kohlberg was correct in assuming children that had acquired constancy actively seek gender-appropriate models
└Robert Munroe et al (1984)
└found cross cultural evidence of Kohlberg’s theories in countries such as Kenya, Samoa and Nepal
└=suggests his theory may be universal
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
strengths
Comparison with the biological approach
└Kohlberg’s theory: gender development occurs as a consequence of natural process of maturation
└supported by biological theory (gender genetically determined)
└Munroe et al (1984)
└supports both theories of gender development
└stages may be universal
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
limitations
summary
Constancy not supported - Bussey and Bandura (1992)
Methodological issues
Comparison with social learning theory
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
limitations
Constancy not supported
└many children are observed to demonstrate gender appropriate behaviour before gender constancy is achieved
└Bussey and Bandura (1992)
└children as young as 4 reported ‘feeling good’ about gender appropriate toys, and ‘bad’ about the opposite
└contradicts Kohlberg’s theory
└supports gender schema theory
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
limitations
Methodological issues
└Kohlberg’s theory was developed using interviews with children as young as 3
└although questions tailored towards that age group, young children may not have had the vocabulary to express their understanding
└=may have had complex ideas about gender but can’t articulate them
Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg’s theory
limitations
Comparison with social learning theory
└Kohlberg’s theory: gender development occurs as a consequence of natural process of maturation
└SLT: more emphasis on external influences like socialisation
└evidence suggests boys have a less flexible concept of gender role than females
