Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory

Question 1

Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory
parts

Answer 1

Gender schema theory
Gender schema acquired with identity
Schema direct behaviour and self-understanding
Ingroups and outgroups

Question 2

gender schema

Answer 2

an organised set of beliefs and expectations related to gender, derived from experience
└guides persons understanding of own and others gender and gender appropriate behaviour

Question 3

Gender schema theory

Answer 3

└Martin and Halverson, similar to Kohlberg’s theory
└cognitive-developmental theory
└understanding of gender increases with age
└actively structure own learning, rather than passively imitating (social learning theory)

Question 4

Gender schema acquired with identity

Answer 4

└Martin and Halverson
└once child has established gender identity (2-3 years)
└will begin to search environment to develop gender schema
└Kohlberg
└said this process only begins at gender constancy (age7), after all 3 stages have been passed

Question 5

Gender schema theory

person

Answer 5

Martin and Halverson

Question 6

Schema direct behaviour and self-understanding

Answer 6

└young children
└schema formed around stereotypes (e.g. toys to play with)
└by 6, the child has a fixed stereotypical idea of what is appropriate for their gender
└so they disregard information that does not fit with their existing schema (Martin and Halverson)

Question 7

Ingroups and outgroups

Answer 7

└children understand schemas that are appropriate to their own gender better (the ingroup)
└consistent with the idea that children pay more attention to information relevant to their own gender identity
└the outgroup: understand schemas that are appropriate to the opposite gender
└age 8: child develops elaborate schemas for both genders
└ingroup identity improves self esteem

Question 8

Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory
strengths
summary

Answer 8

Evidence supports gender schema theory - Martin and Halverson (1913), Carol Martin and Jane Little (1990)

Complements Kohlberg’s theory - Stangor and Ruble (1989)

Rigidity of gender beliefs

Question 9

Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory
strengths
Evidence supports gender schema theory

Answer 9

└Martin and Halverson (1913)
└found children under the age of 6 were more likely to remember photographs of gender-consistent behaviour than gender-inconsistent behaviour when tested a week later
└tended to change sex of person carrying out the gender-inconsistent behaviour when asked to recall them
└=supports the idea that memory may be distorted to fit with existing gender schemas

└Carol Martin and Jane Little (1990)
└found that children under age of 4 (no sign of gender stability/constancy) demonstrated strongly sex-typed behaviours and attitudes
└contradicts Kohlberg’s theory but is consistent with predictions of gender schema theory

Question 10

Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory
strengths
Complements Kohlberg’s theory

Answer 10

└Stangor and Ruble (1989)
└suggested gender schema and gender constancy may describe two different processes
└gender schema is concerned with how organisation of information effects memory
└why gender inconsistent information is misremembered or forgotten
└gender constancy is concerned with motivation
└to find out more about the role and engage in gender appropriate activities

Question 11

Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory
strengths
Rigidity of gender beliefs

Answer 11

└the theory accounts of the fact young children hold very fixed and rigid gender attitudes
└information that conflicts with existing schema is ignored in favour of information that confirms ingroup schema
└children display strong ingroup bias in terms of how they process information
└as they pay more attention to information relevant to their own experience
└ Martin and Halverson’s theory explains many aspects of young children’s thinking about gender

Question 12

Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory
limitations
summary

Answer 12

Key assumptions of the theory are not supported - Kane and Sanchez (1994)

Overemphasis on the role of the individual in gender development

Question 13

Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory
limitations
Key assumptions of the theory are not supported

Answer 13

└it is assumed that with gender schema theory that it should be possible to change children’s behaviour by changing their schemas or stereotypes
└it is very difficult to change behaviour despite beliefs
└Kane and Sanchez (1994)
└many married couples have strong views on equality of sexes but it rarely effects their behaviour

Question 14

Cognitive explanations of gender development: Gender schema theory
limitations
Overemphasis on the role of the individual in gender development

Answer 14

└importance of schemas and cognitive factors exaggerated
└not enough attention to social factors
└parental influence, rewards/punishments
└theory doesn’t explain why gender schemas develop