Cognitive Explanations of Gender Development

Question 1

How does Kohlberg cognitively explain gender development?

Answer 1

Draws on own levels of moral development - that there are biologically predetermined stages we all go through when forming new ideas.

1. Pre-conventional (obedience&punishment / individualism&exchange)
2. Conventional (interpersonal relationships / authority&social order)
3. Post-conventional (social contract / universal principles)

Question 2

What is object permanence?

Answer 2

When you know something is there even if you can’t see it anymore.

Question 3

What is conservation?

Answer 3

The idea that things are the same over time.

Question 4

What are Kohlberg’s 3 stages of gender development?

Answer 4

1. Gender Labelling
2. Gender stability
3. Gender constancy

Question 5

What is the Gender Labelling (1) stage of Kohlberg’s cognitive theory?

Answer 5

~ 2-3 years old
~ Children label others and themselves
~ Pre-operational thinking
- lacks internal logic
- Not consistent because it’s based on external factors that can change
- Children gain schemata for simple masc. and fem. characteristics

Question 6

What is the Gender Stability (2) stage of Kohlberg’s cognitive theory?

Answer 6

~ 4-7 years old
~ Children realise gender is stable over time
~ No concept of conservation
~ Children start to realise that gender and appearance are separate - anyone can perform any behaviour.

Question 7

What is the Gender Constancy (3) stage of Kohlberg’s theory?

Answer 7

~ 7+ years
~ The belief that gender is entirely independent of time, place or appearance
~ Show preferences for gender-appropriate behaviour
~ Result of understanding that gender can’t change
~ Gender is fixed in child’s mind
~ Children will reject gender-inappropriate behaviour afterwards

Question 8

Evaluate Kohlberg’s cognitive theory?

Answer 8

P - Lacks construct validity
E - Research shows boys develop constancy before girls, and girls perform masculine tasks for much longer than boys perform feminine tasks. Indicates a single stage for both genders is invalid.
E - Huston (1985) suggests due to SLT, male role models are more socially powerful so boys under greater pressure to identify with role models & do so quicker.
L - Highlights nature-nurture debate; Kohlberg & Piaget’s assumption of fixed, generalised stages based on biological determinism & ignore social learning factors.

Question 9

What did Martin & Halverson (1981) add to Kohlberg’s (1966) theory?

Answer 9

Proposed 2 changes:

• Learning of gender-relevant info happens before gender constancy
  
  • Gender labelling is enough to self-identify as a boy/girl.
  • Children will show preferences for gender-appropriate behaviour here.
• The gender schema you form will have effects on your psychological functioning later in life - especially cognitive abilities like memory or attention span.

Question 10

How does GST explain schemata?

Answer 10

• Children’s schemata are formed using info from TV/parents/school/etc.
• They contain information coloured by cultural norms.
• Gender schemata are therefore very simplistic and ‘black and white’ at first - they’re full of stereotypical info.

Question 11

What is in-group and out-group bias?

Answer 11

• As children develop, they form schemata about other people as well as building their own gender schema.
• Links are made between parts of your self-schema and groups you identify with.
• Cognitive processing develops an in-group/out-group bias - this is natural and has evolutionary benefits
  ~ Maximisation of in-group positive qualities
  ~ Maximisation of out-group negative qualities