G - SLT as applied to gender development

Question 1

Social learning theory

Answer 1

Learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded.

Question 2

Who proposed SLT as applied to gender development?

Answer 2

Bandura 1991

Question 3

What did Bandura propose gender role development is a result of?

Answer 3

Learning from social agents who model and reinforce gender role behaviours.

Question 4

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 4

Children observe the behaviour of others and learn the consequences of the behaviour.

Question 5

What is it called when children observe the behaviour of others and learn the consequences of the behaviour?

Answer 5

Vicarious reinforcement

Question 6

Where do children witness many examples of gender behaviour?

Answer 6

At home, at school, on the TV and in films.

Question 7

What do children learn by observing the consequences of such gender behaviours?

Answer 7

They gradually learn something about what is appropriate behaviour in the world around. Thus they learn the behaviours (through observation), and they also learn whether and when such behaviours are worth repeating (through vicarious reinforcement).

Question 8

Why is vicarious reinforcement vital in SLT as applied to gender development?

Answer 8

Although boys and girls may observe the characteristic behaviours of both sexes, they are only likely to repeat behaviours of people they identify with.

Therefore girls are more likely to perform behaviours they see performed by other girls and women. Boys may learn a great deal about the homemaking role through repeated observation of their mothers but they are less likely to repeat such behaviour.

Question 9

What is information about reinforcements stored as?

Answer 9

An expectancy of future outcomes.

Question 10

What did Bandura’s theory move from/to and why?

Answer 10

From behaviourism to a kind of cognitive behaviourism because mental representations are involved (social cognitive theory).

Question 11

What behaviours will a child display when appropriate opportunities arise in the future?

Answer 11

Behaviours that they have observed provided that the expectation of reward is greater than the expectation of punishment.

Question 12

When will a child display behaviours that they have observed?

Answer 12

When the expectation of reward is greater than the expectation of punishment.

Question 13

What does imitation of modelling depend on?

Answer 13

Indirect reinforcement and opportunity.

Question 14

What is it called when a child displays the behaviours they have observed?

Answer 14

Imitation of modelling.

Question 15

What is imitation of modelling?

Answer 15

When a child displays the behaviours they have observed.

Question 16

How is gender maintained?

Answer 16

Through direct reinforcement.

Question 17

What will happen if a child is rewarded for certain gender-related behaviours?

Answer 17

They are likely to repeat the same action in similar situations in the future.

Question 18

What does direct reinforcement influence?

Answer 18

The usefulness of the rewarded behaviour for that child.

Question 19

Why is direct reinforcement vital?

Answer 19

Because a child may see a same-sex individual behaving in a particular way and being rewarded for it - for example, a boy might see another boy dressing as a girl and getting a lot of attention. But if the boy tries it himself he may be ‘punished’ by disparaging remarks, which reduces the likelihood that this behaviour will be repeated.

Question 20

How do children learn gender behaviours?

Answer 20

Through direct and indirect reinforcement, but also through explicit (direct) instructions about gender appropriate behaviour.

Question 21

What does explicit mean?

Answer 21

Direct

Question 22

When does direct tuition begin?

Answer 22

When children acquire linguistic skills.

Question 23

What does direct tuition do?

Answer 23

Serves as a convenient way of informing children abut appropriate or inappropriate styles of conduct.

Question 24

What is direct tuition?

Answer 24

Learning through explicit (direct) instructions about gender appropriate behaviour.

Question 25

What does Bandura believe?

Answer 25

That people are not just shaped by environmental forces but also have the capacity to direct themselves.

Question 26

What is reciprocal determinism?

Answer 26

Bandura - People are not just shaped by environmental forces but also have the capacity to direct themselves.

Question 27

What did Bandura call the process by which people are not just shaped by environmental forces but also have the capacity to direct themselves?

Answer 27

Reciprocal determinism

Question 28

What does reciprocal determinism mean in terms of gender development?

Answer 28

Means that once children have internalised gender-appropriate behaviours, their own behaviour is no longer dependent on external rewards or punishments. They then direct their own behaviour.

Question 29

Why is self-direction regarded a key element of the SLT approach?

Answer 29

Because it is the active role of children in their observational learning.