G - SLT as applied to gender development Flashcards
Social learning theory
Learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded.
Who proposed SLT as applied to gender development?
Bandura 1991
What did Bandura propose gender role development is a result of?
Learning from social agents who model and reinforce gender role behaviours.
Vicarious reinforcement
Children observe the behaviour of others and learn the consequences of the behaviour.
What is it called when children observe the behaviour of others and learn the consequences of the behaviour?
Vicarious reinforcement
Where do children witness many examples of gender behaviour?
At home, at school, on the TV and in films.
What do children learn by observing the consequences of such gender behaviours?
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).
Why is vicarious reinforcement vital in SLT as applied to gender development?
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.
What is information about reinforcements stored as?
An expectancy of future outcomes.
What did Bandura’s theory move from/to and why?
From behaviourism to a kind of cognitive behaviourism because mental representations are involved (social cognitive theory).
What behaviours will a child display when appropriate opportunities arise in the future?
Behaviours that they have observed provided that the expectation of reward is greater than the expectation of punishment.
When will a child display behaviours that they have observed?
When the expectation of reward is greater than the expectation of punishment.
What does imitation of modelling depend on?
Indirect reinforcement and opportunity.
What is it called when a child displays the behaviours they have observed?
Imitation of modelling.
What is imitation of modelling?
When a child displays the behaviours they have observed.
How is gender maintained?
Through direct reinforcement.
What will happen if a child is rewarded for certain gender-related behaviours?
They are likely to repeat the same action in similar situations in the future.
What does direct reinforcement influence?
The usefulness of the rewarded behaviour for that child.
Why is direct reinforcement vital?
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.
How do children learn gender behaviours?
Through direct and indirect reinforcement, but also through explicit (direct) instructions about gender appropriate behaviour.
What does explicit mean?
Direct
When does direct tuition begin?
When children acquire linguistic skills.
What does direct tuition do?
Serves as a convenient way of informing children abut appropriate or inappropriate styles of conduct.
What is direct tuition?
Learning through explicit (direct) instructions about gender appropriate behaviour.
