Gender

Question 1

A study to support Freud’s theory of gender development and a study to contradict it

Answer 1

Support: Little Hans, fear of horses represented his fear of castration
Contradict: Malinowski studied islands off Papua New Guinea where children were raised by their mother’s brother rather than the father. Found that there were no problems with gender identification despite not being able to complete the Oedipus complex.

Question 2

Why are psychologists interested in studying those with atypical sex chromosome patterns?

Answer 2

• psychologists can compare those with typical sex chromosome patterns with those with atypical sex chromosome patterns and make inferences about whether gender-related behaviours are likely to be nature or nurture
• if we compare an XY and XXY male we could conclude that any differences are likely to be biologically based because of a difference in genetic makeup
• any similarities in gender-related behaviour are likely to be environmentally based.

Question 3

Klinefelter’s syndrome studies

Answer 3

• Simpson: Klinefelter’s received androgen therapy, improvements in behavioural and language difficulties, suggesting a biological basis. Although, psychological counselling was also used meaning the environment may play a role.
• Delisi found structural brain differences when compared to normal males, which may account for language deficits experienced

Question 4

Gender schema theory studies

Answer 4

• children shown pictures of gender consistent and gender inconsistent activities. The children tended to change the sex of the children in gender-inconsistent behaviours suggesting memory is distorted to fit in with existing schemas
• boys + girls aged 3-6 asked to put 4 pictures in the correct order. Children put pictures in correct order quicker for their own gender than the opposite gender - reflects stage 2
• showed children videos of stereotypical gender behaviours e.g., male doctors female nurse, children remembered the gender-stereotypical videos and not the non-stereotypical videos. Gender schemas influence recall

Question 5

Biological exp. for gender dysphoria study

Answer 5

• Heylens, 23 MZ twins and 21 DZ twins,1 of each pair had gender dysphoria, 9 of MZ twins were concordant and none of the DZ twins were
• Hare examined gene samples from males experiencing gender dysphoria, found a correlation between gender dysphoria and variants of the androgen receptor gene, suggesting the gene may be involved in a failure to masculinise the brain
• study found few hormonal differences between gender dysphoric men, heterosexual men and homosexual men
• Green and Fleming found 87% success rate in females and 97% success rate in males for the hormone treatment of gender dysphoria

Question 6

Social explanation for gender dysphoria, studies to support

Answer 6

• study found boys who experienced gender dysphoria lacked a stereotypical male role model in their lives, suggesting social factors are involved
• Stoller found gender dysphoric men often had very close relationships with the mother, suggesting stronger female identification which can lead to gender conflict