Gender Flashcards
What is the difference between sex and gender?
Sex is the biological differences between males and females.
Gender is the psychological and cultural differences between males and females.
What are sex-role stereotypes?
A set of beliefs and preconceived ideas about what is expected or appropriate for males and females in a given
society or social group.
What is androgyny?
A balance of masculine and feminine characteristics.
What is gender dysphoria?
When an individual’s sex and gender do not correspond.
What is the BSRI?
A measure of androgyny using a rating scale of 60 traits (20 masculine, 20 feminine and 20 neutral) to produce scores
across two dimensions: masculinity-femininity and androgynous-undifferentiated.
What is the chromosomal structure for males and females?
Males - XY, Females - XX
What did Sandra Bem suggest about androgyny?
is associated with psychological well-being because androgynous people are better equipped to adapt to a
range of situations.
What influences our gender development according to the biological
perspective?
Hormones
Provide 1 physical and 1 psychological development caused by testosterone.
Physical - male sex hormones, secondary sexual characteristics (facial and pubic hair, broad
chest, deepened voice)
Provide a limitation of the BSRI.
It lacks temporal validity and generalisability
People may lack insight into their gender identity.
What are the chromosomal structures for Turner’s and Klinefelter’s?
Turner’s - XO
Klinefelter’s - XXY
State a limitation of the biological explanation for gender development.
O’Connor’s counter evidence found no increases in libido or aggression with extra testosterone.
Social factors are ignored - individualist cultures favour masculine traits so more women may be masculine.
Reductionist - only studies gender at the level of chromosomes and hormones and ignores other explanations.
Determinist - states that gender development is entirely caused by internal factors.
Who reinforces sex-role stereotypes?
Parents, peers, media, religion, teachers, celebrities etc
Provide a strength of research into atypical sex chromosome patterns.
Contributes to nature/nurture debate because you can compare differences between typical and atypical chromosome patterns.
Research has led to earlier and more accurate diagnoses.
Identity Kohlberg’s stages of gender development
Gender Identity, Gender Stability, Gender Constancy
What can children do at each stage?
GI - Children can label themselves as girl or boy
GS - Children can realise their gender is if fixed over time and situations.
GC - Children realise that gender is also fixed for others and they start to seek same sex role model and
create gender stereotypes.
What is Kohlberg’s key assumptions that underpin his stage theory of gender development?
Children’s understanding of gender becomes more sophisticated with age due to brain maturation (not because of experience)
Provide a strength of Kohlberg’s theory of gender development.
Research support from Damon found 4 year olds said OK to George playing with dolls, 6-year olds not okay.
Supports nature/nurture debate
What are 3 similarities between Kohlberg’s theory and gender
schema theory?
Cognitive approach, understanding of gender develops with age, children have active
role in learning
What is a gender schema?
A set of beliefs and expectations based on the concept of gender that is derived from
experience.
What is a limitation of Kohlberg’s theory?
Bussey and Bandura - children absorb gender-appropriate behaviour at gender
stability stage
Bem - Children aged 3-5 show constancy if first see child with no clothes, then
stereotypical gender-inappropriate clothing doesn’t fool them.
Martin - First degree before 6 (seeking gender information), second degree later.
What is the difference between an ingroup schema and an outgroup schema?
An ingroup schema is knowledge about one’s own gender. An outgroup schema is knowledge about the opposite
gender.
What is a strength of gender schema theory?
Research support - M+H found memory was worse for gender-inappropriate pictures and changed gender when
recalling.
Cultural differences - GST can explain cultural differences in gender schema and acquisition of non-standard
gender stereotypes.
Name 3 psychological characteristics for both Turner’s and Klinefelter’s syndrome.
K - Poor language and problem solving skills, shyness, lack interest in sex
T - High reading ability, reduced spatial memory, social immaturity.
