gender Flashcards
T/F: virtually all cultures have expectations based on gender
true:(
sex assigned at birth based on
objectively measured biological organs, hormones, chromosomes
gender/gender identity
person’s sense of self as gendered
gender expression
how person demonstrates gender
sexual orientation
who person is attracted to
infants/toddlerhood on discrimination of gender
-can discriminate between male & female but focus on superficial cues (e.g. long hair, clothes)
-some awareness of gender-stereotypes
evidence of awareness of gender-stereotypes in infants/toddlers
-look longer at own-gender stereotyped toys
-look longer at gender-inconsistent pictures
kohlberg’s cognitive development theory of gender
in stages; inspired by piaget
gender identity (2-2.5 years); gender stability (3-4 years); gender consistency (5-7 years)
at what stage of kohlberg’s theory do children think about gender identity inconsistently?
gender identity (2-2.5 years); changes in cognitive development; shifts in thinking about gender (not consistent everyday)
at what stage of kohlberg’s theory do children start thinking about gender as stable across time?
gender stability (3-4 years)
at what stage of kohlberg’s theory do children start thinking about gender as stable across contexts/situations?
gender consistency (5-7 years)
which stage of kohlberg’s theory is the similar age to which children can pass conservation tasks?
gender consistency (5-7 years)
childhood on gender
-changes in cognitive development: shifts in thinking about gender
-shift from gender essentialism to thinking of gender roles as socially influenced
-increase in knowledge of gender stereotypes
gender essentialism
the way kids think that gender must be expressed in a gender-specific way (essence that determines your behaviour vs social influence)
when is the peak of gender essentialism?
5-7 years
adolescence on gender
-gender-role intensification (early/middle adolescence; more common in behaviour)
-gender-role flexibility (later adolescence; more in beliefs)
gender-role intensification
heightened concern about adhering to traditional gender roles (adolescence) (early/middle adolescence; more common in behaviour)
gender-role flexibility
allowing for traditional gender conventions to be transcended (adolescence) (later adolescence; more in beliefs)
more variation ___ genders than between genders on self esteem
within
physical gender/sex differences at stages of life
-few in infancy/childhood
-puberty (physical, primary & secondary sex characteristics)
-increase in sex-linked differences
cognitive gender/sex differences
iq tests: girls at verbal tasks; boys at spatial tasks
academic achievement: girls have better grades/school performance; more positive feelings about school to put in more effort
gender/sex differences in play
-toys: girls more likely to play with dolls, kitchen sets, dress-up; boys with action figures, construction toys, video games
-style of play: cooperative vs competition
-fantasy play: heroes vs family
-size of play: more people (boys); smaller group (girls)
gender/sex differences in emotions
-girls report expressing more emotions (not anger)
-girls appear better at emotion regulation at earlier ages
-mental health: girls more likely to experience depression, low self-esteem
gender/sex differences: interpersonal (aggression/altruism)
aggression: boys more likely to engage in direct aggression; mixed findings on indirect/relational aggression
altruism: girls more likely to show kindness to others
influences on gender development
biological influences, social & cultural influences, cognitive influences (gender understanding, self-socialization, gender identity)
self-socialization & gender identity
learning from our own understanding; shaping our gender through our own internal understanding of it
evolutionary psychology theories explain that gender differences exist because
they would have been adaptive for survival
congenital adrenal hyperplasia & research on it
intersex; genetic female (XX) with high levels of androgen & male parts more likely to show traditionally “male” behaviour
gender differences in brain structure and function
hard to tell for adults (experiences shape brain development?) and children (methodically difficult to study)
social learning & social cognitive theories on gender development (2)
-observational learning (modeling) (e.g. mom putting on makeup may be modelled by daughter)
-reinforcement (e.g. crying son not reinforced)
microsystem influences on gender development
family structures, how school treats kids
mesosystem (connections) influences on gender development
teachers’ vs parents’ ideas; siblings and parents (different messages to different siblings)
exosystem influences on gender development
work policies (differences in pay); boys’ night vs girls’ night;
macrosystem influences on gender development
values in clothing, uniforms; naming/labels (athletes vs female athletes); how gender is presented in mass media
chronosystem influences on gender development
60s vs now; mens’ mental health convos; social media
cognitive influences on gender development
-Kohlberg’s cognitive development theory
-gender schema theory
gender schema theory
mental representations of gender
-as soon as children can identify gender, use this to guide their behaviour and understanding of the world (clock example)
-memories are more accurate when they fit gender stereotypes
-schemas are active constructions
when are memories more accurate?
when they fit gender stereotypes (e.g. boy firefighter vs girl firefighter)
transyouth project
examining socially-transitioned trans children; Gülgöz et al. (2019)
Gülgöz et al. (2019)
examining gender development in trans and cisgender children
-trans youth slightly slower at pairing together words with the gender identity they don’t identify with
-gender identity and expression very similar with control; variability within the groups
gender stereotypes by cis and trans children
-similarity in use of gender stereotypes by trans and cisgender children
who is more likely to think of gender as less stable?
trans youth
mental health with socially transitioned trans children compared to controls and siblings and not socially transitioned trans children
youth that have transitioned may have better mental health outcomes which match up with controls and siblings rates
current research beyond binary
determinimg how to measure non-binary identity in children, examining mental health outcomes between cis, trans, non-bin
