Gender Flashcards
What is sex
biologically determined by their genetic makeup , namely chromosomes
what do chromosomes influence?
hormonal and anatomical differences that distinguish males and females
what is gender?
described as male or female. it reflects all the attitudes, behaviors and roles we associate with being male or female
What is GID?
A gender identity disorder when their biological sex does not reflect the way they feel inside.
What are sex role stereotypes?
They are shared by a culture or group and consist of expectations regarding how males and females should behave.
are there any biological reasoning for sex role sterotypes
no
What is androgyny?
the appearance as being neither male or female. They have a mix of both male and female characteristics personality.
What is the research into androgyny
Bem suggested that high androgyny is associated with psychological wellbeing. Individuals who have this are better equipped to deal with a range of situations.
How do you measure androgyny?
BRSI. 20 Masculine objects which include competitive and athletic items. 20 Female objects. 20 neutral objects.
Participants use a 7 point rating scale (1 never me) (7 very me)
masculine categorization
feminine categorization
androgynous classification - high score on both male and female
unclassified - low score on both.
AO3 for androgyny and BRSI
LIMITATION - individual differences
LIMITATION - cultural validity
LIMITATION - temporal validity
LIMITATION - questionnaires are subjective and bias
what is the role of chromosomes?
they are made from DNA. 23 pairs. The 23rd pair determines gender. Female is XX male XY. The Y chromosome has a gene called the SRY. This causes the testes to develop and androgens to be produced in male embryo.
What is the role of hormones?
Hormones act upon the brain and cause development of the reproductive organs.
Males and females produce the same hormones just at different levels.
Testosterone controls the development for males
oestrogen for females
Women produce oxytocin in larger amounts as it stimulates lactation post birth, reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Facilitates bonding.
AO3 for chromosomes and hormones
STRENGTH - research support, dabbs found that in prison those who had committed violent or sexually motivated crimes had higher levels of testosterone.
Limitation - over emphasis of nature
Limitation - oversimplified
Limitation - research Ticker gave men a weekly injection of testosterone or a placebo, no significant increase in aggression found.
What is Klienefelters syndrome
1/750 males have it. They have a male anatomy but have an extra X chromosome. Physical characteristics - reduced body hair. Breast development.
Psychological characteristics- poorly developed language skills. passive and shy.
What is Turners syndrome?
1/5000 females. Caues by an absence of an X chromosome. they have 45 chromosomes instead of 26. Physical characteristics - no menstrual cycle, broad chest.
psychological characteristics - higher than average reading skills, socially immature.
AO3 for turners and klienfelters syndrome
LIMITATION - cause and effect
Strength - nature nurture debate
STREBNGTH- research support, diagnosing early can improve psychological imact
LIMITATION - not traeted the same as peers. exaggeration beta bias
KOHLBERGS THEORY - a cognitive developmental approach
Cognitive because a child’s thinking about their gender is emphasised. Developmental because it is concerned with changes in thinking overtime.
KOHLBERGS THEORY - what are the 3 stages
STAGE 1 - children are able to identify themselves as a boy or girl. By 3 years they are able to identify others as boys or girls. Their understanding of gender is limited to labelling and they have no sense of the permanence of gender.
STAGE 2 - 4 years old. Children realise they stay the same gender. They still find it challenging to apply this to other people and situations
STAGE 3 - 6 years old. Children understand gender completely.
KOHLBERGS THEORY - what does kohlenberg say
That once a child has a fully developed and internalised concept of gender at the constancy stage they look for evidence which confirms it.
KOHLBERGS THEORY - AO3
STRENGTH- biological approach
LIMITATION - nurture side of the debate
LIMITATION - validity. Children’s understanding may be more developed than they can articulate.
LIMITATION - SLT challenges
Cognitive explanations GST - AO1
GST suggests that a child actively structures their own learning of gender.
Gender scheme contains what we know in relation to gender and appropriate behaviour.
Martin and Halverson - child establishes gender identity at 2-3 years, the child then starts to look around for further information to develop the schema.
This idea states that a child looks for information much younger than kohlenburg suggested
By age 6 Martin suggests that the child has a fixed stereotypical idea of gender.
Children pay more attention to and have a better idea appropriate behaviour to the same gender as them (in group) than those of their (outgroup)
At age 8 they develop a full understanding of gender.
Cognitive explanations GST - AO3
STRENGTH - explains why children have fixed ideas, schemes and in groups
LIMITATION - individual differences
LIMITATION - beta bias
LIMITATION - no link between schemes and behaviour
Psychodynamic approach - AO1
The psychosexual stages - oral, anal, phallic, latent and gentail.
Phallic stage - 3-6 years Oedipus complex and Electra complex
Boys get jealous of their dads
Girls get jealous of their mums.
Resolution of conflict is through identification with the same sex parent.
Little Hans - 5 year old with a fear of being bitten by a horse. His fear started when he saw a horse collapse and die in a street. Freuds interpretation was that Hans fear of horses was actually that his dad will castrate him because of his love for his mother. Through displacement.
Psychodynamic approach - AO3
LIMITATION- Lack of support for the Oedipus complex
LIMITATION - individual differences
LIMITATION - freuds methods of investigating arnt scientific
LIMITATION- disagrees with other theories in gender
Social learning theory - AO1
The role of social context in gender development.
Gender behaviour is learnt by observing others and being reinforced for the imitation of the behaviour.
Differential reinforcement - why girls and boys learn distinctly different gender behaviours - they are reinforced for different behaviours, which they then reproduce.
Vicarious reinforcement - if the consequences of another’s behaviour are favourable, that behaviour is more likely to be imitated by a child.
Vicarious punishment - if the consequences of behaviour are seen to unfavourable, behaviour is less likely to be repeated.
Children identify with role models: attractive, same sex
behaviour is modelled
Mediation also process - attention, retention, motivation, motor reproduction.
Social learning theory - AO3
STRENGTH - can explain changing gender roles.
LIMITATION - Does not explain the developmental process
LIMITATION - psychodynamic approach
STRENGTH - psychodynamic approach
culture and gender roles- AO1
Nature - If a gender behaviors consistent across cultures we consider it innate or biological.
Nurture - If a gender behavior is culturally specific we consider this is due to the influence of shared norms and socialisation.
Buss 1994 - found consistent mate preferences in 37 countries, in all countries:
Women sought men offering wealth and resources
Men looked for youth and physical attractiveness.
The media and gender roles
Children are most likely to imitate role models who are the same sex as they are are and engaging in gender appropriate behavior.
Bussey and Bandura:
Media provides clear stereotypes
men are independent ambitious and advice givers.
women are dependent unambitious and advice seekers
It was found that children who were more exposed to popular forms of media tend to display more gender stereotypical views in their behavior.
Culture and the media in gender roles A03
STRENGTH - culture Meads research - tribal groups supported the cultural determination of gender roles.
Arapesh - gentle and responsive
Mundugumor - aggressive and hostile.
Tuchambuli - women were dominant.
LIMITATION - MEDIA films like baby daddy challenge sterotypes.
LIMITATION - CULTURE nature nurture debate.
STRENGTH - media can explain changes in gender roles.
Atypical gender development - A01
GID - a mismatch between a persons biological sex and their gender identity.
It is still possible GID has a biological basis.
Zhou et al - brain sex theory
studies the BSTc which is 40% larger in in males than females.
Post mortem studies of six male to female transgender indivgiduals had a BSTc of the typical female size.
Atypical gender development A03
LIMITATION - psychoanalytical theory - suggested that GID is caused by a child expirencing extreme seperation anxiety before gender identity was established.
limitation - BIOLOGICAL THEORY, found that 39% of their sample for MZ twins were GID. but none for DZ
LIMITATION - Biological over simplidies
LIMITATION - individual differences.
