Gender: Cognitive explanations of gender development Flashcards
Cognitive explanations of gender development, Kohlberg’s theory, gender identity, gender stability and gender constancy; gender schema theory.
1
Q
What is Kohlberg’s theory?
A
- The developmental theory that gender is based on the idea that a child’s understanding of gender becomes more sophisticated with age.
- This is due to biological maturation- as the brain develops so does thinking
- Gender development is thought to process through three stages.
2
Q
Name the three stages of Kohlberg’s theory:
A
Stage 1: Gender identitiy
Stage 2: Gender stability
Stage 3: Gender constancy
3
Q
What happens in stage 1: Gender identity of Kohlberg’s theory?
A
- At the age of 2 years children are able to correctly identify themselves as a boy or a girl (gender identity).
- At the age of 3 years children are able to identify other people as boys or girls and can correctly respond to questions such as ‘Which one of these is like you?’ if they are shown a photo of a man or a woman.
- Children at this age do not view gender as being fixed e.g a 2 year old boy may say ‘when I grow up i will be a mummy’.
4
Q
What happens in stage 2: Gender stability of Kohlberg’s theory?
A
- At the age of 4 years children acquire gender stability.
- Children realise that their gender is fixed and will stay the same over time.
- They cannot apply that logic to others in other situations. They are often confused by external changes in appearance- they may describe a man with long hair as a woman/
- They also believe that people’s gender can change if they engage in activities that is more often associated with the other gender.
5
Q
What happens in stage 3: Gender constancy of Kohlberg’s theory?
A
- At the age of 6 years children recognise that gender remains constant across time and situations, and this is applied to others gender and their own-
- They are no longer confused by changes in others external appearance- they may find a man in a dress to be unusual but are able to understand that he is still a man.
- Children begin to seek out gender appropriate role models to identify with and imitate. Children also begin to search for evidence that confirms their internalised concept of gender- a tendency towards gender stereotyping begins.
6
Q
What are the 4 evaluation points for Kohlberg’s theory of gender development?
A
1) Research support (S)
2) Nature/nurture debate (S)
3) Methodological issues (L)
4) Degrees of constancy (L)
7
Q
Explain research support (S) as an evaluation point for Kohlberg’s theory of gender development:
A
- Evidence suggests that gender stereotyping does emerge at around the age of 6 (gender constancy stage) as he predicted.
- Damon told a study about a boy called George who liked to play with dolls to different age groups of children.
- 4 year olds said it was fine for George to play with dolls if he wanted to; six year olds thought it was wrong for George to play with dolls.
- They had gone beyond understanding what boys and girls do, to developing rules about what they have to do (gender stereotyping).
- Suggests that children who have, as predicted, achieved constancy have formed rigid stereotypes regarding gender appropriate behaviour.
8
Q
Explain nature/nurture debate (S) as an evaluation point for Kohlberg’s theory of gender development:
A
- A strength is that it contributes to the nature/nurture debate.
-Kohlbergs stages are influenced by changes in the developing brain and increased capacity with age- a nature approach. - This would account for the fact that studies have found broad cross-cultural support for Kohlberg’s theory which suggests that the cognitive changes he described may be universal and therefore biological.
- If intellectual changes follow a similar pattern in children globally, we can assume the changes have a biological basis.
- Child rearing and socialisation processes are likely to be different in different societies, whereas biological development remains fairly constant.
9
Q
Explain methodological problems (L) as an evaluation point for Kohlberg’s theory of gender development:
A
- A limitation of Kohlberg’s theory is that supporting research relies on unsatisfactory methods to assess gender constancy.
- Bem has criticised the methodology used in studies of the link between gender and cognitive development. The key test of gender constancy in such studies is whether a child understands that gender stays the same despite changes in appearance and context.
- Bem argues that children are confused by this as in many cultures this is how we differentiate men and women e.g. through clothing, hairstyles.
- In reality the best way to differentiate men from women is to identify them through physical differences such as genitalia- something that young children apparently do not understand. However 40% children ages 3-5 can correctly identify constancy if they were shown a naked photo of the child to be identified first.
- Suggests that the typical way of testing gender constancy may misrepresent what younger children actually know.
10
Q
Explain degrees of constancy (L) as an evaluation point for Kohlberg’s theory of gender development:
A
- A limitation is that there may be different degrees of constancy.
- Martin suggested that there may be different degrees of constancy. An initial degree may alert children to the importance of gender e.g. in choosing friends and seeking gender-confirming information- which may develop before the age of 6.
- A second degree of constancy may heighten children’s responsiveness to gender norms, particularly under conditions of conflict, such as choosing appropriate clothes or attitudes.
- This suggests that the acquisition of constancy may be a more gradual process and may be earlier than Kohlberg thought.
11
Q
What is a gender schema?
A
An organised set of beliefs and expectations related to gender that are derived from experience. Such schemas guide a person’s understanding of their own gender and stereotypical gender-appropriate behaviour overall.
12
Q
Explain gender s
A
13
Q
What are the 3 components of gender schemas? (AO1)
A
- Gender schemas after gender identity
- Gender schemas determine behaviour
- Ingroup information is better remembered
14
Q
Explain ‘gender schemas determine behaviour’ as a component in gender schemas:
A
- Gender schemas develop to include a range of behaviours and personality traits.
- For young children schemas tend to form around stereotypes e.g. girls play with dolls, boys play with trucks. These provide a framework that directs the child’s experiences as well as their understanding of themselves e.g. ‘I am a boy so I play with trucks’.
- By age 6 children have a rather fixed and stereotypical idea about what is appropriate for their gender. For this reason children are likely to misremember or disregard information that does not fit with their existing schema.
15
Q
Explain ‘ingroup information is better remembered’ as a component in gender schemas:
A
- Children tend to have a much better understanding pf the schema that is appropriate for their own gender (ingroup).
- This is consistent with the idea that children pay more attention to information relevant to their own gender identity, rather than the other gender (outgroup).
- It is not until children are older that they develop elaborate schemas for both genders.
16
Q
What are the 4 evaluation point for gender schemas?
A
1) Research support (S)
2) Cultural differences (S)
3) Earlier gender identity (L)
4) Unknown timing (L)
17
Q
Explain research support (S) as an evaluation point for gender schemas:
A
- A strength is that the key principles of the gender schema theory are supported by evidence.
- Martin and Halverson found that children under the age of 6 were more likely to remember photographs of stereotypically-appropriate behaviour (e.g. woman feeding a baby) than stereotypically-inappropriate behaviour (e.g. woman fixing a car) when tested a week later.
- Children tended to change the gender of those carrying out the gender-inappropriate activity during recall- so that it was now appropriate.
- Provides support for the gender schema theory which predicts that children under 6 would show this behaviour.
18
Q
Explain cultural differences (S) as an evaluation point for gender schemas:
A
- The gender schema theory can account for cultural differences in stereotypically gender-appropriate behaviour.
- Cherry argues that gender schema not only influences how people process information, but what counts as gender-appropriate behaviour.
- Traditional cultures believe that women should take a nurturing role and that men should peruse a career- which will influence children to develop schemas that align with this.
- In societies where perceptions of gender have less rigid boundaries, children are more likely to acquire a more fluid gender schema.
- This supports the gender schema theory as it can explain how gender schemas can be transmitted between members of a society and how cultural differences in gender stereotypes come about.
19
Q
Explain earlier gender identity (S) as an evaluation point for gender schemas:
A
- A limitation is that gender identity probably develops earlier than the gender schema theory suggests.
- A longitudinal study of 82 children looked at the onset of gender identity. Data was obtained from twice-weekly reports from mothers on their children’s language from 9 to 21 months.
- The key measure of gender identity was taken to be how and when children labelled themselves as a ‘boy or girl’. This occurred on average at 19 months- almost as soon as children begin to communicate, which suggests that children actually have a gender identity before this but are unable to communicate it.
- Suggests that the gender schema theory underestimates children’s ability to use gender labels about themselves.
20
Q
Explain unknown timing (L) as an evaluation point for gender schemas:
A
- Children play an active role in their own gender development, searching for information in the environment that builds on what they already know.
- Kohlberg argues that children must achieve gender constancy before they search for gender-appropriate behaviour to imitate, or start to form gender stereotypes.
- However the gender schema argues that as soon as a child recognises themselves as a boy or girl (gender identity) they will begin to form attitudes and select behaviours that align with their ‘ingroup’.
- This involves an active evidence of gender stereotypical attitudes and behaviours- meaning children disregard information that does not fit their schema.
