Gender development

Question 1

Kohlberg’s cognitive developmental theory of gender development

Answer 1

gender constancy

• gender identity (boy or girl?)
• gender stability (will be you be a mum or dad?)
• gender consistency (if you played with dolls what would you be?)

a person’s sex is a permanent attribute that is unrelated to surface characteristics

Question 2

Gender schema theory

Answer 2

as soon as children can label their own gender they are able to behave in a gender stereotypical way

Question 3

Social cognitive theory of gender development

Answer 3

children learn gender stereotypes and identity from personal and social influences

Question 4

SCT - regulators of gendered conduct

Answer 4

gender-linked social sanctions
regulatory self-sanctions
regulatory self-efficacy beliefs

Question 5

Sources of formation of SE beliefs

Answer 5

mastery experiences
vicarious experiences
verbal persuasion
psychological states

Question 6

Pre gender identity knowledge

Answer 6

2-3: start to show knowledge of own gender
2nd year: prefer gender-stereotypical objects
infants look longer at incongruent gender faces

Question 7

Emergence of gender identity

Answer 7

occurs once they are able to recognise themselves (from 18 months)
can label boy or girl by 2
3rd year - prefer to play with own gender

Question 8

Group biases - Bigler et al

Answer 8

bias occurred in groups that had

• functional significance
• group status differences

Question 9

Gender role knowledge

Answer 9

both boys and girls attribute more positive features to girls and more negative features to boys

Question 10

When do gender differences occur in development

Answer 10

6-8 weeks post gestation

Question 11

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Answer 11

girls develop partially masculinised genitals
- engage in more male stereotypical activities, but not as much as boys

males develop typically

Question 12

Parental influences

Answer 12

girls, but not boys, do better when raised by parents with gender-egalitarian views

parents model gender roles

parents send messages about appopriateness of gendered play through interactions

Question 13

Gender differences in play

Answer 13

girls more likely to play in dyads

boys more likely to play in groups

Question 14

Educational differences

Answer 14

boys failure attributed to lack of trying

girls failure attributed to lack of ability