Gender- Gender schema theory Flashcards
What type of theory is GST?
cognitive developmental theory
What does GST suggest about children’s role in their gender development? When do M+H argue this happens?
-Children actively structure their own learning of gender
-Acquired by gathering info about our own gender
-Before gender constancy
When do M+H argue children become involved in gender appropriate behaviours?
After gender identity
Who developed GST?
Martin+ Halverson- 1981
Which theory contrasts with GST?
-Social learning theory
-Suggests that children passively observe +imitate role models
What are schemas?
-Packages of information/knowledge based on experience
How do children learn schemas?
-From interactions with other children + adults
Give an example of a schema surrounding gender
Learn what toys are appropriate for each gender
What are schemas naïve about?
Appropriate behaviour for men and women
Define ingroup - give an example
-Groups we identify with
-If you’re a girl you identify with girls
Define outgroup- give an example
-Groups that we don’t identify with
-If you’re a girl you don’t identify with boys
What happens once a child has identified with a gender group?
-They positively evaluate their own group
-Leads them to be like their own group and avoid behaviours of the outgroup
Do children focus on ingroup schemas before or after constancy?
Before
What is meant by resilience of gender beliefs?
-Gender beliefs lead children to hold very fixed schemas (of gender) because they ignore any info they encounter which is not consistent with the ingroup
Why are gender schemas essential in determining what is remembered?
-Individuals do not alter their gender schema when they see gender inappropriate behaviour
How do peer relationships impact schemas?
-Play with other children leads children to belive that (for example) girls/boys share the same intreats
-They avoid the opposite sex because ‘they are not the same’ so they are less fun to play with
-They are also aware of potential consequences associated with different social relationships (such as being teased for being friends with the opposite sex)
so they may avoid the opposite sex compleetly
What does martin argue?
-Gender schemas influence childrens liklihood of devolping social relationships with same +opposite sex peers
Give an evaluation point (Gender schemas without constancy)
-Gender schemas without constancy
-Research supports the predictions from GST that children begin acquiring info about gender schemas before they reach gender stability (around 3)
-This shows that children have acquired info about gender roles before Kholsberg suggested
-Martin + little found children under 3 or 4 showed no signs of gender stability, let alone signs of constancy
-Despite lack of constnacy children did not display gender stereotypes
Give an evaluation point (evidence against GST)
-evidence against GST
-Hoffman suggested that children whose mothers worked had less stereotypes views of what men do
-Suggets that children are not entirely fixed on gender schemas and can take on some gender inconsistent ideas
-because they have experineced a less stereotypical family they have less rigid views
–Resilience- childrens gender stereotypes
-GST is useful as it explains why children are frequently sexist despite having parents (role models) who are not
-Children activley seek to acquire gender appropriate schemas + prefer to ignore counter stereotypes
-Gender schemas lead to miserembering/ distoting info has an impact
Give an evaluation point (comparison between Kholberg and schema)
-A difference between M+H and Kholberg in suggesting how acquistion of schema (stereotypes) affects later behaviour espically in terms of memory and behvaiour
-Kholberg= cognitions + devolpmental stages
-Scehmas= experinces
Give an evaluation point (Gender identity earlier)
-Gender identity may occur even eariler
-Evidnece to suggest children can label their gender groups earlier than indictaed in pervious studies
-Zsoulfs - recorded samples of childrens langauge and observed them playing to identify when they first started labelling themselves
-Concluded they were using gender labels by 19 months
-More recent evidence suggetss gender typed preferences even earlier than this which is seen as a challenge to GST
-Suggest age predictions of GST may be wrong
