Gender (Paper 3)

Question 1

SLT Explanation + Evaluation of Gender Development (2 S + 1 L)

Answer 1

AO1: SLT claims we learn gender roles through socialisation and by observing others.

We pay attention to role models in our environment engaging in gender appropriate behaviours and retain info about their actions and consequences, which acts as vicarious reinforcement.

Evaluation:

Strengths:

1. Supporting Research: Smith & Lloyd Baby Study

• Supports claim sex role stereotypes and GD is socialised through reinforcements and observations.
• Found a baby perceived by adults to be a boy was given more physical stimulation than a baby perceived to be a girl (who was played with more carefully + given cuddly toys)
• Shows clear environmental influences from role models

2. Further Research: Williams TV study (Also S for Media and culture)

• Studied 3 towns : Notel (NO TV channels), Unitel (1 TV channel) and Multitel (Multiple TV channels).
• Towns were studied before TV was introduced, then 2 years after.
• Found Before: little gender stereotyped views and typical behaviours but After: Children showed greater gender stereotyped views and behaviours.
• Shows clear support to learning through observation

Limitation:

Reductionist/Deterministic

• Overlooks biological factors
• eg it’s been found females are better at multitasking (due to better connection of hemispheres), and men are better at focusing on a single task (due to more intense activity in certain parts of cerebellum) and better at coordination/ visuo-spatial tasks

Question 2

SLT Explanation (and process) of Gender behaviour development - Media

Answer 2

AO1:
1. Child watches TV and pays attention to media role models(eg footballers playing football).
2. They retain the info about the consequences (footballer getting an award) which acts as vicarious reinforcement for the child.
3. They then gain motivation to imitate their role models. This is affected by their perception of their motor reproductive skills (how well they can copy it and their level of identification with the role model.
4. If they believe in themselves, they will then copy their role model.

Question 3

Evaluation of SLT’s Explanation (and process) of Gender behaviour development - Media (2 S + 1 L)

Answer 3

Strengths:

1.Supporting Evidence: Williams TV study

• Studied 3 towns : Notel (NO TV channels), Unitel (1 TV channel) and Multitel (Multiple TV channels).
• Towns were studied before TV was introduced, then 2 years after.
• Found Before: little gender stereotyped views and typical behaviours but After: Children showed greater gender stereotyped views and behaviours.
• Shows clear support to learning through observation

2. Further evidence: TV adverts

• Found that the media (TV adverts) portray men as powerful and women as passive and domestic in ads
• Evidence of role model manipulation

Limitations:

1. Methodology: Correlational

• Hard to know whether the media models are the direct cause of the stereotypes produced, or if it’s other (unstudied) factors
• Questions validity

Question 4

SLT Explanation (and process) of Gender behaviour development - Culture

Answer 4

AO1:

1. As children grow, they pay attention to role models within their culture.
2. They retain info about the role models’ actions and consequences (ed observe cultural models receive praise from others).
3. This acts as vicarious reinforcement, which influences their motivation
4. Then, based on their motor reproduction skill perception and level of identification with the role model, they will then imitate.

Question 5

Evaluation of SLT’s Explanation (and process) of Gender behaviour development - Culture (2 S + 1 L)

Answer 5

Strengths:

1. Supporting evidence: Tribes Study

• Woman lived in 3 tribes(Arapesh, Mundugumor, Tchambuli), found a difference in gender roles between them
• In the Arapesh, both M and F displayed ‘female’ traits - they were unaggressive and took care of children
• In the Mundugumor, both genders displayed male traits - aggressive, dominant
• In the Tchambuli, (western) roles were reversed - men cared for children while females hunt.
• Suggests gander roles are not biological and cultural norms and influences have an effect on gender development

2. Further supporting evidence: Northern American tribes

• Found women that are were highly aggressive warriors in them
• Suggests gender roles are culturally relative and determined.

Limitations:

1. Opposing evidence: Barry

• Argued there are more similarities than differences globally
• Nurturing is more consistently a female trait while self-reliance is more a male trait
• Suggests gender to not be a social construct, but more likely to have a biological or evolutionary basis.

Question 6

Genetic Explanation of Gender Dysphoria + Evaluation 1 S + 2 L

Answer 6

AO1: Suggests variants of the androgen receptor gene may be responsible for the condition.
Androgen = réponds to sex hormones (testosterone, oestrogen).

Evaluation:

Strength:

1. Supporting Evidence: Twin studies

• MZ (100% same DNA) twins showed a 39% rate to both have GD compared to 0% rate in DZ twins.
• Due to the higher concordance rate, indicated there may be a genetic basis of GD.

Limitations:

1. Not 100% Concordance

• Because to twin study didn’t find an 100% concordance rate (rather an actually relatively low one if 39%) it can be argued there were other similarities (perhaps social/environmental) causing the GD, rather than genetics

2. Androgen variant not consistent in all sufferers of GD

• i.e not everyone who has GD has the variant
• Questions validity of the genetics claim of the androgen receptor being the gene, or if there is a gene at all?

Question 7

Genetic explanation of Gender dysphoria: Brain Sex theory + Evaluation (1 S + 2 L)

Answer 7

AO1:

• Based on the fact hormonal influences are linked to brain development.
• There are regions of the brain that differ between F and M as a result of prenatal exposure to hormones (in the womb).
• The specific region is the BSTc in the hypothalamus, this is 40% larger in males than females and is linked to emotional responses and sexual behaviour (in rats)
• Claims that imbalances of prenatal hormones (ie fétus is over/under exposure to hormones such as testosterone) then for eg a male baby could be born with a ‘female sized’ BSTc or vice versa - explaining why a male may feel like a female

Evaluation:

Strengths:

1. Supporting Evidence of Zhou

• Performed post mortem analysis of 6 P’s who had undergone male-female gender reassignment
• Found all of their BSTc’s to be the same size as an average female’s.
• Supports the claim they were born with a ‘female brain’ in a male body

Limitations:

1. Cause and effect

• The 6 (dead) P’s had gone through hormone therapy as part of their gender reassignment.
• Criticism argues that this is what altered the size of their BTSc and that they weren’t born with it
• Altered BTSc from birth caused GD? or GD + Hormone therapy caused altered BTSc?

2. Overall limitation of biological: Reductionist

• Overlooks environmental factors such as parenting and only focuses on one aspect.

Question 8

Psychodynamic explanation of GD + Evaluation (1 S + 2 L)

Answer 8

AO1: Freud claimed a strong gender identity is due to the resolution of the oedipus (for boys) or electra (for girls) complex. If not resolved and can’t identify with same-sex parent:

Boys: Expérience extreme separation anxiety which results in symbolic fusion with his mother. (in his unconscious mind, he becomes her so she can’t be apart from him). Therefore, GD as he internalises his mother’s (female) gender identity.

Girls: Doesn’t say

Evaluation:

Strength:

1. Supporting evidence: Separation anxiety study

• Compared Boys with GD to normal
• Found 60% of boys with GD had separation anxiety when compared to a control.
• Supports Freud’s theory of them having symbolic fusion with mother

Limitations:

1. Unscientific, Unfalsifiable

• Since the complexes, symbolic fusion and separation anxiety all happen unconsciously, it is impossible to scientifically test them
• Therefore impossible to validate Freud’s claims

2. Only accounts for Males

• Females suffer from GD too, and there seems little explanation to why this occurs in the study
• Suggests this explanation to be a very limited and androcentric theory of GD

Question 9

Cognitive explanation of GD + Evaluation (2 L)

Answer 9

AO1: Extension if the gender schéma theory where it’s suggested there’s 2 pathways

Path 1: Original GST where an individual seeks gender-appropriate behaviours associated with their own gender m.

Path 2: Personal Pathway - Where a persons interests are more important than their gender identity.
They believe their interests are appropriate for them/their gender (eg boy playing with dolls and believes it’s okay).
If this schéma becomes more dominant than their in-group (same sex) schéma, they are likely to result in a non sex-typed schéma (androgyny) or GD.

Evaluation:

1. Little evidence

• Due to cognitive processes, such as gender schemas, cannot be empirically observed.
• Instead inferences are made (which could be wrong)
• Questions validity/accuracy

2. Lack of explanation/why

• Explains what may happen, but doesn’t say why children become interested in non-gendered activities in the first place
• According to GST they should seek out gender appropriate behaviours in the first place?