Gender Schema Theory

Question 1

What are gender schema

Answer 1

An organised unit of knowledge about the characteristics/behaviours associated with gender

Question 2

At what age do children learn to label themselves either a boy or girl

Answer 2

2

Question 3

What are the 4 stages of gender schema theory

Answer 3

1 - gender identity at age 2-3, looking around the environment for info

2 - build up of gender schema and gender scripts

3 - once gender schema and scripts are built, they pay more attention to activities associated with their own gender

4 - info consistent with children’s gender schema is assimilated, behaviours which are inconsistent are often not encoded

Question 4

Briefly describe the Boston and levy study, including aim, method, results and conclusion

Answer 4

Aim = to investigate if knowledge about stereotypically male and female activities differed between boys and girls

Method = boys/ girls aged 3-6 asked to put a sequence of pictures in order. Each set of pictures described a stereotypical activity

Results = both girls and boys were more accurate when assembling their own gender activity sequence of pictures

Conclusion = boys and girls of better knowledge of own gender activity than opposite gender activity

Question 5

What is an ingroup

Answer 5

Children tend to have much better understanding of the schemas that are appropriate to their own gender

Question 6

Explain one strength of gender schema theory

Answer 6

Martin and halverson 1983= findings showed children under 6 were more likely to remember photographs of gender-consistent behaviour when tested a week later

Question 7

Explain one weakness of gender schema theory

Answer 7

Overemphasis on the importance of schema

Not enough sufficient attention paid to social factors such as parental influence and rewards and punishments the child receives for gendered behaviour