Gender Schema Theory - cognitive explanation

Question 1

Who created the gender schema theory?

Answer 1

Martin and Halverson, Bem

Question 2

What does the theory suggest?

Answer 2

That gender identity alone provides children with the motivation to assume sex typed behaviour patterns

Question 3

What is the difference between this theory and Kohlberg’s?

Answer 3

For the initial understanding for gender to develop, children need not understand that gender is permanent

Question 4

How is this theory similar to the social learning theory?

Answer 4

The children learn “appropriate” patterns of behaviour

Question 5

How is this theory similar to Kohlberg’s theory?

Answer 5

Children’s active cognitive processing of information also contributes to sex typing

Question 6

What is a gender schema?

Answer 6

An organused grouping of related gender concepts

Question 7

What age does a gender schema start to develop?

Answer 7

Ages 2-3

Question 8

What do gender schema’s provide?

Answer 8

A basis for interpreting the environment and selecting appropriate forms of behaviour and thus children’s self perceptions become sex-typed.

Question 9

What are the two types of gender schemas?

Answer 9

In-group

Out-group

Question 10

What is an in-group schema?

Answer 10

Schemas concerning attitudes and expectations about one’s own gender
Positive

Question 11

What is an out-group schema?

Answer 11

Negative schemas about attitudes and expectations concerning the other gender

Question 12

What does Maccoby believe?

Answer 12

Gender is clearly an either/or category and children understand very early on that this is a key distinction and it serves as a magnet for new information

Question 13

What happens once an early schema is established?

Answer 13

Many experiences are assimilated and children show preference for same sex playmates and gender stereotypical activities, actively ignoring the other gender

Question 14

Do gender schemas under go change?

Answer 14

Yes, they undergo development change as children’s general cognitive abilities develop

Question 15

What do preschoolers do relating to gender?

Answer 15

Learn distinctions about what kinds of activities and behaviours go with each gender by observing other children and through reinforcements received from parents.

Question 16

What do children ages 4-6 do relating to gender?

Answer 16

Learn complex and subtle sets of associations for their own gender and what children of the same gender like, how they play and talk

Question 17

What age does gender constancy occur?

Answer 17

5-6 years

Question 18

What happens during gender constancy?

Answer 18

Children’s understanding of “What people like me do” becomes more elaborated. This rule is treated as absolute

Question 19

What do children in late childhood and early adolescence do relating to gender?

Answer 19

They understand that rules are just social constructions and that gender-role schemas becomes more flexible
They abandon the automatic assumption that what their own gender does is preferable and a significant minority of teenagers identify as androgynous

Question 20

What did Masters et al find?

Answer 20

Children aged between 4 and 5 years old selected toys by their gender label rather than which gender was seen to be playing with them

Question 21

What did Martin and Halverson find?

Answer 21

Asked children to recall pictures of people finding that children under the age of 6 recalled more gender-consistent ones

Question 22

What did Martin and Little find?

Answer 22

Preschool children have gender stereotypes about what is appropriate for boys and girls before they even develop much understanding about gender, supporting the idea of the formation of gender schema

Question 23

What did Campbell find?

Answer 23

Even the youngest infants between 3 and 18 months had preference for watching same sex babies and by 9 months, boys showed an increased tendency to pay attention to boys toys

Question 24

What does the theory explain?

Answer 24

Why children’s attitudes and behaviour concerning gender are rigid and long lasting. They only focus on things that confirm and strengthen their schema and ignore behavioural examples which contradict the theory
It also explains why children are more likely to model gender-appropriate behaviour rather than imitating a same-sex model demonstrating non-gender appropriate behaviour

Question 25

What are some evaluative points of the gender schema theory?

Answer 25

Much research support
When children perform activities which are not normally stereotypical of their gender, they just change their thinking so it is acceptable - implies that thinking is affected by behaviour while cognitive schema predicts opposite
It is reductionistic - neglects influence of biological factors, assuming that all gender related behaviour is created through cognitive means