Gender Schema Theory - Gender

Question 1

What is a schema?

Answer 1

Packages of knowledge - develop these from birth and add to them through life

Question 2

When do children begin to build a schema about their gender identity?

Answer 2

From age 3 - helps organise and interpret info about gender

Question 3

What is the first gender schema to develop?

Answer 3

In-group and out-group - what toys + activities are suitable

Question 4

What is the own-gender schema?

Answer 4

How boys and girls should behave

Question 5

What are Martin’s 3 stages?

Answer 5

• 2-4: Children learn to associate certain things with certain sexes
• 4-6: Link up to gender stereotyped info + begin to infer (make guesses) about behaviour
• 8: Make inferences about the opposite sex

Question 6

What happens if new info is received that doesn’t fit the schema?

Answer 6

The schema needs to be distorted to fit the new information

Question 7

What did Martin et al do?

Answer 7

Showed 5-6 year olds pictures of different sexes doing inconsistent activities (e.g a girl sawing wood) and consistent activities (e.g. a boy playing with a train)

Question 8

What did Martin et al find?

Answer 8

• A week late the schema consistent pictures were remembered better than the inconsistent.
• Inconsistent pictures were remembered by making them schema consistent (e.g changing the gender around)

Question 9

What does Martin et al’s study show?

Answer 9

Supports the theory as shows why children’s gender role attitudes and beliefs hardly change as new info in distorted to fit existing schemas

Question 10

How does Martin’s study address PAS?

Answer 10

This study used photos of gender activities which is not very scientific - operationalises gender if different ways

Question 11

What did Levy et al do?

Answer 11

Children undertook a 2 part interview that assessed the degree of gender schematisation

Question 12

What did Levy et al find?

Answer 12

• Children’s gender schematisation and other cognitive gender schema factors were strongly associated with children’s accuracy in attributing gender-role stereotypes to both males and females
• Stage of gender consistency was not significantly correlated with any of children’s gender-role stereotype attributions

Question 13

What does Levy et al’s study show?

Answer 13

• Further evidence for importance of gender schemas in early gender role development
• Shows gender schemas are more important than gender consistency

Question 14

How does Levy et al’s study address RWA and N/N?

Answer 14

RWA: Shows its really important to help young children having less stereotypes gender roles as this will not change throughout life
N/N: Schemas are created from birth = nature BUT society effects them e.g. how equal society is - if women are less equal schemas will reflect this