Kohlberg's 'Gender Consistency Theory - Gender

Question 1

What does the theory suggests?

Answer 1

That as the brain matures thinking about gender becomes more sophisticated

Question 2

What type of theory is it?

Answer 2

Cognitive Development theory

Question 3

What are the 3 stages?

Answer 3

Gender identity, gender stability, gender consistency

Question 4

What is the gender identity stage?

Answer 4

Age 2-3

• The child recognises he/she is a boy/girl
• Observe and pay attention to same sex individuals = play more with them

Question 5

What is the gender stability stage?

Answer 5

Age 3-7

- Awareness that gender is fixed = remains the same across different situations

Question 6

What is the gender consistency stage?

Answer 6

Age 7-12

• Recognises that superficial changes in appearance or actives do not alter gender
• Act in a consistently sex-typed manner = example of self socialisation

Question 7

What did Munroe find?

Answer 7

That there is a cross cultural agreement on the sequence of gender concept development = supports as suggests stages of development are biological

Question 8

How does Munroe’s study address N/N?

Answer 8

Suggests gender development is nature as it is the same across cultures suggesting it is biological and not to do with how children are nurtured.

Question 9

What does this theory ignore?

Answer 9

The influence of external factors - boys being punished for acting feminine but being rewarded for being masculine - vice versa

Question 10

What did McConaghy do?

Answer 10

Demonstrated gender stability:
- Children given dolls with their genitals clearly visible through transparent clothing. They assigned gender on the basis of clothing not the visible gender

Question 11

Why does McConaghy’s study support the theory?

Answer 11

Shows children do not yet recognises that sex remains the same across different situations

Question 12

What did …. do?

Answer 12

Showed 3-5 year olds photos of naked children and photos of the same children dressed in gender related clothing

Question 13

What did … find and what does this show?

Answer 13

Just less than 50% knew that gender remained the same
= Shows Kohlberg’s methods were too hard and that given the right method children demonstrated gender consistency earlier than Kohlberg believed

Question 14

How does PAS related to … study?

Answer 14

The methods used in these studies are not very scientific as in everyone gender is operationalised differently

Question 15

What did Levy et al do?

Answer 15

Children undertook a 2 part interview that assessed the degree of gender schematisation - opposite theory to gender consistency

Question 16

What did Levy et al find?

Answer 16

• 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 17

What does Levy et al’s study show?

Answer 17

• Shows gender schemas are more important than gender consistency

Question 18

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

Answer 18

RWA: Shows its really important to help young children having less stereotypes gender roles as this will not change throughout life
N/N: society effects view on gender e.g. how equal society is - if women are less equal schemas will reflect this