Kohlberg's theory Flashcards
What is the cognitive developmental theory?
Based on the assumption that understanding of gender becomes more sophisticated with age.
What did Piaget say about cognitive development?
Children must be able to conserve before they acquire gender consistency.
Only when gender consistency is achieve will children seek out same sex models and develop their own gender schemas.
What is conservation?
Ability to recognise that just because something changes its outward appearance doesn’t mean that its form has changed.
What is stage 1 of development?
Gender identity
What is gender identity?
Around age of 2
Children more able to correctly identify themselves as a boy or girl.
At 3
Identify other people as male or female and can correctly respond to questions such as ‘which one of these is like you’ if they are shown a picture of a man or a woman.
Their understanding of gender tends not to stretch beyond simple labelling but often children of this age group are not aware that sex is permanent.
What is stage two of development?
Gender stability
What is gender stability?
Age 4
Realisation they will always stay the same gender.
Cannot apply this logic to other people in other situations.
Often confused by external changes in appearance.
Believe that people change sex if they engage in activities associated with the opposite gender.
What is stage 3?
Gender constancy
What happens when a child has fully developed and internalised the concept of gender?
They embark upon an active search for evidence which confirms that concept.
A tendency towards gender stereotyping behinds to emerge at this age.
What is gender constancy?
Around age 6
Recognise that gender remains constant across time and situations.
No longer fooled by changes in outward appearance.
Begin to seek out gender appropriate role models to identify with and imitate.
