Lecture 5- The Development of Gender

Question 1

Does gender non-conformity tend to be more associated with men or women?

Answer 1

Women

Question 2

Why may there be issues in studying differences in gender (three reasons)

Answer 2

Many researchers now reject the dichotomous view of gender, instead focusing on men and women’s similarity
Finding gender differences can contribute to stereotyping, which can then cause social sensitivity and perpetuate prejudicial attitudes
gender differences have declined over time

Question 3

What are the three stages of development and what ages do they coincide with?

Answer 3

Gender identity (gender labelling)- 2-3 years of age
Gender Stability, 4-5 years of age
Gender Constancy (6-7 years of age)

Question 4

What happens in terms of socialisation in the gender constancy stage?

Answer 4

Children are also not expected to adopt gendered behaviours consistently until they reach this stage
Once this stage is reached, they begin to seek out same sex peers and role models and engage in stereotyped behaviours and activities

Question 5

Who does the model of gender development apply to?

Answer 5

Everyone, it is universal

Question 6

What is the evolutionary theory of gender development?

Answer 6

It proposes that we develop gender-typed behaviours in order to help us survive and on our genes

Question 7

What is one example people have used to “prove” the evolutionary theory of gender/gender differences?

Answer 7

Many suggests that men develop a tendency to go for numerous, young women to ensure their sperm is passed on and will often be less involved with children as, as they do not carry them, they can not be sure that they are theirs. Women, however, tend to look for supportive partners who can withhold them long term (i.e. older men), as they can not reproduce as much, as each baby takes at least nine months at a time

Question 8

How can child’s play example the evolutionary theory of gender development?

Answer 8

More boys than girls tend to engage in rough and tumble, aggressive play. Geary suggested this was due to ancestral competition, where aggressive play was linked to more success with mates and more hunting success. Little girl’s play, however, tends to be focused on establishing social bonds and practicing motherhood- like activities (i.e. playing house)

Question 9

What are three limitations of the evolutionary approach to gender development?

Answer 9

It doesn’t provide an explanation for developmental changes, more just that the behaviours develop
This is also mainly an assumptive explanation, using our limited knowledge of a period we weren’t around for to explain behaviours we observe now.
A lot of data supporting the evolutionary approach to gender development is based on self-report data (subject to social desirability bias)

Question 10

What is androgen insensitivity syndrome?

Answer 10

Men are born with malfunctioning androgen receptors so develop female genitalia
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia- Male genitalia are developed in girls and are more likely to choose physically active play and play fighting

Question 11

What are the three main concepts of cognitive development theory?

Answer 11

Children develop concepts of gender from those around them through observation and practice.
Once gender perception is constant, they positively value their gender identity and therefore seek to act in a gender congruent manner.

Question 12

What did Bussey and Bandura show relating to showing gendered behaviour before gender constancy age?

Answer 12

Children from early ages may prefer to play with gendered toys, model their behaviour of same sex couples and reward their other peers for gender-congruent behaviour.

Question 13

What is one piece of evidence relating to colour that shows gendered behaviour can develop before gender constancy?

Answer 13

Gender differences in colour preference can be observed from 3 years of age

Question 14

What are gender schemas and how do they affect behaviour?

Answer 14

They are mental representations incorporating everything they know about gender
Once formed, this feeds into stereotypical behaviours as they want to fit in with others of their own sex. They avoided behaviours of the other gencer

Question 15

What are the ages that relate to the different stages of gender schema development?

Answer 15

2 years- can identify themselves as male or female
3-4 = learn about gender-related characteristics
5-7= gender characteristics become rigid and inflexible and effect bias towards some behaviours
7-12= gender schemas become more flexible
Adolescence- schemas become more rigid again

Question 16

How has it been shown that young girls show greater gender flexibility?

Answer 16

A study on 2.5 year olds show that boys can develop gender schemas or favour the behaviour of boys at a very young age, whereas girls tend to not experience this as much

Question 17

How has it been proven that we are not born with gender schemas?

Answer 17

Infants do not show gender schemas

Question 18

How can gender schemas affect memory?

Answer 18

Children can also misremember information if it subverts gender norms. For instance, if you see a clip of a boy playing with a doll, you may remember it as a girl playing with a doll.

Question 19

How did Bigler and Liben show that gender can be modified through instruction?

Answer 19

Bigler and Liben found that children can learn that a person’s interests and abilities can be more important in influencing behaviour than gender. This was shown to decrease gender stereotyping and gender misrepresentation in memories. However, this effect faded over time (possibly due to socialisation)

Question 20

What are the main principles of social cognitive theory?

Answer 20

it proposes that there 3 interacting factors that determine gender development: tuition, enactive experience and observational learning

Question 21

What is tuition?

Answer 21

direct teaching from others

Question 22

What is enactive experience?

Answer 22

Enactive experience- learning to guide your own behaviour by considering reactions from others. A piece of research found that fathers tend to give more positive responses when young boys play with gendered toys rather than gender atypical toys.

Question 23

What is Observational Learning?

Answer 23

Observational Learning- seeing others behaviour and changing your behaviour based on how others react to your behaviour

Question 24

why gender-typing may be more rigid for boys?

Answer 24

Some believe that, as men tend to have a higher status in society, men performing feminine actions could be more easily seen as a loss in status, so parents and peers become worried and discourage this (the same would not occur for girls, as they would be enhancing their status by imitating men)

Question 25

What are three examples of traits where (correctly or not) men tend to be more affluent?

Answer 25

Mathematical skill, spatial skills and aggression

Question 26

What is the male variation hypothesis

Answer 26

Charles Darwin suggested that there tends to be more men at extreme variabilities of distribution curves/traits. This could then suggest that men can be more variable in consistency of ability and general function.

Question 27

How has it been shown that men may not actually be more mathematically skilful?

Answer 27

There aren’t many mathematical differences in abilities from preschool to early adolescence, difference emerge in secondary school. It’s among higher performing students that boys do better, and only on questions that involve advanced problem solving.
This could be because girls tend to have higher maths anxiety and different strategies

Question 28

What is some support for the idea that boys are more aggressive?

Answer 28

One study showed that 5% of male toddlers were frequently physically aggressive compared to 1% of female toddlers

However, though men tend to show more direct aggression, women tend to show more indirect aggression

Question 29

According to the Gender similarity Hypothesis, for most traits, men and women are very similar. But what are the main exceptions to this?

Answer 29

Throwing speed and distance, sexuality and physical aggression