Lesson 1-sex role stereotypes Flashcards
Define sex
The biological differences between males and females including chromosomes,hormones and anatomy
Define gender
The psychologist and cultural differences between males and females including attitudes,behaviours and social roles
Define sex role stereotypes
A set of beliefs and preconceived ideas About what is expected or appropriate for males and females in given society
What was the smith and Lloyd experiment?
-Exposed participants to a baby dressed either in male or female clothing
-participants treated the baby perceived to be a boy with more physical stimulation and offered male toys
-The girl was treated more gently and offered cuddly toys
What does Smith and Lloyd’s experiment suggest?
This suggests socialisation plays a role in sex stereotypes
What are the strengths of Smith and Lloyd’s experiment?
Has temporal validity-this experiment was repeated for a BBC documentary in 2017.The results were the same, this indicates that the findings were valid to applicable over extended periods of time
Reliable research as there is experimental manipulation of the perceived sex and control of the activities available to mothers.Independent measures design ensured mothers could not guess the purpose of the research
What are the weaknesses of the Smith and Lloyd study?
-In original experiment only women were asked to interact with the infants,this limits the generalisability of the study to the real world as it is rare that infants only socialise with adults of one sex
What was the Ingalhalikar et al experiment?
-Scanned the brains of of 949 young men and women using MRI
-Mapped connections between the different parts of the brain
What were the findings of Ingalhalikar experiment?
Women’s brains have far better connections between the left and right sides of the brain while men’s brains display more intense activity within the brains individual parts especially the cerebellum which controls motor skills.
What was concluded in Ingalhalikars experiment?
The female brain is hard wired to cope better with several tasks at once whereas the male brain prefers to focus on a single complex task ie. men cant multitask.
What are the strengths of sex role stereotypes?(research by Smith and Lloyd)
P-Research evidence by Smith and Lloyd (1973)
E-They observed that adults treated babies differently based on perceived gender, offering boys more physical stimulation and girls more nurturing activities.
E-This suggests that social reinforcement contributes to gender role development
L-Showing how adults reinforce sex role stereotypes through socialization.
What are the strengths of sex role stereotypes(Ingalhalikar et al)
P-research by Ingalhalikar et al
E-Using MRI scans, they found that womens brains had greater connectivity between hemispheres, suggesting better multitasking abilities, while mens brains were better suited to single, focused tasks possibly explaining traditional gender roles.
L-supporting the view that biological differences, such as the brain structure, underpin sex role stereotypes
What is a limitation of sex role stereotypes?
P-sex role stereotypes can limit individual potential
E-especially in areas like STEM, where girls may feel discouraged due to societal expectations.
E- can lead to reduced aspirations and contribute to the gender gap in these fields.
L-Addressing these stereotypes is crucial for promoting gender equality and allowing individuals to pursue interests based on personal ability, not societal expectations.
