SLT Explanation General Flashcards
How does SLT perceive gender roles?
Being learned through observation and imitation of socialising agents, such as parents and peers and the influence of the media and culture
What do socialising agents do?
Model examples of appropriate and inappropriate behaviours and the consequences of conforming or not conforming to gender norms
How does the theory believe children learn through observation?
Children observe models being reinforced or punished for gender-appropriate and gender-inappropriate behaviours so they imitate the behaviours they se rewarded and avoid those being punished.
Through such observational learning, children acquire knowledge regarding gender roles without actually doing anything themselves.
What does SLT acknowledge?
The role that the social context plays in development and states that all behaviours (including gender) is learned from observing others. Therefore it draws attention to the role of the environment in shaping gender development (this included significant others that the child comes into contact with e.g. parents as well as the influence of culture etc)
What is the role of direct reinforcement?
Children are more likely to be reinforced (praised) for demonstrating behaviour that is gender-appropriate e.g. boys may be encouraged to be active and assertive but are more likely to be punished for being passive and gentle
What is differential reinforcement?
The way in which girls and boys are encouraged to show distinct gender-appropriate behaviours
What happens through differential reinforcement?
Children learn their gender identity
What happens to behaviours that have been reinforced?
They are then imitated. A child is more likely to imitate a behaviour that has been reinforced (this reinforcement may be direct or indirect)
How does indirect (vicarious) reinforcement work?
If the consequences of another persons behaviour are favourable, that behaviour is more likely to be imitated by the child eg. if a girl sees her mother complimented for wearing makeup. If the consequences are seen to be unfavourable, behaviour is avoided (not imitated) e.g. if a boy sees a classmate getting rinsed for crying
What is identification?
Refers to the process whereby a child attaches himself or herself to a person who is seen to be ‘like me’ or because a person is like someone ‘I want to be’
The person possesses qualities that the child sees as rewarding - these people are known as role models and may be part of the child’s immediate environment (parents, teachers etc) or may be present within the media
What do role models tend to be?
Attractive, high status and usually the same sex as the child
From the role-models perspective what is modelling?
The precise demonstration of a behaviour that may be imitated by an observer. e.g. a mother may model stereotypically feminine behaviour by tidying the house. The same term is used to explain learning from the observers perspective - when the little girl copies her mother she is modelling behaviour she has witnessed.
What four mediational/cognitive processes have SLTs suggested to be central to the learning of gender?
Attention - a little boy may want to be like his favourite footballer so pays attention to what he does
Retention - remembering the skills shown and attempting to reproduce them
Motivation - little boy wants to be like his hero so identifies with him
Motor reproduction - the boy becomes physically capable of doing it
