Social Influences

Question 1

What social influences affect gender development?

Answer 1

• the media
• parents
• peers
• cultural influences

Question 2

How do parents influence gender development?

Answer 2

• social learning theory suggests children will be influenced by parents through direct tuition and differential treatment
• parents will reward children when they produce gender appropriate behaviours for their gender roles and punish them when they produce behaviour that is perceived not appropriate for their gender role. (Differential treatment)
• parents will give out instructions to their children on what behaviours they should produce when they start to develop linguistic skills

Question 3

Who has provided evidence for parental influence over gender development?

Answer 3

Smith and Lloyd

Question 4

Outline the aim method, findings and conclusion of Smith and Lloyd’s research

Answer 4

Aim: To investigate the influence parents had on gender development

Method:

• mothers were filmed playing with a 4 month old baby that wasn’t theirs
• the baby was dressed as a girl or a boy regardless of their actual gender
• they recorded the behaviours displayed by each mother and had a variety of toys they could choose from to give to the baby

Findings:

• They found that boys would be given a toy hammer and were encouraged to make noise while girls were more likely given a doll by the mothers and encouraged to be quite.
• they also found that the mothers were more prepared to let the girls play with masculine toys but not let the boys play with feminine toys.

Conclusion: Mothers will reinforce stereotypical behaviour without realising they are to make children learn their gender appropriate behaviours for their gender roles.

Question 5

How do peers influence gender development?

Answer 5

• Peers act as role models for gender role stereotypes and children are more likely to imitate the behaviours of a same sex role model.
• Gender differences develop in social situations such as peer settings
• When children start to show preference of same gender playmates and dividing themselves up into same gender groups also known as in groups these peer settings will start to occur where gender differences start to form and gender stereotypes are reinforced. This is a result of peers encouraging and praising gender appropriate behaviour and ridiculing non appropriate behaviours.

Question 6

Identify who has research evidence supporting peers influencing gender development?

Answer 6

Bussey and Bandura

Question 7

Outline what Bussey and Bandura found in their research for gender development and what did they conclude from it?

Answer 7

• They found that children aged 3 would ridicule anyone showing any gender inconsistent behaviour such as a girl playing football but would rate their own feeling for masculine or feminine toys equally
• however four year old children would disapprove anyone showing gender inconsistent behaviour while also being self critical in their feelings to play with gender role inconstant toys.

Conclusion: identification of same sex role models is much stronger are the age of 4 compared to the age of 3 as they are self critical of their own feelings towards gender inconsistent behaviours and critical of others.