social learning theory applied to gender development Flashcards
Identification & Role Models
Identification refers to the process whereby a child associates themself to a person who is seen to be ‘like me’ or to a person who ‘I want to be’. The person possesses qualities that the child sees as desirable.
These people are known as role models and may be part of the child’s immediate environment (parents, teachers, siblings, etc.) or may be present within the media, such as pop stars or sports stars.
Role models tend to be attractive, high status and are usually the same gender as the child.
Mediational processes are mental
(cognitive) factors that intervene in the learning process to determine whether a new behaviour is acquired or not.
The four mediational processes proposed by Bandura are attention (whether we notice the behaviour);
retention (whether we remember the behaviour); reproduction (whether we are able to perform the behaviour);
and motivation (whether the perceived rewards outweigh the perceived costs).
Key terms/assumptions
Modelling: Children observe the typical behaviours of many examples of both sexes and store this information as cognitive representations.
They pay particular attention to behaviours performed most frequently and most consistently by same sex models (who they identify with the most)
These behaviours are then imitated
It’s important to note that children must have an understanding of which sex they are before this can take place
So… although boys may observe and learn many masculine and feminine behaviours, they are more likely to imitate the masculine behaviours modelled by same sex models
Vicarious reinforcement
Children learn the consequences of behaviours that they observe in others and this affects the likelihood that they will imitate the behaviour themselves
As soon as a child is able, they start to perform gender related behaviour (enactive experience) and are reinforced/punished for this
Differential reinforcement refers to the fact that children are reinforced differently (e.g. a boy may be reinforced for a behaviour but a girl may not be despite performing the same behaviour)
Fagot and Leinbach (1995)
found that 4 year olds displayed more gender role stereotyping and used gender labels earlier in ‘traditional’ families where dad worked and mum cared for children at home.
Compared to ‘alternative’ families where parents shared childcare.
This suggests that parents do act as gender role models for their children.
Outcome expectancies
are generated based on the reinforcements received (directly and vicariously)
These then regulate future behaviour as the child knows what to expect if and when they perform a particular behaviour
This determines levels of self-efficacy: their belief in their own ability to succeed in a certain situation- this is a motivator to do/not do something as children want to feel good about themselves
Seeing people similar to oneself succeed raises a
person’s beliefs in their own capabilities (self-efficacy) whereas the failure of similar others produces self-doubt about one’s own ability to master similar activities, given the differences in the representation of men and women in the media this is highly likely to have an effect on how males and females choose to behave and the activities they pursue
Block (1979)
Boys are positively reinforced more for imitating behaviours reflecting independence, self reliance and emotional control.
Girls are reinforced more for dependence, nurturance, empathy and emotional expression.
This suggests that SLT can explain why males and females acquire gender different roles.
Huston (1983)
Found that parents believe they respond equally to aggressive acts by sons and daughters, but actually respond more frequently and quickly to girls being aggressive, demonstrating how parents treat children in gender biased ways.
Bandura argued that
eventually children start to self regulate more in terms of their gender behaviour, and this becomes more important than external reinforcement from parents and peers.
Peers and social learning theory:
Peers are an important group in terms of gender development as this is where the child is likely to learn through modelling.
Children are more likely to imitate same-sex models.
Peers act as models for appropriate behaviour, but also provide reinforcement in the form of feedback when a child goes beyond what is considered gender appropriate behaviour
Peers reinforce gender appropriate behaviour and may also punish gender inappropriate behaviour.
Maccoby (1990)
reported that children quickly associate with playmates of the same sex, congregating and dividing themselves into same-gender groups and resisting attempts to interact with opposite-gender children.
This supports the idea that gender differences emerge as a result of interaction in peer settings.
Langlois and Downs (1980)
Found that peers were less tolerant than mothers of pre-schoolers playing with opposite-gender toys, supporting the idea of peers being a stronger influence on gender development than parents.
Perry and Bussey (1979)
Showed film clips to children aged 8 and 9
On the film, boys and girls were seen selecting an apple or a pear (both gender neutral)
Later on, the children were given a choice of fruit
The children selected the fruit they had seen their same-sex model select
This supports the idea that we learn about gender appropriate behaviour through the observation of models
