Social Learning Theory of Gender

Question 1

Outline SLT of gender

Answer 1

• SLT highlights the role of the social context in gender development and states that gender is learned by observing and imitating others, drawing attention to environmental influences
• At birth, girls and boys are psychologically the same and gender differences are learned through the different ways boys and girls are treated

Question 2

Describe the role of direct reinforcement in gender

Answer 2

• Children are more likely to be praised for ‘gender appropriate’ behaviours, e.g. boys for playing roughly and girls for being gentle. This is called differential reinforcement, which leads to gender identity
• Children are also unlikely to reproduce a behaviour that has been punished (usually ‘gender-inappropriate’ behaviour)

Question 3

Describe the role of indirect (vicarious) reinforcement in gender

Answer 3

• If another person’s behaviour is rewarded, it’s more likely to be imitated
• Children are unlikely to reproduce a behaviour where the role model experiences a negative consequence
• Although boys and girls may observe the characteristics of both sexes, but they’re only likely to repeat behaviour of people they identify with, usually same sex-models

Question 4

Describe the role of modelling in gender

Answer 4

• Modelling is a demonstration of a behaviour that may be imitated by an observer
• The role models that come into contact with the children, or symbolic role models that don’t interact directly with them, affects gender development.
• e.g. a mother may model stereotypically feminine behaviour when preparing dinner, the daughter may copy when she attempts to ‘feed’ her doll

Question 5

What are the mediational processes?

Answer 5

• Attention: behaviour modelled by someone that one wants to imitate
• Retention: modelled behaviour needs to be remembered
• Reproduction: there needs to be the belief that you’re able to copy the behaviour (self-efficacy)
• Motivation: there needs to be a reason to repeat the behaviour

Question 6

Describe internalisation in SLT

Answer 6

• If a behaviour is repeated often enough it becomes internalised, becoming part of the individual’s identity
• Children then don’t rely on reward/punishment to determine behaviour

Question 7

What is gender identity according to SLT?

Answer 7

It’s a mixture of all the modelled behaviour an individual has been exposed to and that have been imitated and reinforced

Question 8

Give evaluation for SLT (supporting evidence)

Answer 8

• e.g. Smith and Lloyd had 4-6 month old babies dressed in either boys’ clothes or girls’ clothes.
• The ‘boys’ were given ‘boy-appropriate’ toys (hammer shaped rattle) and encouraged to be active and adventurous. While the ‘girls’ were given ‘girl-appropriate’ toys (cuddly doll) and were told they were ‘pretty’; they were also reinforced for being passive
• This suggests that gender-appropriate behaviour is stamped in at an early age through differential reinforcement

Question 9

Give evaluation for SLT (explains changing gender roles)

Answer 9

• As views on gender roles are everchanging, there has been a shift in social expectations which has meant new forms of acceptable gender behaviour are likely to be reinforced
• e.g. there’s less of a distinction between stereotypically masculine and feminine behaviour than there was in previous decades, but there has been no related shift in people’s biology within the same period
• This suggests only SLT can explain changes in gender behaviour overtime

Question 10

Give evaluation for SLT (doesn’t explain how learning processes change with age)

Answer 10

• e.g. reproduction as a mediational process suggests that children may struggle to perform behaviour as they might not be physically or intellectually capable. But, the theory states, modelling of gender-appropriate behaviour can occur at any age, from birth onwards.
• Therefore, the influence of age and maturation on learning gender concepts isn’t a factor considered by SLT and this may be a limitation

Question 11

Give evaluation for SLT (overemphasise the influence of peers)

Answer 11

• e.g. Maccoby argues peers are the prime socialising agency of gender development. However, peers are unlikely to be important in early childhood when important aspects of gender development are taking place
• Later on in childhood, it’s likely peer behaviour reinforces existing gender-role stereotypes. e.g. Lamb and Roopnarine observed pre-school children at play and found when male-type behaviour was reinforced in girls, the behaviour continued for a shorter time than when male-type behaviour was reinforced in boys
• This suggests that peer reinforcement mainly acts as reminder and doesn’t create gender-role behaviour