The Influence of Culture and Media Flashcards
Define universal features:
Found everywhere
Would universal features support nature or nurture?
Nature
Define culturally specific features:
Found in some places and not others
Would culturally specific features support nature or nurture?
Nurture
Define the nature debate:
Gender differences result from innate differences between female and male (genes, chromosomes, nervous system, hormones).
Define the Nurture debate:
Gender differences result from the different experiences that females and males have as they develop (learning from family, peers, society)
Is there any in between of nature and nurture?
Yes, INTERACTIONISM
Define the interactionism debate:
Gender differences are caused by innate tendencies that are modified by environmental factors
Munroe & Munroe (1975)
Society, division of labour is due to gender lines
William and Best (1990)
-Universal agreement across cultures about which characteristics were masculine and feminine
-Men= dominant and independent
-Women= caring and sociable
Children exhibited the same attitudes
Evaluation of Williams and Best (1990):
- Sample was drawn from a large geographical pool = representativeness,
- students who share common attributes
- construction of the checklist did not include an ‘equal’ category alongside the ‘male’ and ‘female’ categories so this means that the division between male and female categories may be exaggerated.
Method David Buss (1995):
Carried out a survey in 37 countries where pps had to rate the importance of certain characteristics of a potential mate
Findings of David Buss (1995):
- Males rated good looks and youth as important because it is a good indicator of her health and ability to be a mother.
- Women rated financial prospects, industriousness and dependability.
Conclusion of David Buss (1995):
Proposal that there are cross-cultural similarities in gender roles. Many women and men instinctively seek similar traits traits (universal features).
Evaluation of David Buss (1995):
- Sample aimed to be representative of the general population and therefore we can generalise the findings more easily
- SOCIAL not biological issue
Method of Mead (1935):
Detailed ethnographic study by living with various tribes in New Guinea for six months.
Findings of Mead (1935):
Arapesh tribe = gentle and responsive
Mundugamor tribe = aggressive and hostile
Tchambuli tribe = reversed to western society
Conclusion of Mead (1935):
Not be a direct biological relationship between sex and gender - gender roles depend on culture
Evaluation of Mead (1935):
- Underestimated the universal nature of many gender typical behaviours
- The researcher’s presence may alter the behaviour of those being studied
- The researcher may be misinformed by, or may misunderstand, their informants
- Imposed etic = The researcher may impose their own preconceptions on the data
- Type of studies are time-consuming and expensive
Nature/Nurture debate of culture:
- insight into different cultures
- impossible to separate two influences on development of gender
What does the media provide?
Role models with whom children may identify and want to imitate
Define rigid stereotypes:
Media may play a role in reinforcing stereotypes concerning male and female behaviour
Does Bussey and Bandura (1999) support rigid stereotypes?
Yes, men are depicted as independent, ambitious, advice-givers,
women are depicted as dependent, unambitious advice-seekers
Furnham and Farragher (2000)
- Investigated the use of sex-role stereotypes in advertising
- Men tended to be used in power positions and women in familial roles within domestic settings
- The voiceovers tended to be male suggesting that males are deemed to speak with more authority
Does Furnham and Farragher (2000) provide support for medias influence on gender?
Yes
Does media exposure increase gender stereotypes in children?
Yes
McGhee and Frueh (1980):
Found that people who view a lot of television tend to display more gender-stereotypical views in their behaviour and attitudes than people who view little
Why is media information giving?
Exposes information of the outcomes and success of adopting behaviours (self-efficacy)
Limitation of media and gender due to correlation:
- Correlation not causation (third factor)
- No control group to compare to
Strength of research into medias influence:
-counter-stereotypes (challenging traditional notions of masculinity and femininity)
Pingree (1978):
Found that gender stereotyping was reduced when children were shown TV adverts featuring women in non-stereotypical roles
What explanation would support medias influence on gender stereotypes?
Social Learning Theory
