Year 2 - Gender Flashcards
what is sex?
the biological difference between males and females including hormones and anatomy
what is gender?
the psychological and or cultural differences between males and females
how does sex differ from gender?
sex is innate, as a result of nature whereas gender is atleast partly environmental (nurture)
what are sex role stereotypes?
the preconceived idea or expectations about behaviour which is appropriate to males/females
define gender identity disorder
when a persons biological sex does not align with the gender they identify with
suggest the significance of the study of the Batista boys
suggests that gender identity may be more flexible since each buy adopted male gender at puberty
what evidence is there to suggest some stereotypes may have a biological basis?
multiple brain scans show for example women have better connections between hemispheres suggesting an explanation for females supposedly coping better with multiple tasks at once
what is androgyny?
displaying a mixture/balance of male and female personality traits
what is used to measure androgyny?
the Bem sex role inventory
describe/outline the BSRI
questionnaire, responders scale selves on personality traits 1-7
evaluate the BSRI
- valid and reliable based upon 50/50 judges deciding which traits most applied
- emphasis on androgyny overstated, masculine most valued in west
- reductionist, can gender identity be quantified
- cultural/historical bias
- questionnaire methodology, social desirability bias and subjective questions
what is the importance of the SRY gene?
cause development of testes and allow release of androgens causing development of male sex
what would happen to a foestus if it had the chromosome XY but was not exposed to (enough) androgens
ambiguous genitalia/female genitalia
what is testosterone?
male sex hormone which controls the development of male organs/characteristics
what is oestrogen?
controls female characteristics including menstruation
what is oxytocin?
the ‘love’ hormone released most greatly during and after childbirth and during intercourse
evaluate the role of chromosomes
- David Reimer provides evidence for influence on gender
- Van Goozen et al found transgender hormone treatment caused decreased aggression
- double blind study found no difference between placebo and testosterone injections on aggression
- claims PMS is social construction
- reductionist (and deterministic)
- [gender may be atleast partly socially constructed e.g. shift towards androgyny
what is Klinefelter’s sydrome?
atypical chromosome pattern of biological males XXY
name 3 physical characteristics of Klinefelter’s
- gynecomastia (breasts)
- gangly limbs
- reduced body hair
- hips
- undeveloped genitals
name 3 mental characteristics of Klinefelter’s
- poor language skills
- passive, shy
- low sex drive
what is Turner’s syndrome?
atypical sex chromosome pattern that affects biological females (XO)
name 3 physical characteristics of Turner’s
- webbed neck
- no menstruation
- sterile
- physically
- immature
name 3 mental characteristics of Turner’s
- improved reading ability
- low spatial ability
- socially immature
evaluate atypical sex chromosome patterns
- shows biological basis for difference between sexes
- not causal, could be reflection of environmental factors on psychological characteristics
- application, diagnosis and help
- lack generalisability
what is Kohlberg’s theory?
a ccognitive development theory of gender suggesting a childs idea of gender grows over time
what is the significance of role models on Kohlberg’s theory?
after the final stage children seek same sex role models to use as evidence for own gender
outline Kohlberg’s theory of gender development
stage 1 - gender identity around age 2, able to identify sex but only through labelling
stage 2 - age 4 gender stability, know they will not change, still confused by changes in others appearance
stage 3 - gender constancy, around age 6, understand gender constant throughout context of others
evaluate Kohlberg’s theory of gender development
- evidence that children that children who have acquired constancy seek role models
- constancy not supported, could be more like as young as 4
- methodological issues e.g. very young children unable to express themselves due to limited vocabulary
- suggests gender merely as a process of maturation, no active learning
- biologically supported due to cognitive development with age
what is gender schema theory?
a cognitive-developmental theory suggesting gender understanding increases with age, yet actively learnt
what are the main components of gender schema theory?
once a child establishes gender identity they seek gender-stereotypes and gain gender constancy at age 7, gender schema based on stereotypes, in-group identity helps self esteem
evaluate gender schema theory
- evidence support, children remember photos of gender consistent behaviour better when under 6
- accounts for rigid views of gender by children, stereotyping
- GST compliments Kohlberg
- no attention to social factors such as parents and reward or punishment of gender behaviour
name the stages of Freud’s psychosexual stages which are involved in gender development (5)
oral 0-1
anal 1-3
phallic 3-5
outline the Oedipus complex
in boys, incestuous feelings of love towards mother lead to a huge fear of castration anxiety from the father if he finds out, boy resolves this fear by identifying with the father
outline the Electra complex
in girls, gain penis envy and a love rivalry with mother for the father causing them to blame the mother for lack of penis, over time resolve through desire to have children causing them to identify with the mother
outline the case study of little Hans
fear of being bitten by horse, Freud linked the blinkers of the horses to the heavy frames of his fathers spectacles and suggested castration anxiety - defence mechanism of displacement
what is the term used for taking on board the gender identity?
internalisation
evaluate the psychodynamic explanation of gender development
- little Hans case study not supportive since Freud’s view was highly subjective
- doesn’t account for females, Freud himself admitted girls were a mystery to him
- what about womb envy for boys
- no-nuclear families still display normal gender development
- lack scientific rigour, falsifiability
- disagreement over gender identity
explain social learning theory as an explanation of gender development
SLT acknowldeges the role of social factors in development, suggesting we learn from those around us through direct and vicarious reinforcement.
what is direct reinforcement?
praise/encouragement often for gender appropriate behaviour
what is the differential reinforcement with regards to gender?
the difference between gender appropriate behaviour in boys and girls being rewarded
what is vicarious reinforcement?
viewing someone else gaining positive consequence for behaviours causing mediational processes
what is identification?
the process where a child attaches to a model who’s qualities they would like to possess
what is modelling?
displaying behaviour which copies another person
evaluate the SLT explanation of gender development
- evidence - Smith and Lloyd showed adults assume gender and offer appropriate toys
- explains more androgyny in western culture
- not developmental, doesn’t show age difference or stages
- ignores biology
- identification and modelling shared by Freud shows explanatory power
outline Mead’s research into gender roles
visited 3rd world tribes in the 1930’s and found some tribes viewed men as decorative and women were dominant, suggests gender stereotypes are social construction
outline the study into mate preference
Buss, cross cultural/continental pattern that males sought for wealth and resources of power whereas women for youth and attractiveness for fertility
what is thought to be the role of media on gender?
said to reinforce gender stereotypes e.g. adverts but can also be referred to as information giving
how can media be said to be information giving?
confirms gender-typical behaviour and carries out vicarious learning
evaluate the role of culture on gender roles
- Mead’s research subjective, observer bias hard to generalisations
- assumed universality of research methods, imposed etic
- research is never conclusive - nature/nurture
evaluate the role of media on gender roles
- correlation not causation on role of media, could be that gender stereotypes inform the media
- research of counter stereotypes shows contradiction, boys rebel against counter stereotypes of men by becoming stronger in their gender views whereas when showed women in non-stereotyped roles the stereotyping was reduced
what does brain sex theory suggest about GID?
suggests GID caused by specific brain structures being incompatable with biological sex, post mortem studies showed dimorphic areas in male-female transgender patients were similar to that of females
what are dimorphic areas?
areas of the brain that take a different form in males/females
describe genetic factors of GID
39% concordance rates in MZ compared to 0% in DZ
outline psychoanalytic theory of GID causes
GID in males due to separation anxiety before gender identity, results in a fantasy of symbolic fusion with mother leading to greater identification with mother and females
outline the cognitive explanation for GID
the development of non-sex typed schema leading to androgyny or GID
evaluate a typical gender development explanations
- observed dimorphic areas sizes could be due to hormonal treatments not as a cause for GID
- not very high concordance rates in twin studies and a very small sample
- biological explanation oversimplifies
- psychoanalytic theory provides no explanation for females with GID
- no explanation of why child becomes interested in non gender consistent behaviours/activities
