gender

Question 1

modal gender development

Answer 1

children who identify with the gender that aligns with their assigned sex

Question 2

gender differences that are significant are still..

Answer 2

relatively small

Question 2

gender similarities hypothesis

Answer 2

• boys and girls are more similar than different
• the common larger differences are seen with height, muscle mass, fat % and testosterone

Question 2

gender differences: temperament

Answer 2

small to moderate difference

Question 3

gender differences: cognitive

Answer 3

IQ = practically identical

Verbal = start out large (girls advantage) later in childhood:
- reading advantage is small
- writing advantage is medium

spatial skills (boys outperform) difference increases through childhood
e.g. mental rotation

Question 4

gender differences: academic

Answer 4

GCSE level: girls out preform boys

girls outperform boys in all subjects except for maths

• big differences in subjects they choose to study

Question 5

gender differences: socially

Answer 5

large effects in self-regulation

girls: more compliant, better able to resit temptation, show more empathy and sympathy

other interpretations: girls are better at pro-social lying?

Question 6

gender differences: aggression

Answer 6

direct aggression: present from young with no differences, but decreases in girls quicker than in boys

indirect aggression: so differences when young, girls show more in adolescence

Question 7

direct aggression

Answer 7

physical or verbal acts designed to harm

Question 8

indirect aggression

Answer 8

social exclusion and gossip designed to damage social relationships

Question 9

biological influences of gender: evolutionary approaches

Answer 9

• behavioural tendencies have evolved that offer a reproductive advantage

girls: concentrate in fostering close relationships, avoiding conflict and controlling impulses > raise healthy children

boys: more physically active and aggressive > attract mate

Question 10

biological influences of gender: hormones

Answer 10

• certain hormone (CAH) female exposure in womb go on to play in more ‘masculine ways’

Question 11

biological influences of gender: behavioural genetic approach

Answer 11

• twins early development study
• parents asked bout their children’s sex-typed behaviour at ages 3 and 4
• toys e.g. guns, dolls
• activities e.g. house and dressing up or soldier
• characteristics e.g. rough and tumble vs likes pretty things
• boys score higher in sex-type behaviour across twins and siblings
• MZ twins high correlation of same behaviour
• DZ still high but lower (must have a genetic component)
• girls: heritability explains a high % of behaviours
• boys: environment explains a higher % of behaviour
• something different in gender socialisation

Question 12

socialisation theories: social learning theory: Mischel

Answer 12

• children learn gender roles because social agents teach them
• child is passive

key processes:
reinforcement: encouraged vs discouraged behaviour - fathers more positive to same sex behaviour and critical of other-sex behaviour in pre schoolers

modelling: BUT children’s gender-role behaviour is not strongly correlated with their parents’ behvaiour

Question 13

socialisation reinforcement

Answer 13

encouraged vs discouraged behaviour

• fathers more positive to same sex behaviour and critical of other-sex behaviour in pre schoolers

Question 13

modelling

Answer 13

BUT children’s gender-role behaviour is not strongly correlated with their parents’ behaviour

Question 14

socialisation theories: social cognitive theory: Bussey and Bandura

Answer 14

• social and cognitive factors incorporated

3 key influences:

• modelling in immediate environment
• enactive experience
• direct tuition

children’s outcome expectancies: what sort of behaviour they learn they’re supposed to perform

Question 15

socialisation theories: problems

Answer 15

• does not account for developmental changes in children’s gender stereotyped beliefs
• reinforcement and modelling haven’t been supported by evidence
• does acknowledge role of social environment

Question 16

cognitive theories: cognitive developmental theory: Kohlberg

Answer 16

• understanding gender develops alongside general cognitive development and initiates gender development
• but children do prefer same-sex toys before they have a full understanding of gender

Question 17

stages of gender understanding Slaby and Frey

Answer 17

1 - gender identity: ability to label each by 2.5 years

2 - gender stability: ability to understand sex is stable over time by 3.5 years

3 - gender constancy: understand permanence of sex by 6 years

Question 18

cognitive theories: gender schema theories

Answer 18

gender identity has a central role rather than gender constancy

networks of gender-related info guide gender stereotyped processing and behaviour -> helps us process efficiently

e.g. draw a scientist = high proportion of males drawn, and most women were drawn by girls

Question 19

gender schemas development

Answer 19

• develop own sex schema before other sex schema
• no difference in they way each gender understands genders

Question 20

cognitive theories: problems

Answer 20

• does not address why males and females are valued differently - e.g. girls can be tom boys but girls can’t be feminine