gender schema

PowerPoint Presentation

Gender Constancy Theory

Slaby & Frey (1975)What did they find?

Do their findings support or refute Kohlbergs Theory of Gender Constancy?

AO2 Kohlberg (1966)

1. The Ken Doll Experiment

2. Gender Constancy level and observation of same-sex role model

Slaby & Frey (1975)Slaby and Frey (1975) set out to determine whether childrens attention to same-sex models was influenced by their level of gender constancy.Fifty-five 2- to 5-year-olds level of gender constancy was assessed by using a series of fourteen questions and counter-questions. Several questions tapped gender labelling. For instance:Is this a girl or a boy? (showing boy/girl doll)Are you a girl or a boy?Further questions tapped gender stability. For instance:When you were a little baby were you a little girl or a little boy?When you grow up, will you be a mummy or a daddy?A final set of questions tapped gender consistency. For instance:If you wore [opposite of childs sex] clothes, would you be a girl or a boy?Could you be a [opposite of childs sex] if you wanted to be?

Slaby & Frey (1975)Children were classified as low on gender constancy if they answered incorrectly on the gender labelling or gender stability items, and otherwise were identified as high on gender constancy. Several weeks after this interview the children were shown a short film showing a man and a woman engaging in simple parallel activities on different sides of the screen. The amount of time that childrens eyes were fixated on each side of the screen was measured.Slaby and Frey found support for their hypothesis that children with higher levels of gender constancy would show more selective attention to same-sex models.

Slaby & Frey (1975)Higher Gender Constancy in children predicts greater same-sex role model observationActively seeking correct same-sex behaviour from role models

Gender Labelling AO2

Weinraub (1984)

Observational study on 2-3 year olds

First asked Are you a boy or a girl

Weinraub (1984)

Observed in a room full of gender stereotyped and gender neutral toys.

Children who had mastered gender identity made more sex-stereotyped toy preferences than children who hadnt acquired gender identity

Weinraub (1984)Once children identify themselves, they behave in ways that they think individuals of that sex should behave

Gender Identity2-3.5Gender Stability3.5-5Gender Constancy5-7Child recognises he/she is a boy/girlAwareness that gender is fixed for lifeGender is constant despite changes in appearance

Weinraub (1984)Ken Doll ExperimentSlaby & Frey (1975)

AO3

GenderReductionistEthical Guidelines?Nature vs. NurtureAnimal StudiesDeterminsm vs. Free WillEthnocentricismTemporal Validity

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Gender Constancy in the 21st century.

Gender Stability is unnecessaryGender Constancy may be too archaic

For Friday

12 marks

Outline and Evaluate Kohlbergs Cognitive Developmental Theory of Gender

Gender Schema TheoryCognitive Developmental Theory

Gender Schema Theory

Gender: Cognitive Development

To Start: Schema?

3 minutesYou have three minutes to discuss:

What is a Schema? How can we define a Schema? How do Schemas relate to gender development?

What is a Schema?


Organised clusters of information.

A mental blue print of information. E.g. When we say picnic, what do we think of? What is expected?

A cognitive framework which helps us to organise and interpret information. They focus on things which help us to confirm our pre-existing ideas or beliefs and often contribute to stereotypes.

So, what gender schemas exist..?

Male and female annotate19

Ingroup and Outgroup Schemas


5 Minutes

Ingroup: Groups we identify with. E.g. if youre a girl you identify with girls.

Outgroup: Groups that we dont identify with. E.g. if youre a girl you dont identify with boys.

Once a child has identified with a group, this leads them to positively evaluate their own group. This leads them to be like their own group and avoid behaviours of the outgroup. They focus on ingroup schemas before gender constancy.

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Gender Schema TheoryGender Schemas are building blocks of knowledge we have about each gender

Gender Schemas can be made up of stereotypes we have about men and women, (behaviours; clothes; roles).

Gender Schemas become less rigid with experience and knowledge

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Gender Schema Theory Martin and Halverson (1981)


Gender is acquired by gathering information about our own gender. But this happens before Gender Constancy.

Being able to identify oneself as a girl or boy is enough for us to get involved in gender-appropriate behaviours.

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Schemas


5 Minutes

Children learn gender schemas from their interactions with other children and adults.

They learn what toys are appropriate to each gender.

They are nave theories about appropriate behaviour for men and women.

Once this understanding is present and the environment provides information about certain toys or activities as masculine or feminine (which is organised in the in-group out-group schema), children will be driven to find out more about the in-group set of toys or activities. In this way, the in-group out-group schema determines what information goes into the more detailed and elaborate own sex schema:23

Resilience of Gender Beliefs


5 Minutes

Gender beliefs lead children to hold very fixed schemas of gender because they ignore any information they encounter which is not consistent with the ingroup.

Individuals do not alter their gender schema when they see gender inappropriate behaviour.

Therefore gender schemas are essential in determining what is remembered.

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Are stereotypical gender schemas still valid? Are schemas generational? Why?

Do people always follow their schemas? Are schemas reliable in predicting behaviour?

Gender schema theory emphasises how schemas develop but not where they originate; cognitive aspects tend to overlook the impact of parents, friends, school and the media on the development of gender schemas.

Does it explain why children are frequently highly sexist despite the best efforts of parents. Children do insist on playing with Barbie dolls and toy guns.

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As soon as Children can label themselves as male or female, the environment provides information about certain toys or activities that are either masculine or feminine

This allows the child to create in and out-group schemas

Children will be driven to explore in-group activities

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Timeline of Gender Schema developmentYoung children concentrate on their own gender and ignore the information about the opposite sex.

They do timeline for girls too on worksheet27

Martin (1989)

Aim:To show that childrens understanding of gender becomes more flexible with age and experience

Jenny is a 5-year-old girl. Here is a picture of Jenny. Jenny's best friend is a boy and Jenny likes to play with trains.

Which toy would jenny play with? Younger children would only say gender typical toy regardless of other information28

gender schema

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