Social Learning Theory Applied to Gender Development

Social Learning Theory 

Gender is learned through observing and imitating behaviours of socialising agents such as parents, peer and the influence of media and culture.

Parents and Peers

Parents

Parents will reinforce gender-appropriate behaviours. This is more intense for boys. explaining why they experience stronger sex-role stereotypes. A boy is less likely to get reinforced for playing with Barbie dolls than girls are for playing with dinosaurs.

Evidence 

block found boys are reinforced for independent behaviour, self-reliance and emotional control but girls are reinforced to be dependent, empathetic and expressing emotion.

Peers

These act as gender police reinforcing appropriate behaviours amongst friends.

Peers have a limited effect as we age.

Evidence

Archer found that children playing with opposite sex toys were ridiculed and shunned by their peers.

Evaluation

SLT cannot explain why gender changes with age as it doesn't state that there are any developmental stages even though there is evidence that supports there is. 

SLT cannot explain why same ex siblings turn out to have different gender behaviours. One may be more masculine than the other but have grown up with the same parents in the…