Cognitive Explanations: Gender Schema Theory

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What is a gender schema? (A01)
An organised set of beliefs and expectations related to gender that are derived from experience. Such schema guide a person's understanding of their own gender and gender-appropriate behaviour in general
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Who's cognitive- developmental theory is this?
Martin and Halverson's
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What does it argue?
Children's understanding of gender increases with age - also develop their understanding of gender by actively structuring their own learning, rather than observing
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What happens when a child has established gender identity?
(Age 2 or 3) She will begin to search the environment for information that encourages development of gender schema
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How does this contrast with Kohlberg's view?
He believed that this process only begins AFTER they have progressed through all 3 stages, around age 7 with gender constancy
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What happens by 6 years of age?
The child has a rather fixed and stereotypical idea about what is appropriate for its gender. For this reason, children are likely to misremember or disregard info that does not fit with their existing schema
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What are ingroups and outgroups?
Children tend to have a much better understanding of the schemas that are appropriate to their own gender. This is consistent with the idea that children pay more attention to info relevant to their gender, rather than the opposite sex (outgroups)
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STRENGTH (A03) : Evidence supports gender schema theory
Martin and Halverson's (1983) own study found that children under the age of 6 were more likely to remember photos of gender-inconsistent behaviour when tested a week later
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What were the results?
Children tended to change the sex of the person carrying out the gender-inconsistent activity in the photos when asked to recall them.
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What idea does this support?
Memory may be distorted to fit with existing gender schemas
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What did Martin and Little (1990) find?
Children under the age of 4, who showed no signs of gender stability or constancy, nevertheless demonstrated strongly sex-typed behaviours and attitudes. Contradicts Kohlberg but is consistent with predictions of gender schema theory
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STRENGTH (A03) : Rigidity of gender beliefs
This can account for the fact that young children tend to hold very fixed and rigid gender attitudes. Info that conflicts with existing schema e.g woman working on building site, would be ignored in favour of info that confirms ingroup schema
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What does it explain?
Martin and Halverson's theory can explain many aspects of young children's thinking about gender
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WEAKNESS (A03) : Overemphasis on the role of the individual in gender development
It is likely that the importance of schemas & other cognitive factors in determining behaviour are exaggerated within the theory. No sufficient attention to social factors i.e parental influence & the role of rewards & punishments the child receives
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What does it not explain?
Why gender schemas develop and take the form they do
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Card 2

Front

Who's cognitive- developmental theory is this?

Back

Martin and Halverson's

Card 3

Front

What does it argue?

Back

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Card 4

Front

What happens when a child has established gender identity?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

How does this contrast with Kohlberg's view?

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Preview of the front of card 5
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