Cognitive explanations (Kohlberg's theory)

• Kohlberg's theory:

  Kohlberg proposed his cognitive development theory of gender. It suggests that a childs understanding of gender becomes more sophisticated with age.
• What are the 3 stages of Kohlberg's theory

  Gender identity

  Gender stability

  Gender Constancy
• What is gender identity (Kohlberg)

  • Age 2, children can identify as 'boy' or 'girl'.
  • At 3 they can identify others gender
  • Can respond correctly to questions
  • Children aren't aware that sex is permanent.
• What is gender stability (kolhberg)

  • Age 4
  • Realise they'll always stay the same gender, it's consistent. But can apply this logic to others
  • E.g calling a man with long hair a woman - they think a persons sex changes if they engage in activities that are associated with the opposite gender.
• What is gender constancy (Kohlberg)

  • Age 6
  • Genders constant and consistent
  • No longer fooled by changes in external appearance
• AO3 KOHLBERG : Supportive evidence (Slaby and Frey)

  • Slaby and Frey completed a study on 2-5.5 year olds. They found that the children did correspond to Kohlberg's 3 stages.
• AO3 Conflicting evidence - Bussey and Bandura.

  Found that children as young as 4 reported feeling 'good' about playing with gender appropriate toys and bad about the opposite.
• AO3 - Challenge - Slaby and Frey

  • They found weaknesses. Its age overestimated. In their same study that found support, they also suggested that gender constancy happened earlier than age 7, even before age 6. Suggests Kohlberg's ages were overestimated.
• AO3- Usefulness - Munroe et al - kohlberg

  • studied 3-9 year olds from 4 cultures, Belize, Nepal, Kenya, American Samoa. Found that they also went through 3 stages. It proves that cognitive gender development is universal and the theory is generalisable to many cultures.
• Gender Schema Theory definition

  A packet of information we hold about gender expectations and behaviours of gender.
• Ingroups and outgroups

  Ingroup = the group with which a person identifies

  Outgroup = Opposite group

  There are 2 groups , boys and girls, and a child belongs to one of them. their group is the in-group. the opposite sex is the outgroup. children then actively search for information about how members of their group should behave. this includes toys, games. the child ignores older - when older- more detailed schemas can be formed.
• Gender schema determine behaviour

  • Gender schema includes behaviours and personality traits
  • Children schemas are formed around stereotypes.
  • By age 6, children schemas are pretty much fixed
  • Children are likely to disregard / dismiss info that doesn't fit with their existing schema.
• Martin and Halverson - not ao3

  According to them, once a child has established 'gender identity' around the age of 2-3 they will go onto to explore their environment for information which encourages them to develop gender schemas. This is different to Kohlberg's ideas because he states that after gender constancy 'children will seek out gender appropriate role models to identify with and imitate.
• AO3 - supporting evidence - in-groups and outgroups

  • Martin and halverson found that children under the age of 6 are more likely to remember photographs of gender appropriate behaviour than gender inappropriate behaviour. This means that there's evidence that children are more likely to remember things which confirms their gender schema.
• AO3- Conflicting evidence - in-groups and out-groups

  • Zosulus - did a longitudinal study of 82 children where data was collected twice weekly based on the children's language from 9-21 months and video tapes of children play. This was to identify how and when children identify as a girl or boy (av was 19 months). This suggests that children actually have a gender identity before this but can't communicate it, suggesting Martin and halverson underestimated children's ability to use gender labels.
• AO3 - Usefulness - in-groups and out-groups

  Cherry - argued that gender schemas not only influence peoples processings, but also what counts as culturally appropriate behaviour. Traditional cultures believe women should run the household and men should provide for the family produce children with these schemas. Where as less rigid societies will produce children with more gender fluid schema. Therefore GST can explain how gender schemas are transmitted between members of society and how cultural differences in society come about.