A03

• Point: A strength of Kohlberg's stage theory is that evidence suggests gender stereotyping emerges around the age of 6, as he predicted.

  Evidence: For example, Damon (1977) told children a story about George, a boy who liked to play with dolls.

  Explain: Four-year-olds thought it was fine for George to play with dolls, while six-year-olds believed it was wrong, indicating they had developed rules about what boys and girls ought to do.

  Link: Therefore, this suggests that children who achieve gender constancy form rigid stereotypes about gender-appropriate behaviour, supporting Kohlberg's theory.
• Point: A counterpoint is that interest in gender-appropriate behaviour may develop earlier than age 6.

  Evidence: For example, Bussey and Bandura (1999) investigated children’s behaviour when playing with a variety of toys.

  Explain: They found that four-year-olds felt good about playing with gender-appropriate toys and bad about playing with toys typically associated with the opposite gender.

  Link: Therefore, this contradicts Kohlberg's theory but may support gender schema theory, which suggests children begin to absorb gender-appropriate information as soon as they identify as a boy or girl.
• limitation of Kohlberg's theory is that supporting research relies on unsatisfactory methods to assess gender constancy.

  e.g, Bem (1989) criticised the methodology & argued younger children are confused by typical tests of gender constancy, which rely on cultural markers like clothing and hairstyle. Her study showed that 40% of children aged 3-5 could demonstrate constancy if shown a naked photo of the child first, suggesting they base judgments on more than just clothing.

  Therefore, => that typical testing methods may misrepresent what younger children actually know about gender constancy.
• Point: A further limitation of Kohlberg's theory is that there may be different degrees of gender constancy.

  Evidence: Martin (2002) proposed that an initial degree of gender constancy might orient children to the importance of gender in choosing friends or seeking information, which could develop before 6.

  Explain: A second degree of constancy, developing later, might increase responsiveness to gender norms under conditions of conflict.

  Link: Therefore, this suggests that the acquisition of gender constancy may be a more gradual process, beginning earlier and developing in stages.