cognitive explanations: gender schema theory

• gender schema?

  organised set of beliefs and expectations related to gender that are derived from experience. guides a persons understanding of their own gender and stereotypically gender appropriate behaviour in general.
• strength of gender schema theory?

  P - supported by evidence.

  E - martin and halverson's study found that children under 6 more likely to remember photographs of stereotypical gender appropriate behaviour than photographs of gender inappropriate behaviour when tested a week later. children tended to change the gender of the person carrying out gender inappropriate activity in the photographs when asked to recall them so that gender behaviour was now appropriate.

  L - provides support for GST which predicts that children under 6 would do this.
• limitation of gender schema theory?

  P - gender identity develops earlier than martin & halverson suggested.

  E - longitudinal study of 82 children looked at onset of gender identity. data obtained from twice weekly reports from mothers on their children's language from age 9 to 21 months and videotaped analysis of children playing. key measure of gender identity was taken to be how and when children labelled themselves as boy or girl. occurred around 19 months, almost as soon as they begin to communicate, which suggests children have a gender identity before this but just dont communicate it.

  L - may have underestimated children's ability to use gender labels about themselves.
• CA for limitation of gender schema theory?

  P - may not be appropriate to argue about specific ages for martin and halversons theory.

  E - they suggest that they key point is that shifts in a childs thinking and that the ages are averages rather than absolutes. its possible that many children may move through stage quicker or slower than others. its the sequence of development thats more important.

  L - Zosul et als findings is not a fundamental criticism of the theory.
• another strength of gender schema theory?

  P - can account for cultural differences in stereotypically gender appropriate behaviour.

  E - cherry argues that gender schema not only influence how people process information but also what counts as culturally appropriate gender behaviour. traditional cultures that believe women should take a nurturing role and that men should pursue a career will raise children who form schema which are consistent with this view. in societies where perceptions of gender have less rigid boundaries children more likely to acquire more fluid gender schema. so martin and halversons theory can explain how gender schema transmitted between members of a society and how cultural differences in gender stereotypes come about.

  L - contrasts with other explanations of gender development like psychodynamic theory.