Social learning theory of gender development

• Social learning theory explanation


  This explanation acknowledges the role of nurture in gender development, it is a learning theory. A child’s social context including parents, peers and teachers as well as the wider influence of the media and culture.
• Social learning theory

  A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors.
• When a children more likely to imitate a behaviour?

  Children are more likely to repeat a behaviour that has been rewarded. Reinforcement can be direct or indirect.
• Direct reinforcement

  • Children are more likely to be reinforced for behaviour that is gender-appropriate.
  • E.g boys may be encouraged to be active, assertive and engage in tough and tumble activities. Whereas girls are more likely to be rewarded for being passive, gentle and staying close to their parent.
• How is gender identity explained?

  • The way in which boys and girls are encouraged to show gender appropriate behaviour is called differential reinforcement.
  • It is through this differential reinforcement that a child learns their gender identity.
• Vicarious reinforcement

  • If the consequences of another person’s behaviour are favourable, that behaviour is more likely to be imitated by a child.
  • For example, if a male gets a compliment for having a muscular body or a female gets a compliment for wearing make-up a child is likely to replicate these behaviours when they are able to.
• How does vicarious reinforcement decrease gender-inappropriate behaviours?

  • If the consequences are unfavourable, for example a girl is teased for playing football by her female friends, a child observing this would be less likely to replicate the behaviour.
• Identification

  • This is the process where a child attached themselves to a person who possesses qualities that the child sees as rewarding.
  • These people are known as role models and are likely to be parents, peers and teachers.
  • Usually of high status and the same sex as the child
• Modelling

  • This is the demonstration of the behaviour that may be imitated by the Observer.
  • Modelling is also the term given to the replication of the role models behaviour.
  • E.g a mother making a meal in the kitchen will demonstrate behaviours that a child would copy.
• Mediational processes

  • Attention: This is the time and effort spent observing the role models.
  • Retention: This is remembering the behaviours observed and trying to replicate the behaviours.
  • Motivation: This comes from wanting to be like the role models
  • Motor reproduction: This is being physically capable of copying the behaviour
• Research support

  • Smith and Lloyd, involved babies ages 4-6 months who were dressed half the time in boys clothes and half the time in girls clothes (irrespective of what sex they were)
  • Results found when adults interacted with the baby when dressed as a boy, they gave the baby a hammer shaped rattle and encouraged it to be more active. When the same babies were dressed as girls, they were more likely to be handed a cuddly doll, told them they were pretty and reinforced them for being passive.
  • Gender appropriate behaviour is stamped in at an early age, differential reinforcement.
• Counterargument to research support

  • Differential treatment may not be the cause of gender differences in behaviour.
  • During interactions, adults may be responding to innate gender differences that are already there e.g the observation that boys are encouraged to be more active during play may be a consequence of hormonal differences.
  • Therefore, it may be that SLT and other factors like biological interact to form gender development.
• Has the ability to explain cultural changes in stereotypically gender-appropriate behaviour?

  • For example, when explaining androgyny there is now less of a clear-cut distinction between what people regard as stereotypically masculine and feminine behaviour compared to the 1950’s.
  • There has been no change in biology, so SLT must explain the change in social attitudes and cultural norms.
  • This shows that SLT is one approach which shows that cultural changes are due to social factors and not biological factors.
• No developmental sequence

  • Does not provide an adequate explanation of how learning processes change with age.
  • SLT implies that modelling of gender-appropriate behaviour can occur at any age. However, it seems illogical to assume that a 2 year old will learn the same way as a 9 year old child.
  • This conflicts Kohlberg, which suggests that understanding gender develops as a child mature and do not become active in their gender developmental until they reach gender constancy.
  • Age of maturation have not been considered.
• Comparison with the psychodynamic approach

  • Freud’s psychodynamic explanation like social learning theory, refers to the importance of identification in gender development.
  • E.g Freud claimed the most important single influence on the child is the same-sex parents who gender identity they internalise.
  • However the SLT view of identification would include a whole host of gender appropriate role models, alongside the same-sex parents. They may be physically present or symbolic.
  • SL theorists would say that the same sex parent is important but they are not the sole influence on gender development