kohlberg example answer

• Kohlberg’s theory is a cognitive explanation for gender development that is based on the idea that a child’s understanding of gender becomes more sophisticated as they grow older. It is believed to run parallel to intellectual development as children mature biologically. Kohlberg identified three stages and gave approximate ages.
• Stage 1 is the gender identity stage, where around age 2 children are able to identify their own gender and then begin to identify the gender of other people. However, they are not yet aware that gender is permanent, and a little boy may say he is going to be a mummy when he grows up.
• Stage 2 is the gender stability stage which begins at about age 4. Here the child understands that their own gender is fixed over time, but they are unable to apply this to other people and other situations. They are also confused by changes in appearance so if a man has long hair, they will think he is a woman.
• At about age 6 they reach the stage of gender constancy where they understand that gender remains constant across time and context. Although they may think a man wearing a dress is a bit strange, they will understand he is still a man. Once gender constancy is reached the child will seek out same sex role model to identify with and imitate. They will also actively search for information that confirms their understanding of gender.
• A strength of the theory is that it is supported by evidence. For example, Slay and Frey found that when children were presented with split screen images of males and females performing the same tasks, younger children spent roughly the same time looking at the males and the females, whereas those in the gender constancy stage spent more time looking at the model the same gender as them. This supports Kohlberg’s assumption that children will seek out same gender role models once they reach the gender constancy stage.
• However, Kohlberg’s theory was challenged by research by Bussey and Bandura that showed children as young as 4 said they felt good about playing with gender-appropriate toys and bad about playing with gender-inappropriate toys. This disputes Kohlberg’s claim that children only begin to demonstrate gender-appropriate behaviour once they reach the gender constancy stage and is more in line with gender-schema theory. A reason for the difference in findings could be that Kohlberg developed his theory based on interviews with young children and may not have acknowledged that very young children may lack the vocabulary needed to express their understanding about gender.
• Another problem with Kohlberg’s cognitive theory is that it is able to describe the development of understanding about gender but is not able to explain it. It is also unable to explain why boys tend to show stronger sex-typing than girls. These differences are likely to be social in origin as boys may be told off or ridiculed more for playing with ‘girl’s toys’ or taking part in activities that are perceived to be for girls.