Genes schema cognitive explantion

• Schema

  mental framework of information that helps us organise and interpret information 

  A gender schema is a generalised representation of everything we know in relation to gender and stereotypically gender appropriate behaviour 
• According to martin and halverson, once a child has established gender identity around the age of 2-3 years, they will begin to search the environment for information that encourages development of their gender schema. 

  This contrasts with Kohlberg’s view that this process only begins after they have progressed through all three stages 
• Gender schema determines behaviour -

  The schema expands to include a wide range of behaviours and personality traits, they are likley to be formed around stereotypes.

  By 6, children have a rather fixed and stereotypical idea about what is appropriate for their gender, because of this they are likely to misremember or disregard information that does not fit with their existing schema
• Ingroup vs Outgroup

  children tend to have a better understanding of the schema that are appropriate to their own gender (ingroup), as children pay more attention to information relevant to their gender identity, rather than that of the other gender (outgroup).

  It’s not until around 8 that children develop an elaborate schema for both genders
• A strength is it can account for cultural differences 

  Cultures that believe women should take a nursing role and that men should pursue a career, will raise children who form schemas which are consistent with this view. And the same goes for societies with less rigid gender boundaries.

  This explains how gender schema are transmitted between members of a society and how cultural differences in gender stereotypes arise.
• a strength is evidence to support gender schema theory

  found that children as young as 2-3 years demonstrated strongly sex-typed behaviours and attitudes

  this supports gender schema theory as it supports the idea that only gender identity is needed to develop an understand of gender
• a limitation is the gender schema theory is reductionist

  although is applies meditational processes it fails to consider things like hormones and brain structure which have been shown to at least have some influence through cross-cultural studies

  this suggests that the gender schema theory isnt a full explanation