SLT explanation of gender development

• SLT and gender development - AO1

  - Social learning theory acknowledges that the social context plays in development of behaviour - including gender.

  - Draws attention from the environment - nurture

  - The people children come in contact with - parents, peers and teacher and culture and media influence a child's gender identity.
• Differential reinforcement - AO1


  - The way boys and girls are encouraged to show distinct gender appropriate.

  - Through this they learn their gender identity.

  Behaviours which are reinforced are imitated. -Child is more likely to imitate behaviour that has been reinforced through either direct or indirect reinforcement
• Direct reinforcement - AO1

  - Children are more likely to be reinforced - praised and encouraged for gender appropriate behaviour. - Positive reinforcement

  - When behaviour is discouraged and punished then it's less likely to be reinforced. - Negative reinforcement

  - e.g - boys praised for being rough and active but punished for being shy and gentle.
• Indirect (vicarious) reinforcement - AO1


  - If the consequences for another person's behaviour are favourable - rewarded - a child observing the behaviour is likely to imitate the behaviour

  - If the consequences for another person's behaviour are unfavourable - punished - behaviour is less likely to be imitated.
• Identification - AO1


  - Refers to the process where a child attaches themselves to a person they want to be like or see themselves in. This person possesses qualities that a child sees as rewarding
• Role models - AO1


  - The people who a child identifies with - may be present within the media or real life. Tend to be attractive, high status and same sex.
• Modelling - AO1


  - Precise demonstration of the behaviour that may be imitated by an observer.
• Mediational processes - AO1

  - Attention - wanting to emulate role models behaviour

  - Retention - remembering the skills/ behaviour

  - Motivation - Were they positively or negatively reinforces

  - Motor reproduction - Are they physically capable of reproducing the behaviour.
• Supporting evidence - 😊

  - Smath and Lloyd - 1978 - involved 4-6 months babies who were dressed half the time as boys and half the time as girls.

  - When interacting with adult babies assumed to be boys they were encouraged to adventours and active

  - When interacting with adults, babies assumed to be girls we told they were pretty and enforced to be passive

  - Suggests gender appropriate behaviour is stamped at an early age through differential reinforcement.
• Explains changing gender roles in western society - 😊

  - There is clear distinction between what was stereotypically masculine and feminine in today compared to 1950

  - Shift in social expectations and cultural norm s over the years meant that there were new forms of acceptable gender behaviour

  - As there had been no change to people biology this shift in expectation can be explained by SLT compared to biological approach
• Not a developmental theory - 🙁

  - Argued that SLT does not provide an adequate explanation of how learning process change through age.

  - Age limitations - motor reproduction in mediational processes suggests that children may struggle to perform a behaviour if not physically capable.

  - This may not be the case - from both onwards.

  - Dubin - 1992 - Although children may take note of same sex role models at an early age, but selection and imitation of behaviour does not come until later.

  Consistent with Kolberg's theory that gender development does not occur until gender constancy

  - The influence of age and maturation on learning gender concepts is not consistent in SLT