Social Learning Theory and Gender

• what does the SLT of gender development propose?

  gender behaviour is learned as a result of observing and imitating models
• how is gender learnt from direct learning?

  • individual is directly involved in the reinforcement of their behaviour. For example, if a girl is positively reinforced for putting on makeup whilst copying her mother’s behaviour, then this is a direct experience.
  • Gender roles and behaviours can be socially learned directly, with gender appropriate (desirable) behaviours being positively reinforced and cross-gendered (undesirable) behaviours being punished.
• how is gender learnt from indirect learning?

  • This occurs when an individual is not directly involved and does not experience reinforcement first hand but is still influenced by them.
  • Models such as celebrities and parents can be observed and imitated merely based on what reinforcement/consequences their behaviours lead to. For example, if a boy watches his brother being punished for playing with dolls, then this boy will also learn that he too should not play with dolls.
  • This is known as ‘vicarious learning’ and is one of the key ways in which people learn their gender roles.
• how are mediational processes used in gender development? (1)

  1. Attention: for anyone to observe a model’s behaviour, they must be able to focus their attention on them. For example, a girl may notice and be drawn to observing her mother wearing jewellery and putting on makeup.
  2. Retention: once behaviour has been observed, it needs to be retained in order to be stored as a memory that can be accessed later for imitation. For example, a girl should be able to recall the time she observed her mother putting makeup on.
• how are mediational processes used in gender development? (2)

  1. Reproduction: observing and recalling the behaviour that has been modelled means it is likely to be imitated. For example, a girl must physically be able to attempt to put makeup on; otherwise, the imitation might not be successful
  2. Motivation: To reproduce the behaviours observed and retained, people must have the motivation and desire to do so. For example, if a little girl does not like the way makeup looks, then she is not likely to imitate the observed behaviour of her mother, even though she could reproduce the behaviour.
• evaluating the SLT of gender development

  • The role of reinforcement from parents in shaping gender is supported by research. Fagot (1978) offers research support for SLT. Children were observed in their own homes whilst they played with their parents. The researcher found that there was a clear distinction in the types of behaviours that boys and girls were positively reinforced or punished for. This supports SLT and demonstrates the role that parents play in shaping gender appropriate behaviours.
• evaluating SLT of gender development

  • anomalies that it would fail to explain. Despite the absence of a same-sex role model in more modern family structures (e.g. same-sex, single-parent families etc.), children are still able to develop a healthy gender identity and adopt typical gender roles. In addition to this, siblings of the same sex can be brought up in the same way by their parents and yet still develop very different gender identities. These anomalies suggest that social learning is not the only way in which people develop a gender identity
• evaluating SLT of gender development

  • environmentally deterministic and assuming that people do not have any control over their gender development. They argue that people are passive and that their gender is the result of what they have been exposed to, neglecting the role of emotions and decisions. This contrasts to cognitive theories of gender which promote the idea that children are active in their gender development, which is considered a more favourable theory since it recognises that people do have free will when it comes to developing their gender identity.
• evaluating SLT of gender development

  • criticised for only considering the role of nurture in gender. Social learning theory ignores the role of genetics, hormones and other physiological influences that have been supported by research. The David Reimer case (1965) demonstrated that biology was the most influential factor in determining gender, when his parents were unsuccessful at raising him as a female. This shows that gender is not just a socially learned behaviour, and that SLT should take a more interactionist view of gender by acknowledging the role of both nature and nurture.