Cognitive

• Kohlberg's theory


  The idea that a child's understanding of gender becomes more sophisticated with age.

  Kolberg devised 3 stages of gender development
• Kohlbergs 3 stages of gender development

  Gender identityfrom 2 - 3, the child can label its own sex correctly and can label other peoples sex’s, but may get it wrong as they often use hair length and clothes as cues

  Gender stabilityfrom 4 - 5, the child is able to understand that their own gender is stable and that they will stay that sex forever. However they are still egocentric and cannot apply the same rule to other people.

  Gender constancyfrom 6 - 7, the child is able to understand that gender is generally constant; they know that everyone stays the same sex forever even if they wear opposite sex clothing. During this age children start to seek out gender role models that they can imitate and internalise the behaviours of
• Slaby & Frey (1975) - AO3

  used structured interviews on children aged 2-7 years old in order to identify child's understanding about their gender. Gender identity was tested by asking them what sex they are and showing the child dolls or photos of adults and asking if they were male or female.Gender stability was checked by asking them what sex they were when they were a baby and what sex they will be when they are grown up. Gender constancy was tested by asking children whether or not they would be a girl or a boy if they wore opposite sex clothes or played with opposite sex toys and the same was asked about other people to. The results supported Kohlberg stages demonstrating that as children get older they get a fuller understanding about gender and become less egocentric. This supports the view that gender develops alongside general cognitive development.However, lab study = lacks mundane realism
• Limitation of Kohlberg's theory

  Kohlberg's theory was developed using interviews with children who were, in some cases, as young as two or three. Although the questions asked were tailored towards the particular group he was dealing with, Kohlberg may not have acknowledged that veryyoung children lack the vocabulary required to express their understanding. Such children may have relatively complex ideas about gender but do not possess the verbal ability to articulate them.Therefore, what they express may not have truly represented their understanding.
• Martin and Halverson


  Gender Schema TheoryMartin and Halverson that children begin to develop gender schema around the ages of 2-3 years old. As the child develops, they then assimilate new information into this schema, and continue as they experience more gender specific behaviour.As children develop gender schemas,they learn to make associations between what is male and what is female, and will categorise objects, toys and activities based on what they think is gender appropriate.Gender schemas are relative to cultural norms
• Gender Schema Theory p2


  At around5 years old, gender roles become more rigid and the child will identify activities and objects associated with their own gender and tend to ignore those that do not fit this schema.According to Gender Schema Theory in-group (own gender) and out-group (opposite gender) schemas become strengthened as children's knowledge and expectations of gender develops.By the age of7 yearsa child's view of what is gender appropriate behaviour is more flexible, and children will pay more attention to same-sex role models.This is an important part establishing a self-identity.
• What is a schema?

  A schema is amental representationlearned through experience which is stored in memory.
• Martin and Halverson (AO3)

  showed 5-8 yr olds pictures of people carrying out different activities where some were gender consistent (girl playing with doll)And some were gender inconsistent (girl playing with gun). They were asked to recall pictures 1 week later.They could recall gender consistent (stereotypical) pictures far better than inconsistent onesand gender inconsistent pictures were often remembered in a distorted way, they would now remember a boy with a gun when they originally saw a picture of a girl holding one.This supports the idea that children do develop schemas about gender which demonstrates that children around 5-6 yrs old do have a very fixed idea about gender roles.
• Limitations of GST


  Methodological issues- interviewing children

  Biological view- humans are genetically programmed to be male or female father than being a result of schemas

  Both Kohlberg and Gender Schema Theory focus on the first seven years of a child's life andignore pubertywhen gender identity is most vulnerable.