SLT

• SLT explanation


  SLT Psychologists support nurture when thinking about gender development.We learn our gender behaviours from observing role models around us.Gender issocially constructedand therefore gender roles can change over time. The process of acquiring gender involvesobservation, modelling, identification, imitation and reinforcement(old, men, in, italy, rant) involving significant others such as family, friends and the wider media.
• Observation


  Observation of same sex models is paramount to SLT explanations for Gender.
• Modelling


  Demonstrating or displaying a behaviour.When models perform certain activities they are modelling behaviour. This gives other people the chance to learn from them.However, individuals do not simply imitate all the models they see. People only become role models when others identify with them. E.g.Kane plays football for England
• Indetification


  The process whereby an individual associates with the qualities, characteristics and views of another person.There is evidence that individuals identify more with the same sex models (this role model may be a child's same sex parent but could also be other male role models in their life and in the media). Little Boy identifies with Kane as he is same sex and is on TV
• Imitation


  Where an individual consciously copies or reproduces an action or behaviour. They need self-efficacy ( an individual has to have the belief that they have the capacity to imitate a behaviour they have observed) in order to actually imitate the behaviour. E.g.

  Little Boy joins football team
• Reinforcement


  Children are more likely to be directly reinforced for gender appropriate behaviour (e.g. rough and tumble play in boys). This strengthens the behaviour and makes it more likely to happen again. Vicarious reinforcement may also occur where girls and boys see other same sex models being reinforced for gender appropriate behaviour (for example a little girl hears Daddy say how pretty Mummy looks in her dress with makeup.This also encourages the child to imitate the behaviour she has seen. If a behaviour is well rehearsed it become internalised.
• Fagot (1978)


  Observed children at home playing with parents and found that boys and girls were reinforced for different behaviours.Boys were positively reinforced for playing with male toys and were punished for playing with female toys such as dolls.
• Mediating cognitive factors (Bandura)

  Internal mental processes that lie between the stimulus and the response.According to SLT there are also mediating cognitive factors involved in the identification process.Attention- factors that influence whether a learner pays attention to a role model - power, attractiveness, same-sex etcRetention- remembers the behaviour of the role modelReproduction- ability to repeat behaviour physical or own belief about their abilityMotivation- child needs to be motivated in order to model the behaviour they have observed
• Perry and Bussey (AO3)

  used a sample of children who saw 4 adult male models choosing an apple and 4 adult female models choosing a banana. The boys and girls were then asked what fruit they preferred. The girls said they would all prefer to have a banana. The boys said they would prefer to have an apple. This supports the idea that children identify with same sex models supporting social learning explanations for gender.However, this experiment suffers from low ecological validity as it was a controlled experiment in an artificial setting.
• Smith and Lloyd (1978)

  Observed how people responded to babies dependent on what clothes they were wearing. If babies were dressed as girls, they were more likely to be told they were pretty and be handed a doll to play with.
• Limitations of SLT


  The Social Learning Theory(SLT) fails to account for biological influences on gender role behaviour.

  Boys are naturally more active due to hormonal differences. It may not be the result of differential reinforcement.