cognitive explanations: gender schema

• gender schema theory

  • Martin and Halverson
  • children understanding of gender changes with age
  • children develop their understanding of gender by actively structuring their own learning rather than passively observing and imitating role models
• gender schema

  an organised set of beliefs and expectations related to gender that are derived from experience. Such schema guide a person's understanding of their own gender and stereotypically gender-appropriate in general
• gender schema after gender identity

  • Martin and Halverson
  • once child has established gender identity around 2-3 they will begin to search environment for information that encourages development of gender schema
• gender schema

  • schema = mental constructs that develop via experience and are used by our cognitive system to organise knowledge around particular topics
  • gender schema = generalised representation of everything we know in relation to gender and stereotypical gender appropriate behaviour in general
• gender schema determine behaviour

  • expand to include a wide range of behaviours and personality traits
  • young children - schema are formed around stereotypes - boys play with trucks
  • these provide framework that directs experience as well as understanding of themselves
  • 6 years - fixed and stereotypical idea about what is appropriate
  • children disregard information that does not fit into existing schema
• ingroup information better remembered

  • children have a better understanding of the schema that are appropriate to their own gender - ingroup
  • pay more attention to information relevant to their gender identity - not other gender - outgroup
  • 8 - develop elaborate schema for both genders
  • ingroup identity serves to bolster the child's level of self esteem
• Ao3 - gender schema - strength

  P: key principles are supported by evidence

  E: Martin and Halverson - children under 6 more likely to remember photos of stereotypical gender-appropriate behaviour

  • when shown gender-inappropriate behaviour children tended to change gender of the person when recalling them

  L: provides support for gender schema theory which predicts that children under 6 would do this - contrast kohlberg
• AO3 - gender schema - limitation

  P: gender identity develops earlier than Martin and Halverson suggested

  E: longitudinal study - 82 children - looked at the onset of gender identity

  • reports from mothers on their children language form 9-12 months
  • videotapes on children's play
  • 19 months - labelled themselves as boy or girl

  E: this is as soon as they can talk which suggests that children actually have a gender identity before this but cant communicate

  L: underestimated childrens ability to use gender labels about themselves
• AO3 - gender schema - strength

  P: accounts for cultural difference in stereotypically gender-appropriate behaviour

  E: Cherry - gender schema influence what counts as culturally-appropriate behaviour

  • traditional cultures = women have nurturing role + men have career so children form schema consistent with these views
  • in societies with less rigid gender boundaries - fluid gender schema

  L: explains how gender schema are transmitted between members of society and how cultural differences come about