Gender Development

Gender Development

Gender Development
Resulting Gender Differences
Across Dev.
Toy preferences as early as 1 year
Not only preference for gender typical toys but neutral
toys if believed gender appropriate
Play Style
Rough and tumble play
Large vs small groups
Competition
Pretend play (heroes vs. families)
Aggression (physical vs. verbal/relational)
Communication/Social Interaction Styles
Shared emotion (girls) vs. shared activities/interests (boys)
Social problem solving: Compromises vs. physical force




Social Dev. Theories Exercise
Divide into groups and discuss:
How would each of the following types of theorists explain
such gender differences?:
1. Behaviorist learning theorists
2. Social Learning theorists
3. Social Cognition theorists
4. Bioecological theorists (how would each of the 5 systems
influence gender)
5. Evolutionary theorists
* Make note of the unique terminology used by the different
theories (e.g., reinforcement, self-fulfilling prophecies)
Gender and Behaviorist Learning
Theories
Emphasis on nurture/learning
Emphasis on reinforcement
E.g. parents or peers rewarding gender-
appropriate behaviors
Rewards need not be physical rewardsthey
include social rewards (e.g. social attention)
Classical and operant conditioning
Gender and Social Learning Theories
Children learn about gender through observations of
others (parents, peers, media) and direct teaching
Observational Learning:
Observing their own gender
Because of gender segregation (kids playing together
according to gender) they witness same sex activities
more
children see and experience the roles of men and
women in society, resulting in gender-typed activities
Attend more to, and remember better, info about same
sex activities/toys

Direct Teaching:
PARENTS DO:
reward gender appropriate behavior
Buy gender appropriate toys
(could be result of childs pre-established prefs)
are supportive of sex-appropriate play
Talk differently to children (e.g. emotions)

PARENTS DONT:
Display a difference in warmth
Differ in # of interactions or responsiveness
Restrict # of activities


Gender Schema Theory (Social Cognition)
Children develop gender schemas, which are mental representations
incorporating everything they know about gender

Schemas lead to a confirmation bias (e.g., a bias to attend to or
remember info that fits with or confirms schema and distort or
forget disconfirming info)

Gender self-socialization
the child him or herself determines what other info they learn
about gender
Perpetuating cycle: e.g. initial pref for trucks leads them to learn
more about trucks (over other things) and that creates more
opportunities (e.g., meet others with common interests)

Self-fulfilling prophecies, e.g., stereotype threat
Gender and Ecological Models
Bioecological Model
Children learn and are influenced by gender at every
level
e.g. room they live, occupations/genders of neighbors,
media, belief systems of the culture, time period etc.
Gender and Evolutionary Models
Evolutionary Psychology
Gender behaviors are genetically based to influence
survival and mating
E.g. physical activity, aggression in males due to hunter
characteristics, need to compete for mates
E.g. nurturance and emotional characteristics in females,
playing with dolls is the caregiver in females

Parental investment theory: differences in relationships
and roles due to different investment needs of males vs.
females in offspring
E.g. Males can have large numbers of offspring, females
limited number and larger time commitment
E.g. males emphasize attractiveness of mates, females
emphasize stability/resources
Biological Explanations
Female rats and rhesus macaques treated with
testosterone = increased male-typical sexual
behavior, rough and tumble play, activity level,
aggression
In humans when androgen reduced during
pregnancy females = more feminine clothing, less
Tomboyish
Sensitive periods are different for different sex-
typed behavior
~8 weeks gestation 6 months of age
Sex/gender is a continuous variable (biologically)

Biological Explanations
CAH Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
a group of inherited disorders
deficiency in steroid hormones (cortisol and
aldosterone) which leads to overproduction of
androgen (male sex hormone)
1 in 10-20,000 births
Females: ambiguous genitalia, masculine
physical traits
Males: enter puberty much earlier

Biological Explanations
CAH girls and CAH induced (androgens in
pregnancy)
More time with male toys
Greater preference for male playmates
gender identity disorder
Less satisfaction with gender
Mixed results on aggression/rough-&-tumble
play

Integrating the Theories
Eleanor Maccoby integrates concepts from various theories
Why gender segregation?

Hormones and biological differences (Evolution)

Play styles are more compatible

Gender knowledge of self and others (Soc Cog)

Others; e.g., peer pressure, adults reactions, media
(behaviorist and social learning); influenced by culture,
time period etc. (bioecological)
VIDEO ON CAH/Gender Development!