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Kohlbergs theory of gender constancy - Cognitive explanation of gender…
Kohlbergs theory of gender constancy - Cognitive explanation of gender development
Cognitive explanations of gender development focus on how childrens thinking about gender develops, with thinking occurring in qualitatively different stages
Gender identity is seen to result from children actively structuring their own experiences rather than being a passive outcome of social learning
Other theories assume that children know what gender they are and proceed to learn appropriate roles but Kohlberg sees sees this knowledge as arising from children actively constructing an understanding of the world through interacting with it
The theory was influenced by Piagets cognitive development theory, which saw children progressing through stages of understanding as their level of biological maturity allowed them to do so
Gender concepts occur through the environment but are restricted by biological mental capabilities
Stage 1 - Gender labelling/basic gender identity
Occurs between 18 months and 3 years
The child recognises that they are male or female
Realising their gender allows them to understand and categorise the world
This knowledge only extends to man, women, boy or girl and is little more than labels such as personal names
Children sometimes choose incorrect labels and do not realise that boys become men
Stage 2 - Gender stability
Age 3 to 5 years
Children recognise that people retain gender for life, but rely on superficial, physical signs to determine gender
If someone if superficially transformed eg a women cutting her hair short - children believe that person has changed gender
Stage 3 - Gender constancy
Age 6-7
Children realise that gender is permanent eg if a woman shaves her head then she is still female
Represents a kind of conservation, an understanding that things remain the same despite changing appearances
Gender understanding is complete only when children appreciate that gender is constant over time and situations
Once children acquire gender constancy, they value the behaviors and attitudes associated with their gender. They then identify with adult figures that possess qualities seen as relevant to their concept of their own gender
Maccoby and Jacklin called imitating same sex models self socialization because it does not depend directly on external reinforcement
Evaluation
The theory can be applied across many cultures
Predicts little or no gender specific behaviour before children acquire gender constancy but even in infancy boys and girls show preferences for stereotypical male and female toys , casting doubt over the stages
Bem believes that children have an awareness of gender specific behaviours from around 2 years due to the development of gender schemas
The theory concentrates on cognitive factors and overlooks social and cultural factors such as the influence of parents and friends
The theory is mainly descriptive - it outlines the process of gender development but does not explain how developments occur and lacks depth of explanation
The theory is more holistic than reductionist as it combines social learning and biological developmental factors
Thompson - found that by 2 years old children given pictures of boys and girls could identify same sex ones, demonstrating gender labelling. By 3 years 90% showed gender identity compared with only 76% of 2 year olds - showing the developmental nature of the concept
McConaghy - if a doll was dressed in transparent clothing so its genitals were visible, children between 3 and 5 judged its gender by its clothing not genitals, supporting kohlbergs belief that children in the gender stability stage use superficial indicators to determine gender
Slaby and Frey - gave questions to 2-5 year olds to assess their level of gender constancy and then weeks later showed them a film of a man and a woman performing gender stereotypical activities. Children with higher levels of gender constancy paid more attention to same sex models which suggests that they watch their own gender to acquire information about gender appropriate behaviour