Psy 311: Gender

GENDER DIFFERENCES

Who are the perpetrators? Who are the victims?

Psy 311: Gender

DEFINITION OF SEX DIFFERENCES

Psychological differences between biological males and

females

Psy 311: Gender

DESCRIPTION OF SEX DIFFERENCES

1. PERFORMANCE SCORES ON TESTS OF

Verbal abilities: Females higher Spatial abilities: Males higher Mathematical abilities: Males higher

Starting in adolescence (Also more male low achievers)

Psy 311: Gender

Film Clip: Gender Difference Math

Psy 311: Gender

SEX DIFFERENCES (CONT)

2. ACTIVITY LEVEL Males greater

–(Starting in infancy)

Psy 311: Gender

SEX DIFFERENCES (CONT)

3. AGRESSION, VERBAL, & PHYSICAL Males more

– (Starting at age 2) –About 5% of the variance

Psy 311: Gender

SEX DIFFERENCES (CONT)

4. COOPERATION & COMPLIANCE Females more

–(Starting at age 2)

Psy 311: Gender

SEX DIFFERENCES (CONT)

5. DEVELOPMENTAL VULNERABILITY Males greater:

Infant mortality– Prenatal & perinatal- stress & disease

Psy 311: Gender

SEX DIFFERENCES (CONT)5. DEVELOPMENTAL VULNERABILITY

(CONT) Males greater:

Learning disorders– learning disabilities

– speech defects

– hyperactivity

– mental retardation

Psy 311: Gender

SEX DIFFERENCES (CONT)6. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS Males: Externalizing

– Acting out, defiance

– Delinquency Females: Internalizing

– Anxiety, fear

– Self-esteem (esp. late adolescence)

Psy 311: Gender

SEX DIFFERENCES (CONT)EXPLANATIONS Evidence for NATURE

– Neurological differences

– Hormonal differences Evidence for NURTURE

– Environmental differences

– Interventions are effective Evidence for BOTH

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER ROLES

1. Gender Roles– Patterns of behavior or “jobs” assigned

to females vs. males in a particular society

– E.g., wife, mother, homemaker

– E.g., husband, father, breadwinner

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER ROLES

2. Gender-role norms– society’s expectations or standards

concerning what males & females should be like

– Characteristics

– Behaviors

Psy 311: Gender

Film Clip: Gender Norms in Middle Childhood

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER ROLES

3. Gender-role stereotypes:– overgeneralized (& largely inaccurate)

beliefs about what males & females are like– E.g., Venus and Mars

Psy 311: Gender

Examples of Gender-Role Stereotypes

Females: Communality– Connectedness to others

• emotional, kind, nurturant, cooperative, & sensitive to others’ needs.

Males: Agency– Individual action and achievement

• dominant, independent, assertive, & competitive.

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER ROLES

Androgyny– possessing characteristics that are

considered both highly masculine and highly feminine

Psy 311: Gender

ARE GENDER STEREOTYPES TRUE?

No, the vast majority of gender stereotypes are not true.

Males and females are much more psychologically similar than different.

Psy 311: Gender

WHAT DEVELOPS?GENDER TYPING

1. Gender Identity Awareness that one is male or female– age 2 - 3 years old

Psy 311: Gender

WHAT DEVELOPS?GENDER TYPING

2. Gender constancy– Sex is a stable characteristic

• (age 5 to 7)

Psy 311: Gender

WHAT DEVELOPS?GENDER TYPING

3. Acquire gender-roles– Internalize

• motives• values• patterns of behavior that culture

considers appropriate for members of that sex

Psy 311: Gender

DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER STEREOTYPES

1. 2 - 4 yearsKnow “correct” behaviors

2. 5 - 8 yearsMoral standards

3. 9 - 11 yearsPsychological traits, customs

Psy 311: Gender

DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER STEREOTYPES

4. AdolescenceThe gender police

• Gender intensification• Most harsh and rigid

5. Early adulthoodMore tolerant of self & others

Psy 311: Gender

DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER STEREOTYPES

6. Parenting years More stereotyped behavior

“Parental imperative”

7. Post-parenting yearsAndrogyny shift

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER TYPING What Influences It ?

1. Biosocial theory

2. Social learning theory

3. Cognitive theory

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER TYPING What Influences It ?

1. Biosocial theory– Biology

• Chromosomes

• Hormones (prenatal, puberty)

– Social labeling• Others label and react

• Self labels and reacts

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER TYPING What Influences It ?

2. Social learning theory: “Gender curriculum”

– Differential reinforcement• Rewards and punishments• Discipline, expectations• Fathers especially important

– Observational learning• Parents, siblings, peers, media

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER TYPING What Influences It ?

3. Cognitive theory Intrinsically motivated to belong to their own gender’s

“club”

– Cognitive Developmental Theory• Stages of understanding• Self-socialization (active person)• Begins with “gender consistency”?

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER TYPING What Influences It ?

3. Cognitive theory– Cognitive Schema Theory

• Cognitive schema: Organized sets of beliefs and expectations about males and females

• Guide information that people attend to and remember– In-group/ out-group schema– Own-sex schema

Psy 311: Gender

GENDER TYPING What Influences It ?

INTEGRATION

1. Biology

2. Social experiences

3. Cognitive development

Psy 311: Gender

SO WHAT?CONSEQUENCES OF

GENDER STEREOTYPES 1. Opportunity denied. 2. Competence: Interest and practice

guided by expectations. 3. Identity: Internal alienation from true

self.

Psy 311: Gender

Film Clip: Consequences of Gender Role Stereotypes

Psy 311: Gender

LAST NAME, first name

1. Name 3 psychological differences between males & females.

2. Are these differences based on biology or socialization or both?

3. What are gender stereotypes? 4. At what age does “gender

intensification” take place?

Psy 311: Gender

END