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Where do you think gender differences come from?. Today’s session. What do we mean by the nature-nurture debate?. Nature and nurture. The debate about whether variations in psychological & behavioural traits are caused by innate or environmental factors.
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Nature and nurture • The debate about whether variations in psychological & behavioural traits are caused by innate or environmental factors. • E.g. intelligence: if Jane is more intelligent than John, is that because she was born that way or because her environment & experiences made her that way?
How does the nature-nurture issue apply to gender development? • What might the different positions be?
Nature and nurture Nature Nurture Interactionism Gender differences are caused by innate tendencies that are modified by environmental factors Gender differences result from innate differences between female and male (genes, chromosomes, nervous system, hormones). Gender differences result from the different experiences that females and males have as they develop (learning from family, peers, society)
How can studying members of different cultures help us understand the nature and nurture of gender?
Universal features (found everywhere) would suggest an innate basis for gender and support the nature view • Culturally specific features (found in some places not others) would suggest that gender is learned and support the nurture view
Cultural variation in gender • Mead (1935) • Malinowski (1929) • Buss et al (1990)
What sorts of problem might be faced by researchers who want to investigate cultural variations in gender? • How might these problems affect the validity of their research?
Cross cultural research • Reactivity • The researcher’s presence may alter the behaviour of those being studied • Communication • The researcher may be misinformed by, or may misunderstand, their informants • Bias • The researcher may impose their own preconceptions on the data
Discuss the nature-nurture debate in relation to gender. You must refer to studies of cultural variation in gender in your answer.