Pscy 2618 Psychology of Gender

1. Pscy 2618 Psychology of Gender Developmental Issues of Infancy and childhood

2. Prenatal development Until about 6 weeks after conception, female and male embryos look identical; they differ only in chromosomes. In about the third month of conception, the fetus’s hormones encourage further sex differentiation.

3. Atypical prenatal development/Hormonal Androgen-insensitivity syndrome: do not develop male genitalia. Typically raised as girls. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia: genetic females receive too much androgen causing their genitals to look somewhat masculine. Is intersexualism an alternative?

4. Atypical prenatal development/Chromosomal Turner Syndrome In 1/10,000 infant females, the second female sex chromosome is either defective or missing. This results in a female body with either underdeveloped ovaries or no ovaries. No estrogen to foster secondary sex characteristics such as breasts or menstruation.

5. Klinefelter’s Syndrome A surplus of sex chromosomes, either X or Y, such that the individual is XXXY or XXY. 1 or 2/1000 infant boys are affected. They are usually taller than average and during adolescence, their breasts enlarge. They are infertile.

6. Double-Y syndrome 1/1000 infant boys has one or more extra Y chromosome. Even taller than the boys with Klinefelter’s Usually impulsive, low frustration tolerance, and below-average IQ.

7. Gender comparisons during infancy Physical & Temperamental Boys weigh about 5% more. Girls are somewhat more advanced in physical development. Boys are slightly more active. No clear difference in crying or sleeping. Social No clear gender differences emerge. Research suggests that men and women in US/Canada prefer a boy as their firstborn. Parents view their female infants as weak

8. Gender comparisons during infancy Boys are more susceptible to SIDS. Boys are more susceptible to hyperactivity.

9. Both mothers and fathers encourage female infants more than male infants to smile and make sounds. Parents’ behavior

10. Cont. Parents’ behavior Boys have an average of 12 toy vehicles compared to girls who have only 5; while girls have an average of 4 dolls in contrast to boys who have only 1.

11. People judge infants differently. In the study by Delk, et al., (1986), subjects who thought the infant was a female rated their behavior as feminine, whereas if they thought the infant was male they rated the behavior as masculine.

12. Cont. Strangers’ behavior Condry & Condry (1976) found that subjects rated males’ response to a jack-in-the-box as anger while attributing the females’ response to fear. People hand different toys to infants they perceive to be female rather than male. If subjects thought the infant was a girl, 80% handed her a doll while only 14% handed her a football.

13. Summary Adults’ treatment of infants tend to support the social constructionist view of gender development.

14. Theoretical explanations of gender typing. Psychoanalytic According to psychoanalytic theory, girls presumably develop penis envy during the phallic stage (a concept not supported by research). Girls next turn to their fathers but ultimately identify with their mothers.

15. Cont. Theoretical explanations Gender Schema Theory blends cognitive developmental approach and social learning theory. Children use gender as a cognitive organizing principle (schema). Children organize information about themselves and the rest of the world according to definitions of gender found in the culture.

16. Cont. Gender schema theory A major step in forming gender schemas is gender identity - a girl’s realization that she is a girl, and a boy’s realization that he is a boy. Next, they begin to prefer things that are consistent with their gender identity. Children are rewarded for gender-appropriate behavior. Children watch/immitate same gender models.

17. Stages of gender development Infancy- discriminate between males and females. Late infancy - prefer others of the same gender. Toddler -verbally identify their own gender. According to Slaby and Frey (1975), identity, stability, and consistency. Pre-schoolers do not exhibit gender constancy. Early childhood begin gender constancy thru biology. Middle childhood (7-10) shift to socialization.

18. Research review Five-year-olds are aware of gender stereotypes. Younger children also recog- nized gender sterotypes in infants. Children have clear ideas about the activities that are performed by females and males. Children remember activities better when they are gender consistent.

19. Cont. Research review In the study by Katz and Kofkin (1997), infants were either shown a series of male pictures or females pictures. After the infant became bored (short attention span) with the pictures, they flashed a picture of the opposite gender. The result was an increase in gazing time. They seem to rely on hair length.

20. Cont. Research review Leinbach (1991) demonstrated the ability of two-month olds to detect the gender change in the voice of the speaker. Gunn (1979) found that infants 12 to 18 months old looked longer at photgraphs of babies their own gender that those of the other gender. They became confused when the child was cross-dressed indicating a reliance on clothing cues.

21. Cont. research review Middle-class children are more flexible than lower-class children in their ideas about gender. Cross-culturally, children have stronger stereotypes about males than about females.

22. Factors that shape gender typing Family Parents tend to encourage gender-typed activities: toy choice, discussion of emotions, and chore assignment. Parents treat sons and daughters somewhat differently with respect to children’s aggression and independence, but the differential treatment is not consistent.

23. Cont. factors Peers Peers react negatively to nonstereotypical behavior. They encourage segregation. They are prejudiced against children of the other gender. They treat boys and girls differently.

24. Cont. factors Schools Boys receive more attention and useful feedback in the class, compared to girls. In developing countries, literacy rates are lower for girls than for boys.

25. Cont. factors Media children’s books and television continue to underrepresent females and to show males and females in stereotyped activities. Media have a moderate impact on children’s ideas about gender.