Outline and evaluate the social learning theory of gender development PDF

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Outline and evaluate the social learning theory of gender development (16)

Social learning theory is a way of explaining behaviour that acknowledges the role that the social context plays in development and states that all behaviour (even gender) is learned from observing others. It draws attention to the influence of nurture in shaping gender development, including significant others that the child comes into contact with – parents, peers and teachers – including the role of teachers and the media. One way this is done is through direct reinforcement – children are more likely to be reinforced for demonstrating gender appropriate behaviour. For instance, boys may be encouraged to be assertive and engage in rough play, and may be punished for being gentle, passive and showing emotion. The way in which boys and girls are encouraged to show distinct gender-appropriate behaviour is called differential reinforcement. It is through this that a child learns their gender identity. Reinforced behaviours are then imitated – rewarded behaviours are more likely to be repeated. Indirect reinforcement refers to if the consequences of another person’s behaviour are favourable then it is more likely to be imitated. For instance, if a little girls sees her mother receive a compliment when wearing makeup/pretty dress, she is likely to do the same (replicate). If she is punished (unfavourable behaviour), this is less likely to be repeated. Similarly, if a boy sees a male classmate being teased for displaying feminine characteristics, this is unlikely to be copied. Identification refers to the process whereby a child attaches themselves to a person who is seen to be like them – someone who possesses the qualities the child sees as rewarding. These people are known as role models and may be part of the child’s immediate environment (teachers/parents) – the child will then model the behaviour that may be carried out by those they are observing. EXTRA: COULD WRITE ABOUT MEDITATIONAL PROCESSES: Social learning theorists have also suggested four meditational (cognitive) processes that are central to the learning of gender behaviour.    

Attention – The extent to which we notice certain behaviours. Retention – How well the behaviour is remembered. Motivation – The ability of the observer to perform the behaviour. Motor reproduction – The will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished.

Cross cultural findings that show variations in gender roles between different cultures (e.g. Mead’s study of the three tribes in Papa New Guinea) are consistent with the idea that gender role behaviour is learned. However, a number of studies have found that parents do not directly teach gender role behaviours to their children through selective reinforcement and punishment, but that children acquire gender appropriate behaviour nonetheless. It may therefore be that the learning of gender role occurs through processes other than those specified by social learning theory. There is also the issue that some aspects of gender role behaviour appear to be universal to all cultures. For example, men are consistently found to be more aggressive than women, regardless of culture. Similarly, there are cross-cultural similarities in the features women and men find desirable in potential reproductive partners (Buss et al). These universal features suggest that some aspects of gender role are the result of innate, genetic influences that social learning theory does not take account of. Social learning theory places very little emphasis on the influence of genes and chromosomes and only considers the role of the environment in gender development. We have seen how, in the case of David Reimer, it was not possible to raise a biological male as a female and override chromosomal influence. Modern researchers are more likely to accept the biosocial theory of gender: that there are innate biological differences between boys and girls that are reinforced through social interactions and cultural expectations. SLT merely explores the influence of the environment (nurture) in shaping gender development. Taking an interactionist approach would be better?? SLT better explains gender roles in Western society. When explaining androgyny, for example, there exists less of a clear-cut distinction between what people regard as stereotypically masculine and feminine behaviour in out society today than there was in the 1950s. This can be explained by a shift in societal expectations, and cultural norms over the years that has meant new forms of acceptable gender behaviour have been reinforced. As there has been no corresponding change in people’s basic biology within the same period, such a shift is much better explained by social learning theory than the biological approach....