Kimball et al. (1986): Social Cognitive Theory & Gender Roles (New to T.V.)

At what grade levels were the children tested?

Grades 6 and 9.

How long after the introduction of television were the children tested again?

Two years.

How many children participated in the study?

536 children.

What are the two mechanisms of learning in social cognitive theory?

Modeling and direct tuition.

What does social cognitive theory argue about enculturation?

It occurs through observing the behavior of others.

What is direct tuition?

Encouraging and rewarding gender-appropriate behaviors and discouraging inappropriate ones.

What is modeling?

Learning behavior by observing others.

What measurement scale was used to assess gender stereotyping?

Sex Role Differentiation (SRD) scale.

What subscale showed a significant increase in Notel boys?

Stereotypes regarding gender and jobs.

What theory does the study support?

Social cognitive theory.

What type of models do children learn best from?

Same-gender models.

What type of study design was used (longitudinal or cross-sectional)?

Cross-sectional.

What type of study was Kimball's research?

Natural experiment.

What was the aim of Kimball's study?

To investigate if television exposure increased gender stereotyping in children.

What was the control group in the study?

Children from Vancouver.

What was the finding about Notel children before television was introduced?

They held more egalitarian gender attitudes.

What was the key change in Notel children after two years of television exposure?

Gender stereotyping significantly increased.

What was the name of the community without television?

Notel.

Why does the study have high ecological validity?

It was conducted in a natural setting.

Why does the study have low internal validity?

The independent variable was not manipulated, and there was no control for extraneous variables.