Cognitive - Schemas

Main Assumptions

• gender develops through both cognitive and social processes

• children don’t need to know gender is permanent to develop gender schema

• child’s gender schema develops around age 2/3 as soon as child notices differences between boys and girls and can label the two groups reliably

• child then looks for information that helps them develop thier schema

• Martin & Halverson (1983)

Martin & Halverson (1983)

Experiment on 5/6 year olds

Shown schema consistent and schema inconsistent pictures. Tested recall after 1 week

• schema consistent pictures well recalled

• schema inconsistent pictures not well recalled, often distorted according to what was expected

By the age of 6…

child has rather fixed and stereotypical idea about what is appropriate for its gender

By the age of 8…

gender schemas have become more complex

By late childhood/early adolescence…

schemas become more flexible and children aren’t as likely to stick so rigidly to gender stereotypical behaviour

What are the two types of sex-related schema?

in-group out-group schema

own-sex schema

How does in-group out-group and own-sex schema work?

A girl might begin by identifying toys which are for the in-group (a doll for a girl) or out-group (a train for a boy) and then move on to the own-sex schema by thinking: a doll is for a girl. I am a girl. A doll is for me

Helps children interpret and organise their experience. Children tend to pay more attention to information relevant to their own gender identity, rather than that which is relevant to the out group