Key Concepts in Gender and Development Psychology

Secondary Sex Characteristics

nonreproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair

Spermarche

the first ejaculation

Menarche

the first menstrual period

Role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

Gender Role

a set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and traits for men and for women

Sexual Aggression

any physical or verbal behavior of a sexual nature that is unwanted or intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

Gender Identity

our personal sense of being male, female, neither, or some combination of male and female, regardless of whether this identity matches our sex assigned at birth, and the social affiliation that may result from this identity

Social Learning Theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

Gender Typing

the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role

Androgyny

blending traditionally masculine and traditionally feminine psychological characteristics

Sexuality

our thoughts, feelings, and actions related to our physical attraction to another

Asexual

having no sexual attraction toward others

Social Script

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

Sexual Orientation

according to the APA, "a person's sexual and emotional attraction to another person and the behavior and/or social affiliation that may result from this attraction."

Cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

Assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

Accommodation

adapting our current schemas (understandings) to incorporate new information

Sensorimotor Stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from birth to nearly 2 years of age) at which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities

Object Permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

Preoperational Stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to 6 or 7 years of age) at which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic