AP PSYCH 6.7 Gender and Sexual Orientation

• Gender roles are expected behaviors for males and females based on culture
• Gender stereotypes are a schema children develop about the behavior of people based on their gender

Gender Schema Theory

• Proposed in 1981
• Children actively form mental categories (schemas) for masculinity and femininity
• They also recognize their own role and choose activities that match that role
• Children recognize and then align themselves with the norms of the culture
• Children may meet disapproval if they do not conform to gender norms, or feel pressure to fit into what they are told to
• More than just observational learning, but operant understandings as well

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