4.3.3.4 Cognitive explanations of gender development Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 3

The 20 questions

1. What does Kohlberg's cognitive developmental theory propose about gender development?

   • Gender develops only after puberty and is not influenced by thinking
   • Gender is fixed by chromosomes and children have no role in understanding it
   • Children actively construct an understanding of gender and move through stages of gender identity, stability and constancy
   • Children passively absorb gender roles through reinforcement and nothing else

2. What is gender identity in Kohlberg's theory?

   • Children understand that gender stays the same across situations, typically from about age six or seven
   • Children label themselves as a boy or a girl, typically by about the age of two or three
   • Children are able to choose their gender according to their preferences
   • Children understand that gender stays the same over time, typically from about age four or five

3. What is gender stability in Kohlberg's theory?

   • The understanding that a person's gender stays the same over time, usually developed around four to five years
   • The understanding that a person's gender can change by wearing different clothes
   • The labelling of oneself as a boy or girl at around two years
   • The understanding that gender is fixed by a person's chromosomes at birth

4. What is gender constancy in Kohlberg's theory?

   • The labelling of oneself as male or female at around two or three years
   • The understanding that gender is entirely determined by the clothes a person wears
   • The understanding that boys and girls have the same interests
   • The understanding that gender stays the same across situations and despite superficial changes, usually from about six or seven years

5. Which sequence correctly orders the stages in Kohlberg's theory?

   • Gender identity, then gender constancy, then gender stability
   • Gender stability, then gender identity, then gender constancy
   • Gender identity, then gender stability, then gender constancy
   • Gender constancy, then gender stability, then gender identity

6. A child of four says she will grow up to be a mother, but thinks she could become a father if she cut her hair short. Which stage of Kohlberg's theory is she at?

   • Post-constancy, because she understands all gender roles
   • Gender identity, because she can label herself a girl
   • Gender constancy, because she understands gender is fixed
   • Before gender constancy, with gender stability developing

7. What is a schema in Martin and Halverson's gender schema theory?

   • A physical structure in the brain that determines a child's gender
   • A set of chromosomes that determines sex
   • A set of rewards given by parents for gender-typed behaviour
   • A mental framework that organises information about what is male and female

8. What does Martin and Halverson's gender schema theory propose about children?

   • Children passively copy whatever they see adults do without any processing
   • Children form schemas only through direct physical punishment
   • Children actively process information about gender and use gender schemas to guide what they notice and remember
   • Children do not form any schemas until adolescence

9. How does gender schema theory explain the way children treat in-group and out-group members?

   • Children only have in-group schemas after the age of eleven
   • Children treat all people equally regardless of their gender schemas
   • Children use same-sex schemas to define in-group behaviour and may evaluate out-group behaviour less favourably
   • Children have no schemas for other people's gender

10. Which evaluation best describes Kohlberg's cognitive developmental theory?

    • It cannot be tested through any research method
    • It shows that gender is entirely fixed by biology with no role for cognition
    • It has been shown to be entirely accurate for every child in every culture
    • It emphasises children's active thinking, but the ages and the stages may vary between children

11. Why might Kohlberg's theory be criticised for its focus on cognition?

    • It assumes that cognition is irrelevant to every aspect of development
    • It relies on biological measures alone
    • It may underplay the role of social learning and of the environment in shaping gender development
    • It only uses data from adult participants

12. Which of these is a strength of gender schema theory?

    • It explains why children can show strong gender-typed behaviour without direct reinforcement
    • It is based on a single case study of one child
    • It proves that gender is entirely determined by chromosomes
    • It shows that children have no thinking role in gender development

13. A child learns that dolls are 'for girls' and then avoids them, even when offered by a friend who is a boy. Which theory best explains this?

    • Holism
    • Idiographic analysis
    • Hard determinism
    • Gender schema theory

14. Why would a child with a strong gender schema be more likely to notice gender-typed information?

    • Schemas direct attention and memory towards information that fits the child's existing understanding of gender
    • Schemas make children ignore all gender information entirely
    • Schemas are unrelated to attention and memory
    • Schemas only affect children's physical growth

15. What is a key difference between Kohlberg's theory and social learning theory of gender?

    • Kohlberg says gender is learned through reinforcement, while social learning says it is determined by chromosomes
    • Kohlberg says gender is irrelevant to development, while social learning says it is central
    • Kohlberg emphasises the child's active cognitive construction, while social learning emphasises observation and reinforcement
    • Kohlberg and social learning theory both say gender is fixed at birth

16. Which evaluation of gender schema theory is most appropriate?

    • It explains gender development without any reference to cognition
    • It has been rejected by every study that has examined children
    • It accounts for children's active thinking, but it can be hard to test directly and may not explain all differences
    • It proves that gender schemas are innate and cannot be changed by experience

17. A child who understands that a boy stays a boy even if he plays with dolls has most likely reached which stage?

    • Gender identity
    • Gender constancy
    • Gender stability
    • Gender labelling only

18. What is the main difference between gender identity and gender constancy in Kohlberg's theory?

    • Gender identity is labelling oneself as male or female, while gender constancy is understanding that gender stays the same across changes in appearance and activity
    • Gender identity and gender constancy are the same stage described in two ways
    • Gender identity appears in adulthood, while gender constancy appears in infancy
    • Gender identity is understanding that gender is fixed by chromosomes, while gender constancy is labelling oneself

19. Why might a child with gender stability still give answers that suggest gender constancy has not yet developed?

    • Children with gender stability never make any mistakes about gender
    • Gender stability develops only after gender constancy has been achieved
    • Stability and constancy are identical stages, so the child cannot differ
    • Stability means gender lasts over time, but the child may still believe that changing clothes or activities can change gender

20. Which statement gives the fairest assessment of gender schema theory?

    • It explains how children's own thinking shapes gender behaviour, though it is not always easy to test which schemas a child holds
    • It is a biological theory with no role for cognition
    • It shows that gender schemas are always fixed and cannot change with experience
    • It explains gender development without any reference to the child's thinking

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