Explanations of Gender Development (AQA A Level Psychology)

Beatrix is three years old. At her nursery, there are lots of toys to play with but Beatrix nearly always chooses to play with the dolls and the toy kitchen. When she comes home from nursery she tells her mother about other girls at nursery but hardly ever mentions any of the boys.

Use your knowledge of gender schema theory to explain Beatrix’s behaviour at nursery and at home.

Outline social learning theory as an explanation for gender development.

Explain one strength of social learning theory as an explanation for gender development.

Outline and evaluate Kohlberg’s theory of gender development

Olga and Frank are talking about their five-year-old son, Donny.

Olga says, “Remember when he was very little and he used to say he would be a mummy when he grew up?”

Frank replies, “Now look at him at the playground. He only plays with tractors and wants to be ‘a tractor man’. He has no interest in watching his sister and the other girls. He concentrates on what the other boys are doing and why.”

Use your knowledge of cognitive explanations for gender development to explain the comments made by Olga and Frank.

Outline and briefly discuss Freud’s theory of the Oedipus complex as an explanation for gender development in boys.