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THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (2):The Behavioral Approach

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
Lesson 10
THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (2)
The Behavioral Approach
Recap
The Biological approach
Strong and weak points
The Behaviorist or Learning Approach
Background
According to this approach all behavior and personality is a result of learning. Where the biological approach
emphasizes "nature", the behavioral approach stresses upon "nurture".Early behaviorists, like Skinner,
emphasized the importance of reinforcement
Later on, in addition to reward and punishment, the significance of other variables like the social context,
observation, modeling, and imitation were also included in behaviorism, that led to the social learning approach
According to the behavioral approach, learning of gender roles can be explained in terms of a result of:
·  Classical conditioning
·  Operant Conditioning or the use of reinforcement: positive, negative, punishment, or no
reinforcement
·  Learning by observation
The behaviorists maintain that gender ­role associated behaviors are learnt and not innate, just like any other
cultural patterns. They are shaped by reinforcement (Guerin, 1992).
Children's upbringing is designed in such a way that they are steered toward learning specific, socially desired
gender roles.
Children, right from birth, receive different treatment (Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974; Pomerlau et al, 1990).
This difference may increase in later years in childhood and can be seen in childcare settings, as well as in home
(Chick et al, 2002; Huston, 1986).
The very fact that we can find variations in gender roles across cultures indicates the existence of different
treatments (Gibbons, 2000).
But if different treatments are the cause of gender differences then how did this difference start in first place?
Can it be that there were small innate differences that were amplified after different treatment?
Classical Conditioning
Every time a child sees the parent of the same sex as his/her own, he/she is seen as wearing a particular type of
clothes, using fixed type of gestures, and using a particular style of communication. This forms a type of
association which leads to adoption of gender roles. But a stronger and more plausible explanation is the one
based upon operant conditioning.
Operant Conditioning
The type of learning in which a voluntary response becomes stronger or weaker depending on its positive or
negative consequences.The organism plays an active role and `operates' on environment to produce the desired
outcome. Now why would an organism operate on the environment? To meet, as well as avoid, certain
consequences--------reinforcement in other words.
C o n s e q u e n c e s o f B e h a v io r
P o s it iv e
consequence
B e h a v io r
N e g a tiv e
consequence
No
consequence
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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
The various consequences of behavior have different impacts on the behavior under question.
Consequences of Behavior and their impact
Figure: 1
Positive
reinforcement
Response/
Behavior
Response
will be
repeated
Figure:2
Response/
Negative
Behavior
reinforcement
Response
will be
repeated
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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
Figure: 3
Response/
Punishment
Behavior
Response
will not be
repeated
Figure: 4
No
Response/
reinforcement
Behavior
Response
will not be
repeated
Consequences of behavior and learning gender roles:
Figure: 1
Positive
Response
reinforcement
(Son copying father)
(appreciation)
Response
will be
repeated
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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
Figure: 2
No
Response
reinforcement
(boy likes
(nobody pays
washing his
clothes)
attention)
Response
will not be
repeated
Figure: 3
Negative
Response
reinforcement
(girl works in kitchen)
(avoids harsh
treatment)
Response
will be
repeated
Figure: 4
Response
(S on playing with
Punishment
dolls)
(ridiculed/scolded)
Response
will not be
repeated
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION:Common misconception, Some questions to ponder
  2. FEMINIST MOVEMENT:Forms or Varieties of Feminism, First wave feminists
  3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:Functionalism, Psychoanalytic Psychology:
  4. Gender- related Research:Andocentricity, Overgeneralizing, Gender Blindness
  5. RESEARCH METHODS FOR GENDER ISSUES:The Procedure of Content Analysis
  6. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:Limitations Of Quantitative Research
  7. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERSHormones and Chromosomes
  8. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERS: HORMONES AND NERVOUS SYSTEM
  9. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT:The Biological Approach,
  10. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (2):The Behavioral Approach
  11. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (3):The Cognitive Approach
  12. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (3):Psychoanalytic Feminism
  13. OTHER APPROACHES:The Humanistic Approach, Cultural Influences
  14. GENDER TYPING AND STEREOTYPING:Development of sex-typing
  15. GENDER STEREOTYPES:Some commonly held Gender Stereotypes
  16. Developmental Stages of Gender Stereotypes:Psychoanalytic Approach, Hostile sexism
  17. CULTURAL INFLUENCE & GENDER ROLES:Arapesh, Mundugumor
  18. DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER ROLE IDENTIFICATION:Gender Role Preference
  19. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY:GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BULLYING
  20. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY:GENDER, AFFILIATION AND FRIENDSHIP
  21. COGNITIVE DIFFERENCES:Gender Differences in I.Q, Gender and Verbal Ability
  22. GENDER AND MEDIA:Print Media and Portrayal of Genders
  23. GENDER AND EMOTION:The components of Emotions
  24. GENDER, EMOTION, & MOTIVATION:Affiliation, Love, Jealousy
  25. GENDER AND EDUCATION:Impact of Educational Deprivation
  26. GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT:Informal Work
  27. GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT (2):Glass-Ceiling Effect
  28. GENDER, WORK & RELATED ISSUES:Sexual Harassment at Workplace
  29. GENDER AND VIOLENCE:Domestic Violence, Patriarchal terrorism
  30. GENDER AND HEALTH:The Significance of Women’s Health
  31. GENDER, HEALTH, AND AGING:Genetic Protection, Behavioral Factors
  32. GENDER, HEALTH, AND AGING:Physiological /Biological Effects, Changes in Appearance
  33. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN AGING:Marriage and Loneliness, Empty Nest Syndrome
  34. GENDER AND HEALTH PROMOTING BEHAVIORS:Fitness and Exercise
  35. GENDER AND HEALTH PROMOTING BEHAVIOR:The Classic Alameda County Study
  36. GENDER AND HEART DISEASE:Angina Pectoris, The Risk factors in CHD
  37. GENDER AND CANCER:The Trend of Mortality Rates from Cancer
  38. GENDER AND HIV/AIDS:Symptoms of AIDS, Mode of Transmission
  39. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FEMALES’ REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
  40. OBESITY AND WEIGHT CONTROL:Consequences of Obesity, Eating Disorders
  41. GENDER AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:Gender, Stress and Coping
  42. GENDER AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:The Diagnostic Criteria
  43. GENDER AND PSYCHOTHERAPY:Traditional Versus Feminist Theory
  44. FEMINIST THERAPY:Changes targeted at societal level
  45. COURSE REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF NEW AVENUES FOR RESEARCH IN GENDER ISSUES