Cognitive developmental theory - Kohlberg
Evaluation of Slaby and Frey
- Done in 1975 so only has temperal validity as it was highly stereotypical then - Young children are also hard to assess - subjective measurement as assessing behaviours so might be bias to the researcher.
Evaluation of Kuhn et al
- Good sample sized used so more reliable - Only holds temperal validity because in 1978 society was very stereotypical (e.g Dad went to work, Mum stayed at home) - Could be seen as critical to Kohlberg as the children were only 2 and 3, where as Kohlberg states they should be 4.5. - It's also hard to get information from a 2 year old.
Evaluation of Kohlberg
-Lacks objectivity as it was his own research -Only middle class children were used so not representative of the population - Good sample size - more reliable - used a highly recognisable IQ test so more objective
Kohlberg (1967)
64 children aged 4-8 were given intelligence tests and divided into average and bright groups. The brighter children were more advanced in age trends of sex role attitude development. Therefore this study shows that the sex role develops as we develop intellectually as the more intelligent children were ahead in gender development.
Slaby and Frey (1975)
Assessed 2-5 year olds for gender constancy and then placed them in a high or low group. They were then shown a film of a male and female. Those in the higher groups showed a greater tendency to attend to same-sex model.
Stage 1
Basic Gender identity (2-3.5 years) - Children understand the label or boy or girl but believe they can easily change between each one.
Stage 3
Gender Constancy (4.5 - 7+ years) - The child now realises that gender stays the same over time and different situations. Once the child has gender constancy they are then able to show sex-typed behavior.
Stage 2
Gender Stability (3.5 - 4.5 years) - They understand that gender stays the same over time but believe it can change in different situations. E.g. They believe if a boy wears a dress he becomes a girl.
Kuhn et al (1978)
He assessed the beliefs of 72 2-3 year olds and found that 2 year olds do possess knowledge of sex role stereotypes. he found there was a positive correlation of 0.85 between knowledge of stereotypes and gender being irreversible. Therefore the more they understood gender characteristics the more they realised it was life long.
Kohlberg
Kohlberg believed that as a child gets older their ability to understand gender becomes more sophisticated. Therefore he also believed you get a sense of who you are and then begin to copy stereotypes.
IDA - Nature vs Nurture
Kohlberg believed that thoughts develop based on physical maturation of the brain therefore the theory believes believes gender is nature. However he may have overestimated Nature as children pick up from the environment which may have caused heir understanding to develop. It is also difficult to prove as to do this a child would need to be brought up in a gender free society.
Ruble, Balaban and Cooper (1981)
Preschoolers placed in high or low gender constancy groups and toy commercials for boys and girls.The TV advert had more effect on the attitudes and behaviours of those in the higher groups.
Cognitive developmental theory
This looks at the thought process's in a child's brain and how they develop over time.
