Cognitive Development Theory

1. Cognitive Development Theory

2. KEY CONCEPTS • Cognitive Development Theory • We make conscious mental efforts to organize a chaotic world • We can only acquire information/behavior when our minds are ready to handle it. • Stages Of Development • Stage One (prior to 3 year old): external cues, gender is changeable, incapable of “conserving variance.” • Stage Two (3-4 years old): gender becomes an “organizing schema” • Stage Three (4-7 years old): children learn “gender constancy” and want to master gender behavior, modeling after similar and powerful adults • Stage Four (8 years and older): gender-role behavior becomes “right and good”

3. KEY CONCEPTS • Cognitive Development Theory • We make conscious mental efforts to organize a chaotic world • We can only acquire information/behavior when our minds are ready to handle it. • Stages Of Development • Stage One (prior to 3 year old): external cues, gender is changeable, incapable of “conserving variance” • Stage Two (3-4 years old): gender becomes an “organizing schema” • Stage Three (4-7 years old): children learn “gender constancy” and want to master gender behavior, modeling after similar and powerful adults • Stage Four (8 years and older): gender-role behavior becomes internalized, more “abstract,” and more flexible

4. KEY CONCEPTS • Cognitive Development Theory • We make conscious mental efforts to organize a chaotic world • We can only acquire information/behavior when our minds are ready to handle it. • Stages Of Development • Stage One (prior to 3 year old): external cues, gender is changeable, incapable of “conserving variance” • Stage Two (3-4 years old): gender becomes an “organizing schema” • self schema – gender identity • group schema – gender roles and statuses • event schema – workplace, domestic “abuse” • Stage Three (4-7 years old): children learn “gender constancy” and want to master gender behavior, modeling after similar and powerful adult • Stage Four (8 years and older): gender-role behavior becomes internalized, more “abstract,” and more flexible Schema: A set of interrelated ideas that guides and organizes the way an individual processes and makes sense of information

5. KEY CONCEPTS • Cognitive Development Theory • We make conscious mental efforts to organize a chaotic world • We can only acquire information/behavior when our minds are ready to handle it. • Stages Of Development • Stage One (prior to 3 year old): external cues, gender is changeable, incapable of “conserving variance” • Stage Two (3-4 years old): gender becomes an “organizing schema” • Stage Three (4-7 years old): children learn “gender constancy” and want to master gender behavior, models are similar & powerful adults • Problematic for girls because dads are powerful, but dissimilar. Powerful moms are similar, but not especially effeminate. • Stage Four (8 years and older): gender-role behavior becomes internalized, more “abstract,” and more flexible

6. KEY CONCEPTS • Cognitive Development Theory • We make conscious mental efforts to organize a chaotic world • We can only acquire information/behavior when our minds are ready to handle it. • Stages Of Development • Stage One (prior to 3 year old): external cues, gender is changeable, incapable of “conserving variance” • Stage Two (3-4 years old): gender becomes an “organizing schema” • Stage Three (4-7 years old): children learn “gender constancy” and want to master gender behavior, modeling after similar and powerful adults • Stage Four (8 years and older): gender-role behavior becomes internalized, more “abstract,” and more flexible

7. Gender Schema Theory

8. KEY CONCEPTS • Schema • A set of interrelated ideas that guides and organizes the way an individual processes and makes sense of information • Three types: self schema, group schema, and event schema • Habitus And Field • Habitus: subjective social processes . . . a set of acquired patterns of thought, behavior, and taste • Field: objective social processes . . . laws or systems of relationships that may constrain our behavior or attitudes • Gender Schema Theory • Gender identities are part of our habitus • Habitus is structured through interactions with our field • Fields change, but incompletely

9. KEY CONCEPTS • Schema • A set of interrelated ideas that guides and organizes the way an individual processes and makes sense of information • Three types: self schema, group schema, and event schema • Habitus And Field • Habitus: subjective social processes . . . a set of acquired patterns of thought, behavior, and taste • Field: objective social processes . . . laws or systems of relationships that may constrain our behavior or attitudes • Gender Schema Theory • Gender identities are part of our habitus • Habitus is structured through interactions with our field • Fields change, but incompletely

10. KEY CONCEPTS • Schema • A set of interrelated ideas that guides and organizes the way an individual processes and makes sense of information • Three types: self schema, group schema, and event schema • Habitus And Field • Habitus: subjective social processes . . . a set of acquired patterns of thought, behavior, and taste • Field: objective social processes . . . laws or systems of relationships that may constrain our behavior or attitudes • Gender Schema Theory • Gender identities are part of our habitus • Habitus is structured through interactions with our field • Fields change, but incompletely

11. KEY CONCEPTS • Schema • A set of interrelated ideas that guides and organizes the way an individual processes and makes sense of information • Three types: self schema, group schema, and event schema • Habitus And Field • Habitus: subjective social processes . . . a set of acquired patterns of thought, behavior, and taste • Field: objective social processes . . . laws or systems of relationships that may constrain our behavior or attitudes • Gender Schema Theory • Gender identities are part of our habitus • Habitus is structured through interactions with our field • Fields change, but incompletely

12. Does it matter if other people are around? Can we let her go to the bathroom outside?

13. Does location matter? Does the baby’s sex matter?

14. What happens if Wilma has two kids of different genders and Fred leaves? How is the addition of this building a change in field? How does it change the decisions that have to be made?