Outline and Evaluate the Social Learning Theory of Gender Development

Social learning theory acknowledges the role that social context pays in gender development, stating that all behaviour is learnt through observation of others. Drawing particular attention to the nature side of the nature vs nurture debate in shaping a persons gender such as the influence of parents, teachers, peers etc. This contrast to Kohlberg’s theory who believed that gender development is purely influenced by a person’s nature rather than their nurturing so everyone will go through the same process in order to form their gender. A way of the child learning their gender is through direct reinforcement, parents are likely to reinforce children for showing gender appropriate behaviour, children are then likely to imitate these behaviours that they have been reinforced to do so. The way in which girls and boys are encouraged to show distinct gender appropriate behaviour is called differential reinforcement, it is through this that a child learns their gender identity. Another way a child is reinforced is through indirect (vicarious) reinforcement which is when a child observes someone else's behaviour are if the consequences are favourable they’re likely to imitate this behaviour. However, if the consequences are unfavourable they are less likely to repeat this behaviour.

Children tend to attach to a person they is said to be like them or someone they want to be, this person will possess qualities that the child desires and see’s as rewarding. These people are known as role models which the child will find either in the child's immediate environments such as a parent or through the media such as a sports player, the role models tend to be the same sex as the child. The child models the behaviour which is the precise demonstration of the behaviour that is imitated.

Finally, social learning theorists suggests that there a four meditational processes that are central the the learning of gender behaviour, these are attention, retention, reproduction and motivation. These are the processes that the child must go through in order to produce a behaviour that they have observed.

In terms of evaluation, a strength of the social learning theory is that it has supporting evidence. A study carried out by Smith and Lloyd which involved 4-6 month old babies, half the time they wore boys clothes and the other half of the time they wore girls clothes irrespective of their biological sex. They were then presented to adults and it was observed that the babies dressed in boys clothes were given hammer shaped rattles and were praised for active and adventurous behaviour where in comparison the babies dressed as girls