Deck 5: Sex-Related Comparisons Theory

Question 1

Why are gender researchers often uncomfortable with biological explanations for sex differences?

Answer 1

Biological explanations sound deterministic, implying that men and women were "meant to be different." The assumption is that biology cannot change. However, biological influences interact with environmental forces.

Question 2

CAH is a condition in which fetuses are exposed in utero to high levels of androgens. Are there implications of CAH for cognitive and social domains for girls and boys?

Answer 2

The implications are much stronger for girls than boys. CAH girls show more traditionally masculine interests and toy preferences. There is also some linkage of CAH in girls to enhanced spatial skills.

Question 3

If a sex difference is found in a brain activation for a particular cognitive or social ability, does this explain why there is a sex difference in that cognitive or social ability?

Answer 3

Not necessarily. The same level of performance can be achieved in different ways. It is also the case that the brain is malleable and that activation is occurring in response to performance as opposed to being the cause of the performance.

Question 4

What is the evolutionary theory explanation for sex differences in sexual behavior?

Question 5

What is meant by the phrase "reproduction of mothering" in Chodorow's theory?

Question 6

According to observational learning, will children imitate any adult?

Question 7

In what ways do parents treat boys and girls differently?

Question 8

How does the homophily amplification hypothesis explain peer influence?

Question 9

Give an example of a television show that displays more traditional gender roles and an example of a television show that displays less traditional gender roles.

Question 10

Consider the results of one of the meta-analyses that you read about in Chapter 4. Identify two theories from chapter 5 that best describe the findings.

Question 11

Review the Deaux and Major model at the end of Chapter 5. Consider an interaction between a male applicant (target) for a nurse position with a female interviewer (perceiver). Go through each of the boxes and describe a hypothetical interaction. Use the labels A through J.

Question 12

Imagine that siblings, Marlene and Jeffrey, have the same aptitude in English. When they graduate from high school, Marlene decides to become a creative writing major and Jeffrey decides to major in engineering. Identify 5 specific things that parents could have done/said that led to this outcome.

Question 13

You meet a person for the first time. How could you determine whether this person is gender schematic or gender aschematic?

Question 14

What evidence did Whiting and Edward's (1988) cross-cultural study provide for social role theory?

Question 15

According to Deaux and Major, there are 3 determinants of sex differences in any given interaction. What are they and describe their influence?

Question 16

Which of the following is true about hormones?

A) Men only possess androgens
B) Women only possess estrogens
C) Men and women both have androgens and estrogens
D) a & b are both correct

Question 17

Which of the following is true about congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)?

A) Girls with CAH have worse spatial reasoning than girls without CAH
B) Girls with CAH have better spatial reasoning than girls without CAH
C) Boys with CAH have better spatial reasoning than boys without CAH
D) CAH has negative effects on spatial reasoning for both boys and girls

Question 18

Based on the behaviors associated with testosterone, who is the most likely to have the highest levels of testosterone?

A) Miguel, who is winning an arm wrestling competition
B) Zack, who is losing the arm wrestling competition
C) Chad, a bystander to the arm wrestling competition
D) Andrew, who empathizes with Zack

Question 19

What is a common objection to biological theories of sex differences?

A) Biological theories do not account for those who do not fall within binary gender norms
B) Any biological differences found between men and women will be used to justify women's inferiority in society
C) Biological theories only explain differences in brain anatomy, not the behavior that results as a function of anatomy
D) Biological theories come from studies that are biased by the sex of the researcher

Question 20

Which of the following best describes the psychobiosocial model of sex differences?

A) Sex differences stem from mostly genetics (nature) rather than the environment (nurture)
B) Sex differences stem from mostly the environment (nurture) rather than genetics (nature)
C) Biological differences may exist, but can be greatly influenced by the environment
D) The environment is the only factor influencing sex differences

Question 21

Which of the following about family violence is true?

A) The primary motive people have for killing their spouses is finances
B) The husband's age is a better predictor than the wife's age for the chances of the wife being murdered
C) Biological parents are more likely to kill their children than stepparents.
D) More homicides within families occur between spouses that are not genetically related than between blood relatives

Question 22

Evolutionary theory has a _______________ tone, but is really _____________ with environmental factors.

A) interactionistic; deterministic
B) deterministic; interactionistic
C) adaptive; culturalistic
D) culturalistic; adaptive

Question 23

Which theory was Sigmund Freud most well-known for?

A) Psychobiosocial theory
B) Evolutionary theory
C) Social learning theory
D) Psychoanalytic theory

Question 24

Which of the following is not true about Karen Horney?

A) She believed that social forces rather than biology influenced the development of gender identity
B) Girls' penis envy reflects a desire for men's power and status in society
C) Men envy other men
D) Men perceive women as inferior in order to elevate their own status

Question 25

According to Chodorow, how do boys come to define masculinity?

A) Not being like their mothers
B) Being like their fathers
C) Identifying via their relationships with others
D) Competing with their siblings for the mother's attention

Question 26

In which of the following situations is observational learning least likely to increase?

A) Timmy, who watches Superman being awarded for defeating Lex Luthor, a villain
B) Alessandra, who watches a TV show where the male bully is punished
C) Kate, who reads a book where the daughter is jokingly chastised by the mother
D) John, who sees his father shake hands with a client of his

Question 27

"Children learn behavior inside the home but then test it on others outside the home to see if it is going to be accepted or rejected," best describes which theory?

A) Group socialization
B) Group polarization
C) Peer influence theory
D) Observation-reinforcement theory

Question 28

Which of the following situations best describes the homophily amplification hypothesis?

A) George has more male than female friends, but likes to play with dolls
B) Darla has more male than female friends, and likes to play with tanks
C) Carlos has more male than female friends and enjoys playing violent video games
D) Katie has more female than male friends and hosts tea parties with her stuffed animals

Question 29

Which of the following is not part of the "heterosexual script?"

A) Sexual double standards
B) Courtship
C) Workplace double standards
D) Commitment attitudes

Question 30

According to social role theory, why are men more agentic and women more communal?

A) The way labor is divided between men and women in society
B) The inequalities that exist in the workplace
C) Children observe their same-sex parent's behavior
D) Children observe the gender-roles of people they encounter outside the home

Question 31

What has cross-cultural research shown in regard to social role theory?

A) Communal cultures show that women are even more communal in what are considered to be female roles
B) Wealthier nations are more accepting of masculine behavior in girls.
C) When men and women's social roles are similar, sex differences increase
D) The type of culture one is raised in does not affect the social role taken on as an adult

Question 32

________________ states that the acquisition of gender roles takes place in the child's head.

A) Psychoanalytic theory
B) Cognitive development theory
C) Gender self-socialization model
D) Social cognitive theory

Question 33

Which of the following statements is true about cognitive development theory?

A) Learning occurs mainly from what a child sees, but is influenced by reinforcement and conditioning
B) Learning occurs from an equal combination of how children organize what they see and conditioning
C) Learning occurs solely from reinforcement and conditioning
D) Learning does not occur from reinforcement or conditioning

Question 34

According to Kohlberg, which is the correct order of cognitive development?

A) Gender identity $\rightarrow$ formation of sex-typed behavior $\rightarrow$ gender constancy
B) Formation of sex-typed behavior $\rightarrow$ gender identity $\rightarrow$ gender constancy
C) Gender identity $\rightarrow$ gender constancy $\rightarrow$ formation of sex-typed behavior
D) Gender constancy $\rightarrow$ gender identity $\rightarrow$ formation of sex-typed behavior

Question 35

If someone is gender aschematic

A) they are automatically androgynous
B) they are definitely not androgynous
C) they are cross-sex typed
D) none of the above

Question 36

Which of the following is not a determinant of whether a sex difference in behavior is displayed according to Deaux and Major's model?

A) the perceiver's past reactions
B) the perceiver's expectancies
C) the situation
D) the target's self-concept

Question 37

Which of the following contribute to biological sex?

A) Gonads
B) Hormones
C) External genitalia
D) All of the above

Question 38

In the story about Bruce Reimer being raised as a girl, what happened?

A) he came to identify as being female
B) he rejected a female identity
C) he became gender aschematic
D) he was androgynous

Question 39

According to Nancy Chodorow, what would have to happen for gender roles to change?

A) women would have to be provided with greater opportunities in the work place
B) men would have to become more involved in childcare
C) parents would have to treat children more equally
D) women would have to take full-time rather than part-time jobs

Question 40

Models of aggression in males can be found in:

A) movies
B) television
C) video games
D) all of the above

Question 41

The Global Early Adolescent study showed:

A) in most countries, boys and girls are treated the same
B) boys are typically granted more freedom than girls across cultures
C) girls are encouraged to pursue boys
D) none of the above

Question 42

Normative male alexithymia refers to the idea that:

A) boys have difficulty expressing emotions
B) boys are unaware of their emotions
C) some boys are hypersensitive to others
D) it is good for boys to be in touch with their emotions