Deck 2: Theoretical Approaches to Gender Development

Question 1

Children learn who they are and what that means in their culture through interaction with parents,teachers,and friends.Through this,they learn gender roles for men and women and may internalize them.Which theory does this definition best describe?

A) cognitive development
B) social learning
C) psychodynamic (or psychoanalytic)
D) biological
E) symbolic interactionism

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following is/are true of queer theory?

A) Queer theory critiques what we consider to be normal and abnormal.
B) Queer theory applies to only gay people, not heterosexual people.
C) Queer theory focuses on sexuality as the most important identity marker.
D) Queer theory advocates for more defined identity categories.
E) All of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is generally true?

A) Most women use only the right lobe of their brain.
B) Most men use only the left lobe of their brain.
C) Most men's brains are more highly integrated than most women's brains.
D) A and B
E) None of the above

Answer 3

E

Question 4

According to psychodynamic theorists,gender identity becomes fixed early in life.

Question 5

Biological theory suggests that men and women's brains are formed and develop differently,resulting in different behaviors and characteristics.

Question 6

At age 3,Bonnie realizes she is female and she wants to become skilled at being a girl. She begins to watch her mother and older sister and to model her behaviors after theirs. Bonnie's efforts to learn how to act feminine are best explained by which theory?

A) cognitive development
B) social learning
C) psychodynamic (or psychoanalytic)
D) biological
E) both B and C

Question 7

Queer theory states that identity categories are limiting and meaningless.

Question 8

When parents who seek to promote traditional gendered behaviors in their children reward tomboys for wearing frilly dresses or punish effeminate boys for playing with Barbies,they are assuming which theory of gender?

A) biological theory
B) psychodynamic theory
C) social learning theory
D) symbolic interaction theory
E) standpoint theory

Question 9

According to standpoint theory,all perspectives on social life are equally insightful.

Question 10

The best way to explain sex and gender is through interpersonal and cultural theories.

Question 11

Performative theory says that gender is not a thing we have,but is instead a thing we do.

Question 12

Parents' roles in children's gender development are seen as unimportant by cognitive development theory.

Question 13

Kate explains,"When I was a little girl,I always wanted to be outside playing and getting dirty.However,my mom dressed me in fussy clothes with lots of ruffles and bows,and dressy shoes that were hard to play in.If I did manage to go outside and I got my clothes and shoes dirty,my mom would be upset with me.I hated wearing those clothes,but I saw how happy it made my mom when I wore them and kept them clean,so I kept on wearing them."

A) social learning theory
B) cognitive development theory
C) queer theory
D) symbolic interactionism
E) standpoint theory

Question 14

Gender schema theory claims that by the age of two,children use the concept of gender to organize their understandings.

Question 15

Research into female hormones asserts that

A) estrogen causes women's bodies to produce "good" cholesterol and to make blood vessels flexible.
B) estrogen strengthens the immune system, making women less susceptible to immune disorders, infections, and viruses.
C) estrogen causes more fat tissue to form around a woman's hips, providing cushioning for a fetus during pregnancy.
D) estrogen causes the liver to process alcohol more slowly, making women quicker to feel the effects of alcohol.
E) all of the above

Question 16

According to psychodynamic theories,the first relationship we have fundamentally influences how we define our gender identity.

Question 17

According to standpoint theory

A) people with the most social privilege are most likely to develop an oppositional stance toward existing power structures.
B) people who are privileged in some ways but disadvantaged in others are most likely to develop an oppositional stance toward existing power structures.
C) people with the least social privilege are most likely to develop an oppositional stance toward existing power structures.
D) no group is more likely than another to develop an oppositional stance toward existing power structures.

Question 18

David is a stay-at-home father of two young daughters who attends a "mommy and me" playgroup for young children and their caregivers.He is the only male caregiver to attend the group.According to standpoint theory,which statement(s)best explain(s)this scenario?

A) As members of different genders, David and the female caregivers have developed different ways of thinking about parenting, different techniques for parenting, and different skills for parenting.
B) David and the mothers' viewpoints are limited and partial.
C) David may view parenting differently from the mothers' perspectives based on their different standpoints.
D) It would be possible for David and the mothers in the group to work to understand the others' standpoints.
E) All of the above

Question 19

Men and women have hormonal cycles that can affect their behavior.

Question 20

Biological theory says that genes,hormones,and brain structure are the basis of gender difference.

Question 21

Gender schema

Question 22

What does it mean to say that gender should be viewed as a verb,not a noun? How is gender social? Finally,what are the implications of such claims? Your response should be grounded in performative theory about gender.

Question 23

Psychodynamic theory

Question 24

Queer theory

Question 25

Using an example from your own life or experience,describe an example of social learning theory in action.Be sure to give sufficient detail from the theory and your experience.

Question 26

Four-year-old Caroline and seven-year-old Jenny are sisters who live and have been raised in the United States.Jenny plays a game in which she is a mother and her stuffed animals are her children.Jenny hugs them and pretends to carefully feed them.Later,young Caroline repeats the same hugging and feeding behaviors with her dolls.Caroline's mother sees this and states,"Caroline,someday you'll be a good mommy." How would anthropological theory of gender explain Caroline's behaviors? How would cognitive development theory explain Caroline's behaviors? Make sure you address "maternal instinct" in your answer.

Question 27

Social learning theory suggests that children actively seek to perform their gender correctly.

Question 28

Symbolic interaction theory

Question 29

The author of your textbook notes that "Using the term man to describe Zac Efron,Barack Obama,and Kanye West obscures the very different ways that these three people enact their identities as men." Using queer theory,explain what the author means by this statement.How can there be so much variation in a word like man.How is a label like this seen by queer theorists?

Question 30

Social learning theory

Question 31

Cognitive development theory

Question 32

Biological theories attribute some aspects of masculinity and femininity to the differences between male and female bodies.Yet,the author of your textbook notes that biological differences between women and men are quite small and do not explain most behavioral differences.How should the relationship between biology and gender be understood?