In: Psychology
Reinforcement and Punishment
Social learning theory postulates that gender development is influenced by social environment, which includes the media. An individual’s gender-related behavior is either reinforced or punished during the development period based on the existing social beliefs and standards.
The following assignment will help you examine gender development from the perspective of both boys and girls based on today’s culture and with a look toward future trends.
Using the module readings, the online library resources, and the Internet, research social learning theory and gender development during childhood.
Applying the tenets of the social learning theory, explain the role of reinforcement and punishment in gender-related behaviors for boys and girls. Address the following:
Identify 3–5 examples of gender-related behaviors that are developed through reinforcement or punishment. Be sure to provide a balanced view for boys and girls, and select examples which apply to the development of both boys and girls.
Explain, in detail, how these behaviors have been shaped by reinforcement and punishment.
Describe your own experiences with reinforcement and punishment of gender-related behaviors.
Comment on the following:
Explain the role of popular culture in the development of reinforcements and punishments.
Describe what reinforcements and punishments might look like in the future, given current societal trends.
Support your assertions using valid research. Be sure to integrate a reflection of your personal experiences and examples throughout your paper.
Gender related behaviors or gender stereotypes are generalizations about the gender appropriate behaviours, differences, and roles of individuals and/or groups. While Stereotypes can be positive or negative, they rarely communicate accurate information about the other gender and always involve expectations from people to fit in a a predicting frame of beliefs and action patterns merely on the basis of their gender rather than their actual ability, skills, etc.
According to the behavioral approach, gender related behaviors are acquired through classical learning gender norms based on reinforcement and punishment mechanisms as well as imitation or social learning. Osme examples of gender related behaviours which get established through rewards and punishment are as follows:
- It is often seen that girls are scorned by their parents form climbing trees, or lifting heavy objects, while their brother’s may be encouraged and even rewarded for doing ‘hevay’ Or more physically demanding work. Such actions on part of the parents leads to a learning of gender stereotype about females being physically less stronger And inequipped to handle manual labour compared to the young male members. This may lead to learning that lifting heavy objects is a “man’s job”
The second example presents a corollary of the former example. Learning of Gender stereotypes is also reinforced in instances where a boy who tries to help his mother in the kitchen, is asked by her to leave and go play outside instead. This can positively reinforce the behavior that domestic works are made for women, not men and men can expect positive rewards in the form of leisure time more than women in the household environment.
A harsher instance of learning gender related behaviours based on punishment can be seen when young boys are ridiculed for crying and are discouraged from expressing their feelings and told that crying is expected from girls instead. Such negative criticism leads them to associate crying with weakness and they learn on a reinforcement contingency of punishment that crying is not a gender appropriate behaviour for them.
Fourthly, gender specific behaviours can be seen exceptionally clearly in the gender specific social activities that are organised for young boys and girls. The boy scout and the girls scout groups in the United States represent a tradition of socialisation of young boys into adult Male world where they are trained in acquiring practical skills in a group environment. However, there is a distinct gender division in this world as boys are reinforced to enhance their performance in competitive sports, outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, rock climbing, etc, while girls learn more of domestic skills related to cooking, baking, etc and these ultimately lead to a learning that ‘practical knowledge for females entails ‘running the kitchen’ while practical knowledge for being a male member of society means being ‘strong’ and ‘outdoorsy’.