PSY 2105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Gender Dysphoria, Y Chromosome, Margaret Mead
20 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
PSY2105A
Dr. Isabelle Boutet
1. Chap 16: Gender-Role Development
07.06.18
Chap 16 p 632-652
Sex differentiation: biological process through which physical differences btwn sexes emerge
Gender role (stereotype): a pattern of set of behaviours considered appropriate for males or females within a
particular culture
Gender identity: an individual’s sense of being male or female; doesn’t relate to sexual identity
Sexual identity: individual’s labelling of self as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual
Sexual orientation: what is erotically attractive to an individual, usually consistent with sexual identity
Gender Differences – focus on differences btwn males and females on average; difference within each sex is larger
than difference btwn males and females
Proven Gender Differences
Physical Characteristics
females reach developmental milestones earlier than males
Boys are stronger but girls have better gross and fine motor skills
Language abilities
Female infants make sounds earlier, use words sooner, and size of their early vocabulary is bigger
In school, females achieve higher scores in reading and writing
Males are more likely to suffer from language difficulties including stuttering
Spatial abilities – males repeatedly outperform females in tasks involve spatial abilities
Aggression – boys are more often the aggressors and victims of aggression (physical); girls use indirect forms of
aggression i.e verbal aggression
Compliance – girls are more likely to comply to demands of parents and adults
Coping style – females seek social support in distress; males use vigorous play, distraction, and physical activity
Mythical Gender Differences
Sociability – boys and girls spend as much time with others, no diffs in the need for love and attachment
Males and females are equally capable of nurturance and helping others; parenting is the same
Suggestibility and conformity – no difference in suggestibility and tendency to conform to standards of a peer
group
Verbal aggressiveness – boys and girls engage equally in verbal aggression but use different approaches
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
More difficult to measure verbal aggression (females)
Biological Influences on Gender Development
Genetic Influences – females are XX and males are XY
XY and XX at about 4 wks after fertilization – external appearance of human fetal genitalia; internal
appearance of bipotential gonads; sex chromosomes have no influence on fertilized egg
XY at 6 wks – certain Y chromosome genes are responsible for conversion of bipotential gonads into testes
XX at 10-12 wks – a portion of the bipotential gonads become the ovaries (internal)
Subsequent develop of genitalia is determined by hormones
oAndrogens – secreted by testes
XY ~5mnths cause testes to grow and external organs to develop as a male (penis and
scrotal sac)
Absence of androgens in XX cause internal and external sex organs develop as females
oTestosterone – secreted mainly by testes and ovaries
Exposure to testosterone prenatal or during puberty can have an influence on gender
development
Hormonal Abnormalities in Gender Development
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia: autosomal recessive disorder, adrenal glands produce unusually high levels of
androgens; most common cause of genital ambiguity in the newborn
XX – ovaries and normal internal sex organs but external organs develop in a masculine direction
(prominent clitoris); display gender role behaviours that are more similar to those of boys
Alpha reductase deficiency: X-linked genetic defect compromised production of testosterone and compromised
virilization of the male embryo
XY – internal sex characteristics are male but external sex characteristics are female
oIndividuals are often raised as girls and develop a female gender identity
oSome may develop a male gender identity, and can present with apparent gender incongruence
Brain Lateralization in Gender Development – certain tasks are undertaken in one part of the brain i.e language
and speech processes in left hemisphere, spatial tasks right hemisphere
Some evidence that men are more lateralized – left and right hemisphere function more independently
oMen show to use one side of the brain much more than the other
Testosterone may affect the brain by slowing down the development of the left side of the brain in males
oMay explain why females are more efficient with language
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Dr. isabelle boutet: chap 16: gender-role development. Sex differentiation: biological process through which physical differences btwn sexes emerge. Gender role (stereotype): a pattern of set of behaviours considered appropriate for males or females within a particular culture. Gender identity: an individual"s sense of being male or female; doesn"t relate to sexual identity. Sexual identity: individual"s labelling of self as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. Sexual orientation: what is erotically attractive to an individual, usually consistent with sexual identity. Gender differences focus on differences btwn males and females on average; difference within each sex is larger than difference btwn males and females. Females reach developmental milestones earlier than males. Boys are stronger but girls have better gross and fine motor skills. Female infants make sounds earlier, use words sooner, and size of their early vocabulary is bigger. In school, females achieve higher scores in reading and writing. Males are more likely to suffer from language difficulties including stuttering.
