PSYC 3480 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Observational Learning, Menstrual Cycle, Performativity
Document Summary
Process that includes how children acquire their knowledge about gender and how they develop their gender-related personality characteristics, preferences, skills, behaviors, and self-concepts. Some important biological components of gender such as the sex organs develop during the prenatal period, the time before birth. Our culture then conveys many messages about gender during infancy, the period between birth and 18 months of life. At conception, an egg with 23 chromosomes combines with a sperm, which also has 23 chromosomes. Together, they form a single cell that contains 23 chromosome pairs. The 23rd pair is called the sex chromosomes; these are the chromosomes that determine whether the embryo will be genetically female or male. In typical prenatal sex development, the other 22 chromosome pairs determine all the additional physiological and psychological characteristics. Female and male embryos differ in their chromosomes. However, until about 6 weeks after conception, female and male embryos are virtually identical in all other characteristics.
