5 2 2014 PSYC 2101 Notes Microsoft OneNote Web App Chapter 11 Gender and Behavior Monday April 21 2014 2 35 PM Sex biologically based differences between males and females Gender male female differences that are learned or socialized Gender roles stereotypes widely held beliefs about males and females abilities personality traits and social behavior Transgender individuals those whose appearance and or behaviors do not conform to traditional gender roles based on one s biological sex Gender Stereotypes Very consistent cross culturally Stereotypes for males instrumentality I orientation toward action and accomplishment Stereotypes for females expressiveness E orientation toward emotion and relationships Environmental Factors other men is right others Gender Role Expectations Men 5 key attributes to the male role 1 Achievement high status win at sports beat out 2 Aggression be tough fight for what one believes 3 Autonomy self reliant and not dependent upon 4 Sexuality heterosexuals motivated to pursue sexual activity and conquests 5 Stoicism no expression of physical or emotional pain calm cool collected https onedrive live com edit aspx resid 7AF35F2B369F2BE4 1552 cid 7af35f2b369f2be4 app OneNote wdo 2 1 8 5 2 2014 PSYC 2101 Notes Microsoft OneNote Web App Gender Role Expectations Women The Marriage Mandate and Motherhood Mandate Focus heterosexual success learning how to attract and interest males as prospective mates Role expectations are changing but leave women stuck between the drive for a satisfying job and family life Alternatives to Traditional Gender Roles Androgyny having both masculine and feminine personality traits Bem 1975 androgynous individuals experiece less restrictive constraints on their behavior and can function more flexibly Bem Androgyny test Gender Role Transcendence argues we should move past gender role labels altogether Should use gender neutral terms such as instrumental and expressive to describe personality and behaviors Cultural Interactions with Gender Despite the general agreement on many stereotypes variability does occur Example 1 Although Stereotypes result in men being considered to have higher status Stereotypes for African American males and females are more similar on dimensions of competence and expressiveness than those for white American males and females Example 2 Stereotypes of white and Hispanic women are more positive than those for African American women Gender Roles Stereotypes Boundaries between male and female gender roles have become less rigid https onedrive live com edit aspx resid 7AF35F2B369F2BE4 1552 cid 7af35f2b369f2be4 app OneNote wdo 2 2 8 5 2 2014 PSYC 2101 Notes Microsoft OneNote Web App Gender is viewed more on a continuum However the traditional male sterotype is still seen as more complimentary Androcentrism belief that maleness is the norm and is favorable Masculinity is associated with higher status and greater competence In theory it has become more acceptable for women to act and appear more masculine Women have greater role flexibility What the Research Says about Gender Differences Not clear cut things are complex Meta analytic studies combines statistical results of many studies of the same type question Gives an estimate of the effect size and consistency of finding Gender similarities hypothesis men and women are similar on most psyhchological variables when differences exist they are small Controversial Unclear if differences are due to environment or biology Cognitive Abilities No differences in overall intelligence However there are subtle differences on specific cognitive abilities Verbal Abilities differences are small Females speak sooner have large vocabularies better reading scores Males do better on verbal analogies more likely to stutter or be dyslexic Mathematical Abilities Generally similar Males have slight advantage here Tend to outperform females on problem solving by high school take higher level math courses At the high ends of ability level males also https onedrive live com edit aspx resid 7AF35F2B369F2BE4 1552 cid 7af35f2b369f2be4 app OneNote wdo 2 3 8 5 2 2014 PSYC 2101 Notes Microsoft OneNote Web App outperform Spatial Abilities ability to perceive and mentally manipulate shapes and figures Show the largest gender differences males are stronger BUT women outperform in spatial memory Females perform better on tasks involving navigation by landmarks Males do better with street names Differences on Personality Traits and Social Behaviors Self Esteem Females typically score lower than males on measures of self esteem but this difference has been inflated Differs by domain Males report higher self esteem with appearance athleticism self satisfaction Females report higher with behavioral conduct morality ethics No gender differences academics social performance Aggression Males more likely to engage in violent aggression be arrested for violent crimes Femlaes are more likely to use Relational Aggression behaviors aimed at hurting another s feelings ex insulting someone or their opinions being mean Indirect Aggression behaviors that do not involve confronting the target directly ex spreading rumors For example in a study of 8 11 and 15 year old boys were equally likely to use physical and verbal aggresion girls more likely to use indirect aggression Sexual Attitudes and Behavior https onedrive live com edit aspx resid 7AF35F2B369F2BE4 1552 cid 7af35f2b369f2be4 app OneNote wdo 2 4 8 5 2 2014 PSYC 2101 Notes Microsoft OneNote Web App Four main facts that hold across both gay and straight men and women 1 Men report more interest in sex overall 2 The connection between sex and intimacy is more important to women 3 Coersive sex is more likely to be initiated by men 4 Women s sexuality is more easily shaped by cultural and situational factors more easily altered attitudes toward sex Psychological Disorders Men tend to have externalizing disorders ex antisocial behavior substance use disorders Women tend to have more internalizing disorders ex depression anxiety eating disorders Females attempt suicide more often but males have more completed suicide Why Men have more violent methods Teasing Apart Environmental and Biological Influences Why do we think differences exist Biological Influences Evolutionary influences Brain Organization Hormonal Influences Evolutionary Influences Reflect different natural selection pressures Different adaptive needs passing on genes Greater aggressiveness in males