1. Early School Age: 4-6 years
Psychosocial Crisis:
Initiative vs. Guilt

2. Developmental Tasks Gender Early moral development Self theory
Labeling (2-3)
Stable over time (3-4)
Constant, regardless of changes in markers (4-7)
Early moral development
Self theory
Peer play

3. Gender identity-one aspect of sexual identity
Five continua to reflect sexual identity.
Biological sex: female………………..male
Gender identity: girlness…...boyness
Gender preference: fem………..masc
Gender role standards: fem………..masc
Sexual orientation: hetero-………..homo sexual sexual
Focus on gender: what characteristics, behaviors, patterns do we associate with femininity and masculinity?

4. How does gender identity develop?
What behaviors and characteristics are associated with femininity?
With masculinity?
Essential differences
Socially constructed differences

5. Biological correlations
Hormonal (neurochemical) influences
Prenatally and during puberty
High amount of androgen linked with preference for “boy” toys.
Testosterone is linked with aggression, spatial ability, eye contact and libido.
Estrogen is linked with communication, caring social bx
Brain anatomy/structure
more white matter in male brains (on average)
more connectors between hemispheres (corpus callosum) in girls.
Brain functioning
Activation in more areas of female brains in emotion provoking situations
The E-S model (Baron-Cohen)
Empathizing brain-44% of females, 17% of males
Systemizing brain-54% of males, 17% of females
Balanced brain-39% of females, 29% of males

6. Social Learning and Social Role Theories
What are the consequences for conforming or not conforming to the social expectations?
What influences whether we learn through social learning?
Power and status of the role model
Consequences experienced
Identification with the model

7. Imagine a scenario…
Two brothers, 6 and 3, and their mom are shopping for a “character” sleeping bag for the 3 year old. He is looking at a pink Lion King bag and a black Batman bag, obviously struggling to choose between the two. The 6 year old says, “get the Batman one…pink is for girls.”

8. Cognitive-behavioral theory-fig. 3.4 How does he choose?
Encodings: Schemas about the people involved and the situation.
Expectancies: what happens if go along with my brother? How will mom respond? How will dad respond?
Affects: excitement, belonging, fear, worry.
Goals/values: Whose approval is more important? Do I want to “be my own man?”
Cognitive competencies: Can I justify my choice?
Self-regulatory plans: Can I decide what to do as opposed to just react?