Psychology Chapter 1- The Science of Psychology Gender

On your half sheet of paper- Please write out, in your own words, What is Gender? What is the role of Gender on your society?

Gender “Gender has many layers” Male & Female- -One’s biological make up -the physical and genetic facts of being one sex or the other.

Sex- biological differences in anatomy, genetics, and physical functioning. Gender Def.-The psychological and social meanings attached to being biologically male or female. Often used interchangeably with one’s biological make up or sex.

Masculine & Feminine -Distinct psychological and social meanings -preferences, attributes and interests that are typically associated with being male/female. - Cultural notions about the sexes- Ex.- Middle Eastern traditions

Masculine & Feminine -Male/female is viewed as a continuum- one extreme to another. -Behaviors or personality traits are placed on that continuum (extremes).

Cultural Differences in Gender Stereotypes

Gender Stereotypes Def.- General beliefs about characteristics that are presumed to be typical of each sex. -Cultures perceive: Men- dominant, strong and aggressive Women- accommodating, emotional and affectionate Consider- don’t we want a balance of these traits?

Stereotypes have significant negative effects on both boys and girls Stereotypes have significant negative effects on both boys and girls. Ex.- Boys are taught to hide their emotions Girls are taught to hide their ambitions

Learning Gender Stereotypes Research shows: By age 5, US children judge 1/3 of traits as stereotypically as adults do During elementary-school years, children learn that traits and occupations associated with males have higher status Older children see stereotypes as general guidelines that are not necessarily binding Girls tend to be more flexible about stereotypes African American children have more flexible ideas about gender

Gender Differences in Physical Ability

Gender Roles Def.- Behaviors that we expect each gender to engage in. -Cultural norms change more slowly than behavior patterns. Ex.- women working

-Define “typical” differences between the genders- to prevent conflict we need to understand the key differences.

Differences in Intellectual Abilities and Achievement Verbal ability--girls excel at reading, spelling, & writing and are less likely to have language related difficulties Spatial ability--boys surpass girls at mental rotation and determining relations between objects in space Math--girls often get better grades and are better at computational skills, but boys excel in math problem solving

-Consider the male dominated history of Ψ Feminist Psychology -Consider the male dominated history of Ψ -Women did not have the educational opportunities at the time Ψ developed. 1997 ¾ of Bachelor’s degrees in Ψ are women. 2/3 of PHD- Doctorates degrees are women.

Race & Ethnicity Race Def.- A subpopulation of a species, defined according to an identifiable characteristic, geographic location, skin color, hair texture, genes and facial features. -Can human beings be divided into distinct races? Ex.- think about the categories on standardized tests -“Racial Hybrids”- all human due “to migration, intermarrying and commingling.”

-Subjective: Consider- “African American”- only in the US- there is no “African French” Hispanic- does this really cover the vast and rich cultures of so many distinct countries. Central Africa- different tribes consider themselves as different races.

Whereas racial categories are based on physical differences, ethnic categories are based on cultural characteristics.

Snapshot: Race in the US Census The 23rd federal census, 2010 [10] asks one ethnic and one race question (questions 1-4 not reproduced here, questions 5 and 6 paraphrased): 8. Is the person of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin? No, not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin Yes, Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano Yes, Puerto Rican Yes, Cuban Yes, another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin — Print origin, for example, Argentinean, Colombian, Dominican, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, Spaniard, and so on 9. What is the person's race? White Black, African Am., or Negro American Indian or Alaska Native — Print name of enrolled or principal tribe. Asian Indian Chinese Filipino Other Asian — Print race, for example, Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Pakistani, Cambodian, and so on. Japanese Korean Vietnamese Native Hawaiian Guamanian or Chamorro Samoan Other Pacific Islander — Print race, for example, Fijian, Tongan, and so on. Some other race — Print race. This census acknowledged that "race categories include both racial and national-origin groups."

Ethnic Group Def.- A category of people who have migrated to another country but still see themselves as distinctive because of a common background. Example- Hispanic Americans- skin color varies- united by language. Racial Profiling?

APA Studies- In the 1980’s a new division was devoted to the psychological study of ethnic minority issues- sense of identity and response to stereotyping. Racial & Ethnic minorities in Psychology: Most ethnic minorities are still underrepresented among the ranks of Psychologists. Why? 16% of Bachelor’s degrees in Ψ 9% of PHD -few role models -history- again dominated by European men -lack of research in the area

Culture Def.- The tangible goods and the values, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs that are passed from one generation to another. “A culture provides modes of thinking, acting, and communicating; ideas about how the world works and why people behave as they do; belief and ideas that shape our individual dreams and desires; information about how to use and improve technology; and perhaps most important, criteria for evaluating what natural events, human actions, and life itself means.” Pg. 28

Subcultures: Def.- Groups whose values, attitudes, behavior, and vocabulary or accent distinguish them from the cultural mainstream. Many of the traits we think of as defining us as human- language, morals and technology- are elements of cultures. Consider- many of us belong to many subcultures -Cultural influences? -Where does Religion fit into this concept?