Download Gender - Deerfield High School

Nature
Genetic,
biological make-up
v.
Nurture
Environmental
experiences

Nature
Molecular genetics = studies the
molecular structure and function of
genes.
 Every cell nucleus in your body
contains the genetic master code for
your entire body.
 Master code = 46 chromosomes
(23 from each parent)
 Genome – the complete instructions
for making an organism, consisting
of all the genetic material in that
organism’s chromosomes
 Human Genome Project =
Completed in 2003; determined
the complete sequence of the 3
billion DNA subunits (bases),
identify all human genes, and
make them accessible for further
study
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/tec
hresources/Human_Genome
/posters/chromosome/
Genetic Similarities
Bradley is
The four nucleotide letters – ATCG – is
virtually the same in all humans. So,
why are we so complex????? 
98%
99.9%
99.9%
Sam
Allen
Nature vs. Nurture

Behavior Genetics – perspective of psychology that studies
the influence of nature (genes, biology, heredity) and
nurture (environment, experiences) on behavior
 Epigenetics – study of turning genes on and off. Nurture
can alter the switches (called promoters) that control gene
expression (activation/inactivation).
 Explains why one identical twin gets a disease/disorder
and the other does not (have same genome but different
epigenome).
 Genetic flexibility – some genetic make-ups are more or
less sensitive to environment and thus some kids are more
moldable than others.
(http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radioarchives/episode/360/switched-at-birth)
Nature VIA Nurture Examples
Homosexuality – boys with older brother more likely to be homosexual.
Immune response affects the expression of key genes during brain
development in a way that affects sexual orientation
 Language – impossible to learn human language by trial and error alone;
human beings must come already equipped with an innate grammatical
skills. The capacity to learn is written into the human brain by genes that
open and close a critical window during which learning takes place. If a
child is not exposed to a lot of spoken language during the critical learning
period, he or she will always struggle with speech.
 Love – The promoter upstream of the oxytocin and vasopressin receptor
genes. The insertion of an extra chunk of DNA text, usually about 460
letters long, into the promoter makes the animal more likely to bond with
its mate. The extra text does not create love, but creates the possibility
of falling in love after the right experience.
 Antisocial Behavior – those with high active monoamine oxidase A genes
were virtually immune to the effects of mistreatment. Those with low
active genes were much more antisocial if maltreated, yet – if anything –
slightly less antisocial if not maltreated. The low active, mistreated men
were responsible for four times their share of rapes, robberies and
assaults. Maltreatment is not enough; you must also have the low active
gene. And it is not enough to have the low active gene, you must also be
maltreated.

GATTACA – realistic???

Many people are worried about a Brave New World in which
parents or governments will try to re-engineer human nature.
Others see genes as a threat to free will and personal
responsibility, but… “genes cannot pull the strings of behavior
directly.”
 Behavior is caused by the activity of the brain, and the most
genes can do is affect its wiring, size, shape and sensitivity to
hormones and other molecules.
 Genes must exert their effects by acting together in complex
combinations. No single gene for musical talent that ambitious
parents can have implanted into their unborn children. It
might take hundreds or thousands of the right genes, with a
different combination needed for each child.
 Culture, germs, accidents, chance encounters in life and
random events in the development of the brain in utero affect
expression of genes
Nature vs. Nurture


According to the article “Are your Genes to Blame?”,
personality, intelligence, and susceptibility to
psychological maladies such as schizophrenia, OCD,
and major depression are partly heritable (actually all
behavioral traits are partly heritable). But what does
that exactly mean
Heritability = the proportion of variation among
individuals that we can attribute to genes. (Explained
differences between people!!)
 EX: Heritability of IQ = 70%  we can attribute
70% of the differences in IQ among individuals,
such as members in this class, to genes. This does
not mean that for an individual 70% of the trait
comes from genetics and 30% from environment.
Factors of Temperament
Temperament = response style to environment; emotional
reactivity and intensity.
Neuroticism Emotional
Instability
A tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as
anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability
Extraversion
Energy, positive emotions, the tendency to seek stimulation and
the company of others
Openness to
Experience
Appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas,
imagination, and curiosity
Agreeableness
A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than
suspicious and antagonistic towards others
Conscientiousness
Control of impulse, a tendency to show self-discipline, act
dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather than
spontaneous behavior.
Goodness of Fit = how well a child’s temperament fits with his/her environment.
• An effective match between child-rearing practices and child’s
temperament leads to favorable development and psychological
adjustment.
Evolutionary Psychology: Explaining
Universal Behaviors
Evolutionary psychology is the science that seeks to explain why
humans act the way they do.
 Seeks to reconstruct problems that our ancestors faced in their
primitive environments, and the problem-solving mechanisms they
created to meet those particular challenges. The science then
attempts to establish the common roots of our ancestral behavior, and
how those common behavioral roots are manifested today in the
widely scattered cultures of the planet. The goal is to understand
human behavior that is universally aimed at the passing of one's genes
into the next generation.
Look at our behaviors: Can you answer these questions using
evolutionary psychology?
 Why do infants fear strangers when they become mobile?
 Why are most parents devoted to their children?
 Why do we divide people into categories?
 Why do we have more phobias about spiders and snakes than
electricity and nuclear weapons?
What do men and women want?
(According to Evolutionary Psychology)
Men want:
 Healthy
 Young
 Waist 1/3
narrower than
hips.
Women want:
 Wealth
 Power
 Security
Sperm
is
Cheap
….
Eggs are
not!
Sex and Gender: Basic Terminology
Sex: biological term referring to ascribed genetic, anatomical,
and hormonal differences
Males
Females
Chromosomes
XY
XX
Primary Sex
Characteristics
Testes
Ovaries
Hormones
Androgen
Estrogen
Secondary Sex Deep voice;
Characteristics facial hair;
increased
muscles
mass
Breast
development;
widening of
hips
Sex and Gender: Basic Terminology
What we are TAUGHT
•
•
Gender: term referring to social and psychological traits
(i.e., strong, caring, independent, leader)
Gender Roles: commonly assigned tasks or expected
behaviors of individuals because of their sex category
(i.e., take care of kids, play football, show emotions)
• Demo: Children’s Book – As I read the story, write down the social
and psychological traits you hear for males and females! Based on
these social/psychological traits, what behaviors can a male or female
participate in?
•
Formation of Gender Identity: ability to correctly label
own gender, and to identify others as boys/men and
girls/women
• Around 2 years of age -Complexity through Brain Development
and Age *(See Next Slide for Developmental Milestones)
•
Gender Stability/Constancy: the understanding that you
stay the same gender through out life
The Development of Sex-role Concepts and Stereotypes







At 9 months, most babies can discriminate male and female
faces
Ages 2 to 3, start to label themselves as boys or girls (but
don’t think of gender as permanent), begin to prefer same-sex
playmates and sex-typed toys. Children typically begin to
assign occupations, toys and activities to the stereotypical
gender.
By age 5, associate personality traits with males and females.
By age 6, gender divide in friendships is marked.
By age 8/9 years this stereotypical knowledge is well
developed.
Primary school children pay more attention to the behavior
of same sex adults & kids, and play more with new toys that
are labeled as appropriate for their own gender.
Summary, children from 1-2 yrs are aware of and affected by
gender, and this becomes a steadily more potent force in
behavior and attitudes especially from age 6 onwards.
Sex and Gender: Basic Terminology:
See Your Socialization Surveys
GENDER
GENDER ROLES
GENDER
GENDER ROLES
Males
Males
Females
Females
Independent;
assertive
Provide for their families;
compete with others
Passive;
cooperative
Share; do not complain or
stand up for themselves
Aggressive;
tough
Hide emotions and fears;
stand up for themselves
Nurturing;
warm
Raise children; take care of
household; express
emotion; show affection
Risk-takers;
athletic
Men should protect their
families and “hunt” for
food; participate in
“rough and tumble” play
or sports
Cautious;
delicate
Play with dolls; participate
in dance
Mechanical
Like to work with tools
and objects; prefer
dealing with things;
repair things, such as the
home, cars, etc; pursue
science and mechanical
careers/subjects
Social
Help others; pursue
careers/subjects in the
fields of humanities,
education, nursing
Nurture: Theories of Gender Role Development
Social Learning Theory: Bandura and Mischel emphasize the role of
1) direct reinforcement
2) modeling in shaping children’s behavior & attitudes
 Boy throws ball, other boys join in
 Boy plays with doll, other boys make fun of him
 Boy will throw ball more and play with dolls less
 Gender Schema Theory - Child establishes a primitive gender schema, and
begins assimilating new experiences into this schema.
• Identify own gender
• Learn gender schema (internal cognitive framework on how boys or girls
are supposed to behave) How and what we are taught-See Surveys!
• Evaluate behavior based on whether it meets or does not meet gender
schema, and adjust behavior accordingly.
• EX: Girl who refuses to wear pants in Winter because schema tells her
boys wear pants and girls wear dresses, even when parents are
encouraging and rewarding her to do so.
 Age 2 or 3 years. Requires lots of cognitive ability!!! As cognitive
complexity develops, gender schema takes over.

Gender Schema
Specific Examples of Nurture


From the moment of birth, on the basis of external biological
characteristics, males and females are treated differently (characteristics
and behaviors that fit the society’s image of the ideal male or female)…
Way parents DESCRIBE AND TREAT their children
 Newborn daughters are often described as soft, delicate, fine featured,
little, beautiful, and pretty. “ Look at those cute little dimples!” They
depict their sons as strong, firm, alert, and well coordinated. “Look at
his husky little biceps!”
 Parents talk more to their young daughters, give them less autonomy
and encourage them to help others, while encouraging boys to express
certain types of emotions but not others, like fearfulness. Many boys are
encouraged to be more independent and exploratory while girls are
protected from situations that might prove harmful.
 When people know they are holding baby girls, they are gentle, they
cuddle and kiss baby girls while calling her sweet and dainty. When
parents are holding boys, they are more likely to bounce them or
roughhouse with the child. Clothing - dress babies in pink or blue,
dresses or pants.
Specific Examples of Nurture
NAMES parents select.
 Boys are more often given strong, hard names that end in consonants, Bill Tom
Peter John.
 Girls are more likely to be given soft pretty names with vowel endings such as
Linda, Christina, Susie.
 TOYS given to boys or girls.
 Boys’ rooms are filled with sports equipment, army toys, building and
technical toys, and cars and trucks.
 Girls’ rooms have fewer toys, and most are related to dolls and domestic roles.
 BOOKS and CARTOONS
 In a classic study of more than 3,000,000 award winning children’s books in
the US, they found:
 males appear more often in stories, sometimes as male animal characters
 activities of male and female characters in books differ, with boys playing
active roles and girls being passive or simply helping males
 adult women are pictured as more passive and dependent, and few women
are depicted as working outside the home
 Males are depicted carrying out a range of activities and jobs.

Katie and Sam (Mrs. Allen’s Children)
Nature:
Biological Differences between Males and Females
MEN  LEFT HEMISPHERE
Broca's area and Wernicke's area are connected by a bundle of
nerve fibers called the arcuate fasciculus. Linkage between
Broca’s and Wernicke’s is tighter in men  more direct
communication.
WOMEN  LEFT HEMISPHERE
In women’s brains, corpus callosum are larger in women  better
communication between hemispheres. Bilaterlization allows
women to excel at verbal skills because more cross
communication. Use hemispheres more equally.
WOMEN  LEFT HEMISPHERE
Kimura’s
Area
In women’s brains, almost every area of left and right cortex is active during
language. Kimura’s Area – extra chip that helps Broca’s and Wernicke’s area
communicate with right hemisphere. Also, Wernicke’s area engages with
mirror area in right temporal lobe that is involved with emotional
comprehension  richer, more emotional langauage