The Social Learning approach to gender

The presentation from today's lesson is here.

This is the nurture side of the nature/nurture gender debate. Behaviourism assumes that humans (and other animals) are 'blank slates' with nothing inherited or innate except for some very simple reflexes (automatic responses to stimuli). Everything else is learned according to this approach. Extreme behaviourism is highly reductionist, denying the importance of mental processes and explaining all behaviour through classical and operant conditioning. Social Learning Theory (sometimes called Social Cognitive Learning Theory) uses the same ideas of association and reinforcement, but is less reductionist as it includes 'mental' or cognitive learning, for example Modelling.

• Use your textbook to complete your notes on Social Learning explanation of gender development.
• Carry out a content analysis on at least 10 adverts featuring male / female role models, classifying them as either ‘traditional’ or ‘non-traditional’ gender role.
• Investigate Margaret Mead’s anthropological research in Samoa – what did she find about gender and why has this been challenged? Bring a page of notes to Thursday’s lesson.

Here's the first part of a documentary about her on youtube.