Boys reinforced for playing with gender appropriate toys and punished for playing
with dolls
=gender role behaviour is learned from environment
Margaret Mead (1935): 3 tribes in Papua New Guinea =significant differences in
gender roles
Arapesh: both men + women peaceful + avoided warfare
Mundugumor: both M+F warlike
Tchambuli: men decorated themselves and women worked
=role of observational learning in gender development
SIL can’t account for cognitive influences on gender development like preparedness
to imitate role model
Cultural differences + similarities in gender behaviours = influence of biology /
genetics
CLASSIC STUDY
WATSON and RAYNER (1920) Little Albert: CONDITIONED EMOTIONAL
REACTIONS
Aim: if classical conditioning works on humans
If fear response can be conditioned into 9-month old baby boy and generalised to
other animals + objects and how long conditioning lasts
34
, IV: before conditioning compared to after conditioning
Presented with white rat compared to presented with white, fluffy animals/ objects
Repeated measures design: studies Albert before + after conditioning with rat +other
stimuli (experiencing every conditioning)
DV: n. of fearful behaviors when Albert presented with stimuli
Sample: 1 baby boy aged 9-months at start and 11 at conditioning
His mother was paid 1$ (opportunity)
Procedure: 9-months tested with white rat, rabbit, cotton wool= no fear reaction
(NS)
Banged iron bar= cried (UCR) at loud noise (UCS)
11-months: shown rat 7x paired with striking iron bar = Albert shocked
1 week later: conditioned again
rat presented alone = Albert whimpered
Rat paired with noise 2x again
Rat presented alone = cried
NS now CS = crying is CR
After 10 d: whimpered to rat
Leaned away + cried to rabbit
Crawled away + cried when Santa mask + dog approached =generalisation of
response
35
with dolls
=gender role behaviour is learned from environment
Margaret Mead (1935): 3 tribes in Papua New Guinea =significant differences in
gender roles
Arapesh: both men + women peaceful + avoided warfare
Mundugumor: both M+F warlike
Tchambuli: men decorated themselves and women worked
=role of observational learning in gender development
SIL can’t account for cognitive influences on gender development like preparedness
to imitate role model
Cultural differences + similarities in gender behaviours = influence of biology /
genetics
CLASSIC STUDY
WATSON and RAYNER (1920) Little Albert: CONDITIONED EMOTIONAL
REACTIONS
Aim: if classical conditioning works on humans
If fear response can be conditioned into 9-month old baby boy and generalised to
other animals + objects and how long conditioning lasts
34
, IV: before conditioning compared to after conditioning
Presented with white rat compared to presented with white, fluffy animals/ objects
Repeated measures design: studies Albert before + after conditioning with rat +other
stimuli (experiencing every conditioning)
DV: n. of fearful behaviors when Albert presented with stimuli
Sample: 1 baby boy aged 9-months at start and 11 at conditioning
His mother was paid 1$ (opportunity)
Procedure: 9-months tested with white rat, rabbit, cotton wool= no fear reaction
(NS)
Banged iron bar= cried (UCR) at loud noise (UCS)
11-months: shown rat 7x paired with striking iron bar = Albert shocked
1 week later: conditioned again
rat presented alone = Albert whimpered
Rat paired with noise 2x again
Rat presented alone = cried
NS now CS = crying is CR
After 10 d: whimpered to rat
Leaned away + cried to rabbit
Crawled away + cried when Santa mask + dog approached =generalisation of
response
35
