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While biological explanations emphasise chromosomes, hormones, and brain structure, social explanations argue that gender is primarily learned through interaction with the social environment. This lesson examines social learning theory (SLT) as applied to gender development, the role of the media, and cultural variations in gender roles.
Key Definition: Social learning theory (SLT) explains behaviour as being learned through observation, imitation, and reinforcement of models in the social environment. Applied to gender, SLT proposes that children learn gender-typed behaviour by observing and imitating same-sex models and being reinforced for gender-appropriate behaviour.
Albert Bandura's (1977) social learning theory provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how children learn gender-typed behaviour. The theory identifies several key processes:
Children observe the behaviour of models — parents, siblings, peers, teachers, and media figures — and learn what behaviours are associated with each gender.
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