Gender- Key Terms Revision Cards

Question	Answer
AQA A Level Psychology- Gender	Key Terms and Definitions
Sex, Gender and Androgyny Key Term	Sex, Gender and Androgyny Definition
Sex	Biological differences between males and females, including chromosomes, hormones and anatomy.
Gender	The psychological and cultural differences between males and females, including attitudes, behaviours and social roles. Gender is usually concordant with sex, however it can sometimes be different.
Sex-role stereotypes	A set of beliefs and pre-conceived ideas about what is expected for males and females in a given society. These roles vary across different cultures and periods.
Androgyny	Displaying a balance of masculine and feminine traits in one's personality
Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI)	The first systematic attempt to measure androgyny. It is a questionnaire which uses a rating scale of 60 traits (20 male, 20 female, and 20 neutral) to produce scores across 2 dimensions: masculinity-femininity and androgynous-undifferentiated
Biological Explanations Key Term	Biological Explanations Definition
Chromosomes	Found in the nucleus of living cells carrying information in the form of genes. There are 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 in total) and the 23rd pair of chromosomes determines biological sex.
Hormone	A chemical substance that's circulated in the blood that controls and regulates activity in cells and organs. Different hormones affect different cells/organs.
Testosterone	A hormone from the androgen group that is primarily produced in the male testes (although it is produced in females as well, in smaller quantities). It is associated with aggression.
Oestrogen	A hormone which is primarily female and plays an important role in the menstrual and reproductive system.
Oxytocin	A hormone which causes contraction of the uterus during labour and stimulates lactation.
Atypical sex chromosome pattern	Any chromosome pattern that deviates from XX or XY. Often, they are associated with distinct physical and psychological symptoms.
Klinefelter's syndrome	A syndrome affecting men in which they have an extra X chromosome (XXY). It is physically characterised by tall and softened physique, underdeveloped genitals and enlarged breasts. Psychological symptoms include poor language skills and shyness.
Turner's syndrome	A syndrome affecting women in which they only have one X chromosome (X0). It is physically characterised by infertility, low-set ears, webbed neck and high waist-to-hip ratio. Psychological symptoms include heightened reading ability, poor maths skills and social immaturity.
Cognitive Explanations Key Term	Cognitive Explanations Definition
Kohlberg's theory	A cognitive explanation of gender development that suggests children develop gender in 3 stages: identity, stability and constancy.
Gender identity	First stage of Kohlberg's theory. It is acquired at around 2 years old, and the child recognises that they are girl or boy, but doesn't understand that gender is permanent.
Gender stability	Second stage of Kohlberg's theory. It is acquired at around 4 years old, and the child understands the permanence of their own gender, but bases other people's gender on their appearance e.g. man with long hair perceived as a woman.
Gender constancy	Third stage of Kohlberg's theory. It is acquired at around 6 years old, and the child understands that gender is consistent regardless of external factors. they also identify gender-appropriate role models and behaviours.
Gender schema theory	A cognitive explanation of gender development that suggests children only need gender identity to start assuming gender stereotyped behaviour.
Gender schema	An organised set of beliefs and expectations related to gender that are derived from experience. These schema guide a person's understanding of their own gender and gender-appropriate behaviour.
Psychodynamic Explanations Key Term	Psychodynamic Explanations Definition
Oedipus complex	In which a boy resolves his love for his mother and rivalry with his father by identifying with his father – this identification is necessary for internalising the father’s gender identity.
Electra complex	Experienced by girls during the phallic stage of development in which a girl develops an attraction to and envy of their father (penis envy) which they resolve through identification with the mother, essential for internalising the appropriate female gender values.
Identification	A desire to be associated with a particular person or group, often because members of that group possess certain desirable characteristics.
Internalisation	In which an individual adopts the attitudes and behaviour of another individual or group.
Hypothetical construct	An explanatory variable that cannot be directly observed.
Social Learning Theory Explanations Key Term	Social Learning Theory Explanations Definition
Social Learning Theory	Suggests that behaviours are acquired via direct and indirect reinforcement. It combines behaviourism with cognitive factors.
Gender roles	A set of behaviours and attitudes that are considered appropriate for one gender but inappropriate for the other gender.
Culture	The ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular group of people or society.
Media	Communication channels in which news, entertainment, education and data are presented. This includes TV, films and books.
Atypical Gender Development Key Term	Atypical Gender Development Definition
Gender Identity Disorder/ Gender Dysphoria	Persistent identification with the opposite gender and discomfort with one’s own sex (dysphoria). People with GID desire to live as the opposite sex and often dress and use mannerisms associated with the opposite gender. (Transgenderism)
Intersex conditions	A condition where someone is born with an atypical reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't fit the definitions of female or male. (Eg Klinefelter’s or Turner’s)
Symbiotic fusion	Where one individual fuses their identity with another person.

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Gender- Key Terms Revision Cards

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	Created by Grace Fawcitt over 6 years ago