Kohlberg Theory

1966.0

cognitive

2-3 years

the labelling stage is where is where children begin to identify the gender expressions of themselves and the people around them. For example, they are able to tell others their gender and identify those of others from their outward appearances.

4 years old

the stability stage is when children begin to recognize how, in the case of cisgender people, gender stays constant as we age. This means that they understand how girls will grow into women and boys will grow to become men.

6-7 years old

the consistency stage is when gender becomes a more fixed concept for the child. At this stage, they realize that external changes such as hair growth and clothing choices do not change people's gender identity.

piaget's stages of development (1954)

Conservation is a child's cognitive ability to understand that even when the appearances of a person or object change, more stable properties such as mass and quantity do not change.

if you take two equal glasses of water and pour one into a taller, thinner glass and ask the child which glass has more water, a child who has acquired the skill of conservation would be able to understand that both glasses still hold an equal amount of water.

In relation to the child's gender development, their skill in conservation allows them to also understand that a person's gender does not change based on external properties such as the activities they participate in or the way that they dress.

Kohlberg's theory is criticized for its lack or explanation as to how and why these gender stages occur.

In this study, researchers tested a group of children between the ages of 2 and 3 years old on their ability to correctly identify their own gender and the gender of others. Thompson found that the older children were able to correctly identify genders more often than the younger children, suggesting that this skill develops between these two age groups.

To some extent. Gender is largely governed by what society deems appropriate for each gender. 

Kohlberg’s 1966 theory focuses on how children develop cognitive structures to conceptualise and understand their gender and the gender of others around them.

The labelling stage occurs between the ages of two and three and is where children begin to identify the gender expressions of themselves and the people around them. They can tell others their gender and identify those of others from their outward appearances (e.g., someone with long hair is a girl). Their perception of gender is highly fluid at this stage; they don’t see gender as a constant and believe it changes based on superficial properties such as hair length or clothing.

The stability stage occurs around age four when children begin to recognise how gender typically stays constant as they age. They understand how girls will grow into women and boys will become men.

The consistency stage occurs between six and seven years of age and is when gender becomes a more fixed concept for the child. They realise gender is consistent through time and different situations at this stage. External changes such as hair growth and clothing choices do not change people’s gender identity.

True.

Conservation is a child’s cognitive ability to understand that even when the appearances of a person or object change, the basic properties do not change.

Concerning the child’s gender development, their conservation skill allows them to understand that a person’s gender does not change based on external properties, such as the activities they participate in or the way they dress. Kohlberg and Piaget both found that this conservation skill became present around ages six and seven.

It is criticised for its lack of explanation as to how and why these gender stages occur. 

Thompson’s finding support Kohlberg's theory. In this study, researchers tested a group of children aged two and three on their ability to identify their gender and the gender of others correctly. Thompson found that the older children could correctly identify genders more often than the younger children, suggesting that this skill develops between these two age groups. This finding supports the gender labelling stage Kohlberg describes in his theory.

In this study, researchers tested children aged two to five on their level of gender development. They found that children with higher levels of gender consistency were more likely to seek out same-sex role models. This study supports Kohlberg’s stages as he also states older children will show higher gender stability and consistency.

In this study, the researchers found that children as young as four showed signs of gender consistency, which challenges the order in which Kohlberg had described his cognitive stages of gender development.

In this study, the researchers found children across multiple cultures showed signs of progressing through the stages Kohlberg described, which supports the theory and suggest the theory to be universal.