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Key Terms
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androgynous  Possessing both feminine and masculine psychological characteristics.
cognitive developmental theory of gender typing  Kohlberg's theory that children use physical and behavioral clues to differentiate gender roles and to gender-type themselves very early in life.
expressive characteristics  Presumably typical of females, these characteristics include nurturance and concern with feelings.
gender constancy  The awareness that superficial alterations in appearance or activity do not alter gender.
gender identity  The perception of oneself as either masculine or feminine.
gender role preference  The desire to possess certain gender-typed characteristics.
gender roles  Composites of the behaviors actually exhibited by a typical male or female in a given culture; the reflection of a gender stereotype in everyday life.
gender stability  The notion that gender does not change; males remain male and females remain female.
gender stereotypes  Beliefs that members of a culture hold about how females and males should behave; that is, what behaviors are acceptable and appropriate for each sex.
gender typing  The process by which children acquire the values, motives, and behaviors considered appropriate for their gender in their particular culture.
gender-based beliefs  Ideas and expectations about what is appropriate behavior for males and females.
gender-schema theory  The notion that children develop schemas, or naive theories, that help them organize and structure their experience related to gender differences and gender roles.
identification  The Freudian notion that children acquire gender identity by identifying with and imitating their same-sex parents.
instrumental characteristics  Presumably typical of males, these characteristics include task and occupation orientation.
multischematic  Possessing both multiple cultural schemas for responding to the environment and the necessary criteria for deciding what schema to use in a particular situation.
self-socialization  The child's spontaneous adoption of gender-appropriate behavior.
sexual preferences  The preference for same or opposite gender sexual partners.







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