Early School Age: 4-6 years

1
Early School Age 4-6 years

• Psychosocial Crisis
• Initiative vs. Guilt

2
Developmental Tasks

• Gender
• Labeling (2-3)
• Stable over time (3-4)
• Constant, regardless of changes in markers (4-7)
• Early moral development
• Self theory
• Peer play

3
Gender identity-one aspect of sexual identity

• Five continua to reflect sexual identity.
• Biological sex female..male
• Gender identity girlness...boyness
• Gender preference fem..masc
• Gender role standards fem..masc
• Sexual orientation hetero-..homo-
  sexual sexual

4
How does gender identity develop?

• What behaviors and characteristics are associated
  with femininity?
• With masculinity?
• Essential differences
• Socially constructed differences
• Between groups and within group
  differences-testosterone as an example

5
Biological correlations

• Hormonal (neurochemical) influences
• Prenatally and during puberty
• High amount of androgen linked with preference
  for boy toys.
• Testosterone is linked with aggression, spatial
  ability, eye contact and libido.
• Estrogen is linked with communication, caring
  social bx
• Brain anatomy/structure
• more white matter in male brains (on average)
• more connectors between hemispheres (corpus
  callosum) in girls.
• Brain functioning
• Activation in more areas of female brains in
  emotion provoking situations
• The E-S model (Baron-Cohen)-is there a female
  and male brain?
• Empathizing brain-44 of females, 17 of males
• Systemizing brain-54 of males, 17 of females
• Balanced brain-39 of females, 29 of males

6
Social Learning and Social Role Theories

• 4-6 year olds are aware of gender categories and
  expectations.
• What are the consequences for conforming or not
  conforming to the social expectations?
• What influences whether we learn through social
  learning?
• Power and status of the role model
• Consequences experienced
• Identification with the model

7
Moral Development

• Morality What is it?
• principles or rules of right conduct and the
  distinction between right and wrong. (text)

8

• Kohlbergs Theory of Moral Development
• 1st stage-preconventional
• Is there punishment or reward?
• How will my family and I be affected?
• 2nd stage-conventional
• What does the authority say?
• How do we maintain order?
• 3rd stagepostconventional
• What are my principles for right behavior?
• What are universal principles for right
  behavior?