Biological
see Genes & Behaviour
see Hormones & Behaviour
strengths
based on reliable tests
animals
brain scanning
different research methods produce similar results
weaknesses
difficulty in generalising from animals to humans
different brain structures or different ways of using the brain?
Psychodynamic
Sigmund Freud believed that children potentially bisexual until Phallic Stage
boys: Oedipus Complex
girls: compensation strategy for penis envy
resolution: model same-sex parent
strengths
strength: unfalsifiable
occasional case studies do seem to portray children having incestuous desires towards their opposite sex parent
weaknesses
unfalsifiable - can't be tested
little evidence
boys less stereotyped if father missing
boys identify with more with warm and supportive father - P H Mussen & Ernest Rutherford 1963
Behaviourism
people conditioned as to what is gender appropriate
children
direct tuition
rewarded for gender appropriate behaviour
punished for gender inappropriate behaviour
model
observational learning
same sex
effect of media stereotyping - especially TV
strengths
can be observed
conditioning experiments using animals have been replicated
weaknesses
doesn't account for similarities across different cultures with different norms and values
differences between boys and girls at birth