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Gender and Early Childhood Learning Outcomes Describe gender identity development in early childhood Gender Identity, Gender Constancy, and Gender Roles Figure 1. Young children are interested in exploring the differences between what activities are acceptable for boys and girls. Another important dimension of the self is the sense of self as male or female.

7 of the Best-Known Theories of Child Development Child development theories focus on explaining how children change and grow over the course of childhood. Such theories center on various aspects of development including social, emotional, and cognitive growth. The study of human development is a rich and varied subject. Social Learning Theory: Gender Development Social Learning Theory states that individuals develop gender by imitating role models. SLT states that observational learning takes place, and that this learning is reinforced vicariously. Vicarious reinforcement occurs when a person witnesses a model being rewarded for behaving in a gender-appropriate way (e.g. a girl being praised for playing quietly with her dolls). Vicarious reinforcement makes it more likely that the model’s behaviour will be imitated in the future.

Gender roles and identity in children It’s common for people to think of the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ as being the same, but they mean different things. Someone’s sex refers to their physical biology: being male or female. A person’s gender identity, however, is a person’s sense of who they are – male, female, both or neither. Traditional gender roles: Boys will be boys A new video and website asks viewers to confront their assumptions about gender identity, and how we're raising our sons and daughters. Photo: GrabillCreative/iStockphoto Have you ever caught yourself saying, “boys will be boys”?