Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences Lecture 16

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Psychology 320 Psychology of Gender and Sex
DifferencesLecture 16
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Exam Preparation Tips

• The upcoming midterm exam will include
  questions unique to the textbook content (25),
  questions unique to the lecture content (40),
  and questions that reflect overlap between the
  two sources of information. You are encouraged
  to study both sources of information thoroughly.

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• With respect to the textbook content

• Construct learning objectives for each section of
  the textbook (what am I suppose to take away from
  this section?).

• Create questions with the titles and subtitles
  of sections. Use the content of each section to
  answer the questions that you have generated.

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• Identify the primary points of each section with
  key words or phrases and use these to test
  yourself.

• Familiarize yourself with all terms that are
  bolded or italicized.

• Study all figures and tables.

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• With respect to the lecture content

• Use the learning objectives to guide your
  studying.

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• You need not memorize the names of researchers
  who conducted idiosyncratic studies or the dates
  of those studies. However, you should
  familiarize yourself with the names of all major
  theorists (e.g., Bem).

• The goal of the exam is to assess your mastery of
  the course content and jargon of gender
  psychology.

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• In order to demonstrate your mastery of the
  course content on the extended response
  questions, you should provide thorough and
  detailed responses to the questions asked. The
  instructions for the extended response section
  will read

Please respond to each of the questions below.
Note that point form answers are acceptable.
Your responses should be thorough and detailed.
If necessary, you may write on the back side of
the page.
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• The exam questions will assess your ability to
  recall, synthesize, and apply course content.
  Examples

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Recall
Which of the following is not among the
attributes associated with the Cult of True
Womanhood? a) Purity. b) Submissiveness. c)
Domesticity. d) Piety. e) Emotionality.
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Synthesize
Compare and contrast traditional sexism, modern
sexism, hostile sexism, and benevolent sexism.
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Apply
Research has identified a sex difference in
aggression the mean score for males is higher
than the mean score for females. Considering sex
differences in reproductive capacity and minimal
parental investment, generate an evolutionary
explanation to account for this documented sex
difference in aggression. That is, generate a
theory to explain this finding that is based on
sex differences in reproductive capacity and
minimal parental investment.
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• In order to correctly respond to questions that
  require synthesis and application, recall of
  information is necessary. The correlation
  between recall questions and synthesis/applicatio
  n questions typically exceeds .70.

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Announcement I will hold additional office hours
in preparation for the midterm exam Thursday,
October 18 230-330PMMonday, October 22
 1130AM-130PMTuesday, October 23 130-330PM
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Biological Theories of Sex Differences
1. What biological theories have been proposed
to explain sex differences? (continued)
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By the end of todays class, you should be able
to
1. describe the process of prenatal sex
differentiation.
2. review evidence that supports genetic
contributions to sex differences in
psychological characteristics.
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What biological theories have been proposed to
explain sex differences? (continued)
2. Genetic Theories (continued)
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(No Transcript)
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• The Y chromosome carries the SRY gene that acts
  as a switch for maleness, producing a male
  offspring.

• During the 7th week of gestation, the SRY gene
  directs the production of testis-determining
  factor (TDF), which triggers the development of
  testes (vs. ovaries).

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• Androgenic hormones from the testes (i.e.,
  müllerian inhibiting factor, testosterone)
  result in further development of the male
  internal reproductive system.

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ANDROGENIC HORMONES
NO ANDROGENIC HORMONES
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• Research suggests that, in addition to sex
  differentiation, genes influence the
  psychological and behavioural characteristics of
  the sexes.

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• Example 1 Twin Studies

• Lippa and Hershberger (1999)

• Analyzed data collected from 839 same-sex pairs
  of twins.

• Among the measures that participants completed
  were the Adjective Checklist, occupational
  interests, and frequency of everyday activities.

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• Heritability statistics obtained

Masculine instrumentality .36
Feminine expressiveness .38
GD .53

• These findings replicate the results of several
  other studies.

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Biological Theories of Sex Differences
1. What biological theories have been proposed
to explain sex differences? (continued)