Deck 8: Sex Differences, Gender Role Development and Sexuality

Question 1

The dichotomy between instrumental roles (for men) and expressive roles (for women)

A) is applicable only in Western societies
B) is applicable only in Third World, preliterate cultures
C) is widely held around the world
D) is held nowhere in the egalitarian climate of the modern era

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Mr. and Mrs. Harmon have two children, Jim and Jane. They tell Jim that he might grow up to be an engineer, since men are good at math, and that Jane might become a nurse, since women are empathic and thus well-suited for the caregiving profession. The Harmons' messages reflect what the text refers to as

A) gender identities
B) gender-role standards
C) gender-role preferences
D) gender-role stereotypes

Answer 2

gender-role stereotypes

Question 3

If you were told that a particular child is highly sociable, not very good at logical tasks that require higher-level cognitive processing, and low in achievement motivation, you could confidently assume

A) that the child is a boy
B) that the child is a girl
C) that the child is a female if the child were also found to be quite suggestible
D) nothing about the gender of the child

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The first question that a relative is likely to ask a new mother upon phoning her after she has given birth is

A) "How are you feeling?"
B) "Is it a boy or a girl?"
C) "Is the baby healthy?"
D) "How much did the baby weigh?"

Question 5

Each society considers certain values, motives, and behaviors more appropriate for members of one sex than for members of the other. These prescriptions are known as

A) gender-role preferences
B) gender-role identities
C) gender-role standards
D) gender schemas

Question 6

Males and females are likely to evoke different responses from their companions

A) from the first day of life
B) as early as six months of age
C) about the time they acquire a basic gender identity
D) once they achieve gender constancy

Question 7

Research suggests that girls score higher than boys in

A) verbal aggression
B) verbal abilities
C) suggestibility
D) all of these

Question 8

One sex difference that appears to be accurate is that

A) boys are more analytical than girls
B) girls are more sociable than boys
C) girls are more suggestible than boys d. boys take more risks than girls do

Question 9

_____ provides a good illustration of the expressive gender-role.

A) Women are expected to be good at reading but not at math
B) Men are not supposed to cry or otherwise express emotion
C) Women are expected to be cooperative and sensitive to others
D) Men are expected to show a greater need to express sexual urges than women

Question 10

Maccoby and Jacklin's review of the literature suggests that

A) most gender-role stereotypes are reasonably accurate
B) most gender-role stereotypes are overstated or incorrect
C) gender-role stereotypes about males are much more accurate than those about females
D) gender-role stereotypes about females are much more accurate than those about males

Question 11

What conclusion can be drawn regarding the magnitude of sex differences?

A) sex differences are quite substantial on some characteristics
B) gender accounts for almost 50% of the variation in children's behavior
C) a child's math ability, fearfulness, and aggressiveness can be predicted by knowing the child's gender
D) all of the above
E) sex differences are typically quite small; males and females are more psychologically similar than different

Question 12

Analyses of gender-typing across more than 100 cultures suggest that

A) few societies encourage females to be self-reliant or males to be nurturant
B) many gender-typed attributes (for example, self-reliance; nurturance) are encouraged of both sexes, but with different emphases on different attributes, depending on the child's sex
C) the primary goal of socialization is to encourage children to acquire those attributes that will enable them to become contributing members of their society
D) few societies encourage females to be self-reliant or males to be nurturant and many gender-typed attributes (for example, self-reliance; nurturance) are encouraged of both sexes, but with different emphases on different attributes, depending on the child's sex
E) many gender-typed attributes (for example, self-reliance; nurturance) are encouraged of both sexes, but with different emphases on different attributes, depending on the child's sex and the primary goal of socialization is to encourage children to acquire those attributes that will enable them to become contributing members of their society

Question 13

The better documented sex differences in cognitive abilities appear to be

A) limited to middle-class samples
B) increasing as more women enter the work force
C) dependent to some extent on cultural influences
D) more true of African-American than of White samples

Question 14

Among the gender-role stereotypes that appear to be accurate is that

A) females are more verbally aggressive than males
B) females are more suggestible than males
C) males outperform females on tests of visual/spatial ability
D) males are more analytical than females

Question 15

Boys score higher than girls

A) on tests of arithmetic reasoning
B) on tests of computational skills
C) on tests of math concepts
D) all of these

Question 16

The major qualification about findings on sex differences is that

A) the data indicate group differences and tell us nothing about individuals
B) the findings are limited to a few, potentially nonrepresentative samples
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 17

Cross-cultural studies reveal that

A) gender-role standards vary widely from culture to culture
B) societies in which people live in small families are the ones that emphasize gender-typing the most
C) in most societies, boys face stronger pressures to be "obedient," whereas girls face stronger pressures to be "self-reliant"
D) many gender-role standards are similar from culture to culture

Question 18

Gender-typing refers to

A) the inheritance of a set of sex chromosomes that determine one's gender
B) the medical technique used to determine the sex of the fetus in utero
C) the processes through which children acquire gender appropriate identities, values, and behaviors
D) the process of classifying individuals on the basis of gender rather than personality

Question 19

Recent research (i.e., Prentice & Carranza, 2002) reveals that college students

A) have largely rejected traditional gender-role stereotypes
B) now think it acceptable for women to be intimidating and impatient
C) now think it acceptable for men to be emotional and to seek social approval for their actions
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 20

Research suggests that boys score higher than girls in

A) self-esteem
B) compliance with authority figures
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 21

Recent research implies that girls may perform worse than boys in such subjects as math and science in part because

A) they lack talent in these domains
B) they invest themselves broadly across many academic domains, without becoming exceptionally proficient in any domain
C) their teachers believe that boys are more talented and assign boys higher grades for same levels of performance
D) all of these

Question 22

One's gender identity includes

A) the knowledge "I am a boy/girl"
B) the knowledge "I will always be a boy/girl"
C) the judgment "I am contented/non contented with my biological sex
D) the knowledge "I am a boy/girl" and the knowledge "I will always be a boy/girl"
E) all of these

Question 23

One sign that gender stereotypes may be having less influence in recent years on girls' academic performance in math and science is that _____.

A) high school girls in some studies value math as much as boys do and view themselves just as competent at math as boys
B) the percentages of women earning advanced degrees in science, engineering, and medicine has increased dramatically
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 24

Some knowledge of gender-role stereotypes first appears _____, and by _____, children agree that males and females differ on important psychological dimensions.

A) at age 2 1/2 to 3; age 4 to 5
B) at age 4 to 5; age 10 to 11
C) at age 10 to 11; early adolescence
D) at age 2 1/2 to 3; age 10 to 11

Question 25

Evidence cited in the text regarding the influence of parents and teachers in promoting gender-stereotyped attitudes about achievement indicates that _____ have different expectations and/or respond differently to boys and girls.

A) parents
B) teachers
C) both parents and teachers
D) neither parents nor teachers

Question 26

One generally accepted idea about sex differences that is not supported by the research literature is that boys

A) are more active than girls
B) outperform girls on tests of concept formation and probability learning
C) outperform girls on tests of arithmetic reasoning
D) are outperformed by girls on tests requiring verbal skills

Question 27

Despite evidence to the contrary, inaccurate gender-role stereotypes persist because

A) people tend to note and recall instances in which males and females conform to these stereotypes
B) counterstereotypic behavior is likely to be distorted in ways to make it more consistent with the perceiver's stereotypes
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 28

Studies have shown that by _____ both genders judge females as less competent than males in arithmetic.

A) age 2
B) preschool and the early elementary grades
C) middle school/junior high
D) high school

Question 29

Gender differences have not been found consistently in

A) activity level
B) emotional expressivity
C) compliance with authority
D) social interest

Question 30

Children first place males and females into different "categories" a. by 6 months of age, on the basis of vocal cues
B) by 6 months of age, on the basis of hairstyles
C) by 9-12 months of age, on the basis of vocal cues
D) by 9-12 months of age, on the basis of hairstyles

Question 31

Gender-stereotypes are less likely to undermine the achievement expectancies and academic performances of girls in math when girls _____.

A) are taught by female math instructors
B) have parents who are nontraditional in their gender-role attitudes and behaviors
C) are only children or have older sisters
D) can complete homework assignments without assistance

Question 32

Jacquelynne Eccles and her associates have conducted research which implies that

A) gender-role stereotypes create self-fulfilling prophecies that promote sex differences in cognitive performance
B) biological differences between the sexes are most responsible for sex differences in cognitive performance
C) parents and teachers think grade-school girls must try harder than boys in math because girls perform worse in math during the early grades than boys do
D) the large underrepresentation of males in professions requiring verbal skills reflects males' relative lack of verbal ability
E) biological differences between the sexes are most responsible for sex differences in cognitive performance and the large underrepresentation of males in professions requiring verbal skills reflects males' relative lack of verbal ability

Question 33

Suppose that a 7-year-old is visiting a neighbor's house where the father, Mr. Jones, is cooking dinner. The child incorrectly reports to his/her mother that Mr. Jones was fixing the stove. Such distortions of recall have been found to be

A) unusual; it should be very striking and memorable to observe the father rather than the mother cooking
B) unusual; 7-year-olds tend to be very accurate in their recall of both gender-consistent and gender-inconsistent behaviors
C) common; children often recall gender-inconsistent information incorrectly
D) common; 7-year-olds do not yet have a schema for gender appropriateness and simply do not notice the gender of the individual performing an activity

Question 34

8-year-old Saul heard a story in which a female physician told her patient that the operation was a success and that he would soon recover. On retelling this story to his parents, Saul is likely to say that

A) it was boring
B) the nurse told the patient that everything was going to be OK
C) "I want to be a doctor when I grow up"
D) the lady doctor fixed the man up so he will recover

Question 35

By age 2 1/2 to 3 years, children

A) know whether they are boys or girls
B) know that gender is a permanent attribute
C) know most traditional gender-role stereotypes
D) are aware that males have penises and females do not
E) all of these

Question 36

The visual cues that 9-categorically distinct are _____ ; _____ .

A) clothing; dresses versus pants
B) hairstyles; long hair versus short hair
C) enactment of gender-typed behaviors; comforter versus playmate
D) genitalia; penis versus vagina

Question 37

Research examining the accomplishments of males and females reveals that

A) females lack the mathematical talent to excel in math and science
B) females are better suited than males for careers requiring verbal skills
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 38

Which of the following sex differences appears to be most accurate?

A) girls lack achievement motivation
B) girls are better at simple repetitive tasks
C) boys are less conforming and less suggestible than girls d. boys have higher self-esteem than girls do

Question 39

Children first begin to show some awareness of gender-role stereotypes

A) by the end of the first year
B) by the time they acquire object permanence
C) about the time they acquire gender constancy
D) about the time they acquire a basic gender identity

Question 40

Mary thinks of herself as a male and prefers masculine activities. Mary's biological sex thus differs from her

A) gender-role stereotypes
B) gender identity
C) gender constancy
D) all of these

Question 41

Boys face stronger pressures than girls to adhere to "gender-appropriate" codes of conduct because

A) parents are quicker to discourage the cross-sex activities of their sons than their daughters
B) parents perceive a wider range of activities as appropriate for girls than for boys
C) tomboyism is tolerated to some extent, whereas "sissyish" behavior is not
D) all of these

Question 42

Whiting and Edwards studied children in 12 different cultures with respect to their preferences for same-sex playmates. They found

A) most cultures do not show the marked same-sex playmate preference seen in the U.S.
B) that the same-sex playmate preference is common, but typically declines during childhood
C) that the same-sex preference is common and increases during childhood
D) markedly varying degrees of preference across cultures

Question 43

According to Jacklin and Maccoby, preschool children prefer same-sex playmates because

A) boys and girls rarely want to play at the same activities
B) boys and girls have incompatible play styles
C) parents encourage boys to play with boys and girls to play with girls
D) boys simply dislike girls and quickly withdraw when paired with a girl playmate

Question 44

Gender segregation appears to be stronger among ____.

A) boys than among girls
B) girls than among boys
C) children who hold more stereotyped views of the sexes
D) adolescents than grade-school children

Question 45

When children begin to draw sharp distinctions between the sexes on psychological dimensions, they first learn

A) positive traits that characterize their own gender and negative traits that characterize the other gender
B) negative traits that characterize their own gender and positive traits that characterize the other gender
C) positive traits that characterize each gender
D) negative traits that characterize each gender

Question 46

Sex differences in play patterns and a clear preference for same-sex peers have been found to

A) not be clearly evident until the late elementary school years
B) emerge after starting school
C) first be evident in the play of preschoolers (about 4-5 years of age)
D) be evident in toddlers (18 months-3 years of age) and to increase throughout the elementary school years

Question 47

African American children may have a less stereotyped view of the sexes than White children do because

A) African American fathers are less stereotyped in their caregiving routines, parenting much like African American mothers do
B) a greater percentage of African-American mothers are enacting the instrumental role by working and functioning as single parents
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 48

Until the age of 9 or 10, children believe that the gender-typed preferences that males and females display are

A) attributable to social forces--the ways in which boys and girls are raised
B) attributable to a child's status as a biological male or a biological female
C) attributable to an interaction between biological forces and social influences
D) flexible prescriptions that are a matter of personal choice

Question 49

_____ have less gender-stereotyped attitudes than _____.

A) middle-class adolescents; agemates from the lower socioeconomic strata
B) African American children; European American children
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 50

The gender-role stereotypes held by 3- to 7-year-olds are

A) more flexible than those of older children
B) inconsistent from day to day
C) rigid and inflexible
D) inflexible with respect to personal mannerisms but flexible with respect to the occupations that males and females might pursue

Question 51

Research on the development of gender-typed play reveals that

A) a preference for gender-typed toys develops soon after children have established a basic gender identity
B) three-year-old boys are already more sociable with male than with female playmates
C) two-year-old girls are already more sociable with female than with male playmates
D) a preference for gender-typed toys develops soon after children have established a basic gender identity and two-year-old girls are already more sociable with female than with male playmates
E) three-year-old boys are already more sociable with male than with female playmates and two-year-old girls are already more sociable with female than with male playmates

Question 52

Jacklin and Maccoby observed the play of pairs toddlers. They found the same-sex pairs were

A) more lively and positive than opposite-sex pairs
B) less lively and more withdrawn than opposite-sex pairs
C) more lively but less aggressive than opposite-sex pairs
D) less lively and less aggressive than opposite-sex pairs

Question 53

Compared to their earlier viewpoints on gender-role violations, older (i.e., 8- to 10-year-old) children become _____ about such violations, particularly those undertaken by _____.

A) more flexible; girls
B) more flexible; boys
C) more critical; girls
D) more critical; boys

Question 54

Gender intensification occurs during _____ and is thought to most clearly reflect _____ .

A) middle childhood; peer pressure to behave appropriately for one's sex
B) middle childhood; fathers becoming more involved with sons and mothers becoming more involved with daughters
C) adolescence; peer pressure to conform and to succeed socially with members of the other sex
D) adolescence; academic pressures to pursue curricula that are most appropriate for one's sex

Question 55

Among 10- to 11-year-olds, popular children are likely to

A) avoid extensive contacts with members of the other sex
B) have close friends of each sex
C) have made early entry into a romantic relationship
D) all of these

Question 56

Grade-school children are likely to be most critical of _____ .

A) a girl who likes to play baseball
B) a girl who aspires to be an electrician
C) a boy who wears a dress
D) a boy who aspires to be a nurse

Question 57

Children from "countercultural" homes in which parents strive to promote egalitarian sex-role attitudes are _____ than children from traditional homes.

A) less gender-stereotyped in their gender-role beliefs
B) less gender-typed in their toy and activity preferences
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 58

Developmental trends in gender-typed activities reveal that

A) boys are quicker than girls to develop a preference for gender-typed toys
B) girls are quicker than boys to develop a preference for gender-typed toys
C) by middle childhood (ages 4-10), neither boys nor girls have much interest in cross-sex toys and activities
D) boys are quicker than girls to develop a preference for gender-typed toys and by middle childhood (ages 4-10), neither boys nor girls have much interest in cross-sex toys and activities
E) girls are quicker than boys to develop a preference for gender-typed toys and by middle childhood (ages 4-10), neither boys nor girls have much interest in cross-sex toys and activities

Question 59

A second round of gender chauvinism appears in _____ as young people experience _____.

A) adolescence; gender segregation
B) adolescence; gender intensification
C) young adulthood; gender intensification
D) young adulthood; role requirements associated with marriage

Question 60

Compared to 8- to 10-year-olds from individualistic societies, 8- to 10-year-olds from Taiwan (a collectivist society) are _____ about gender-role violations because _____.

A) less flexible; of the strong prescription that people in collectivist societies conform to social expectations
B) less flexible; Taiwanese treat gender-role prescriptions as moral rules
C) more flexible; behaviors that promote group welfare are approved of, regardless of their correspondence to traditional gender roles
D) more flexible; there are fewer gender-role prescriptions in egalitarian Taiwanese society

Question 61

Proponents of the social-roles hypothesis criticize modern evolutionary theorists for ignoring _____ in their theory of gender-typing.

A) hormonal influences on development
B) gender segregation and peer influences
C) sex differences that are consistent across cultures
D) socially assigned roles and differential childrearing for males and females

Question 62

According to Money and Ehrhardt's biosocial theory, the most important influence on gender-typing from birth throughout childhood is _____.

A) the child's sex chromosomes (XX or XY)
B) the way the child is labeled and treated by others
C) the child's balance of androgens and estrogens
D) the child's biologically evolved behavioral characteristics

Question 63

One argument against a genetic interpretation of sex differences in visual/spatial skills is that_____ is a better predictor of visual/spatial test performances of both boys and girls than timing of puberty is.

A) previous involvement in spatial activities
B) having a masculine self-concept
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 64

Behavioral genetics research reveals that the major reason that people differ in masculinity and femininity is that

A) they differ in their concentrations of androgen and testosterone
B) they inherit different chromosomes; males inherit Y chromosomes and females inherit X chromosomes
C) they inherit different genotypes
D) they grow up in different environments

Question 65

If we learn that a genetic (XY) male was born with the external genitalia of a female, we would immediately suspect

A) testicular feminization syndrome (TFS)
B) adrenogenital syndrome (AGS)
C) interference in gender differentiation from mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS)
D) that the messenger has been reading science fiction

Question 66

Perhaps the most important lesson learned from the gender-typing of persons with genital abnormalities is that

A) we are biologically predisposed to develop as males or females
B) how we are raised has an important influence on gender typing
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 67

Strong evidence against Money's critical period for the establishment of gender identity comes from observations that

A) gender reassignment for AGS females is easily accomplished anytime prior to adolescence
B) TFS boys who had been raised as girls typically assume a masculine identity shortly after puberty
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 68

An androgenized female is one who

A) has an extra X chromosome
B) has an extra Y chromosome
C) has been exposed prenatally to male sex hormones
D) is insensitive to the effects of testosterone

Question 69

_____ comes closest to adopting an essentialist perspective on gender-typing.

A) Money and Ehrhardt's biosocial theory
B) modern evolutionary theory
C) Halpern's psychobiosocial theory
D) the behavioral genetics perspective on development

Question 70

Proponents of evolutionary theory believe that _____.

A) sex differences are largely a reflection of natural selection processes
B) different biologically evolved characteristics in males and females are ultimately responsible for gender-based divisions of labor
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 71

Money's work with androgenized girls implied that there may be a critical period between _____ for the establishment of a gender identity.

A) 6 months - 2 years of age
B) 12-18 months of age
C) 18 months - 3 years of age
D) 3-5 years of age

Question 72

The "timing of puberty" effect

A) accounts for gender differences in activity levels and aggression
B) refers to the fact that females reach puberty sooner than males do
C) refers to the tendency of those who reach puberty early to perform better on visual/spatial tasks than those who mature late
D) refers to the tendency of those who reach puberty relatively late to perform better on visual/spatial tasks than those who mature early

Question 73

Androgenized females _____.

A) often display strong interests in masculine activities
B) have developed a large number of both masculine and feminine attributes
C) provide some support for the notion that elevated concentrations of male sex hormones influence the activity preferences of human females
D) often display strong interests in masculine activities and provide some support for the notion that elevated concentrations of male sex hormones influence the activity preferences of human females
E) all of these

Question 74

In Money and Ehrhardt's biosocial theory of gender-typing event in gender-role development is _____ , an event which ensures that _____.

A) the inheritance of an X or a Y chromosome from the father; the fetus will develop ovaries (with an X chromosome) or testes (with a Y chromosome)
B) the inheritance of an X or a Y chromosome from the mother; the fetus will develop ovaries (with an X chromosome) or testes (with a Y chromosome)
C) the development of testes or ovaries; the fetus will develop a penis and scrotum (if testes have formed) or a clitoris and labia (if ovaries have formed)
D) the development of male or female external genitalia; males will be raised as males and females will be raised as females

Question 75

Those who believe that hormones contribute to sex differences often point to the testicular feminization syndrome, a condition in which

A) prenatal exposure to male sex hormones causes females to develop external genitalia resembling a penis and a scrotum
B) males inherit a condition in which they are insensitive to male hormones and will develop external genitalia resembling those of a female
C) prenatal exposure to female sex hormones causes males to develop external genitalia resembling those of a female
D) male animals castrated soon after birth come to exhibit feminine behavioral characteristics such as receptive sexual posturing as adults

Question 76

Those who suspect genetic contributions to sex differences and gender-role differentiation point to

A) the fact that males, who have but one X chromosome, are more susceptible to X-linked recessive disorders that produce developmental abnormalities
B) the fact that those who reach puberty late, on a timetable influenced by our genotypes, tend to perform better on visual/spatial tests
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 77

Critics of the evolutionary theory of gender-typing point to ____ as the primary reason that males and females display some behavioral and psychological differences.

A) natural selection of different genes for males and females
B) differences in socially assigned roles
C) differences in sex hormones
D) differences in physical stature and musculature

Question 78

Recent research with girls displaying congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is consistent with Money and Ehrhardt's notion that _____.

A) prenatal exposure to cross-sex hormones influences the behavior of animals but not humans
B) women can be socialized to overcome hormonal influences
C) prenatal exposure to androgen may promote the development of masculine interests and behaviors
D) only males are influenced much by prenatal exposure to androgen

Question 79

One observation consistent with a genetic interpretation of gender typing is that

A) preschoolers' toy and activity preferences are affected, in part, by their genotypes
B) girls who are heavily exposed to make sex hormones before they are born often display masculine toy and activity preferences
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 80

Research on biological contributions to sex differences reveals that

A) biological sex is an inherited attribute
B) our masculine and feminine self-concepts are influenced by the genes we have inherited
C) masculinity is more heritable than femininity
D) all of these