• 🧸 Kids start forming gender views by observing what's happening around them.

• 🎈 AHA moment: At about age 5, they realize their gender isn't gonna change (called "gender constancy").

• 🎉 Post-AHA: Kids act in ways that match their gender realization.

• 🌀Cognitive Dissonance - Feeling weird when what you do doesn't match what you believe.

  • Think of a vegetarian accidentally eating meat and feeling bad about it.

• Using CDT: If a kid thinks "I'm a boy", he might lean towards "boy-ish" things. Doing "boy-ish" things makes him more sure he's a boy. It's a reinforcing cycle.

• Why do kids follow this cycle? They

  • Feel good inside for acting as expected.

  • Get praised by adults for gender-fitting behaviors.

🧐 BUT, some findings

• Kids show gender preferences (like toys) before realizing gender is permanent.

• Example: Studies (like by Marcus and Overton) found kids play with "gender-typical" toys early on.

• Remember the Bobo doll? Kids aged 3-5 copied same-sex models more. (Credit to Bandura!)

• GST's basic idea: We all have mental "folders" that guide our understanding of gender.
• Schemas: Think of them as mental templates. Like recipe cards in our brain!
• Gender Schemas: These are just recipe cards specifically for understanding "boy" and "girl" roles.
• 🚀 Martin & Halverson's twist: Kids start building these gender "folders" once they can say "I'm a boy/girl" - around age 3. No need to wait for that "permanent gender" realization.
• Schema's role? Helping kids filter and store new gender info.
  • Imagine pouring gender knowledge through a funnel - the schema's the funnel!

🤔 There's a hiccup though

• It's hard to say if labeling one's gender leads to gender-typical actions, or if both are just because of society's nudge.
• Some say kids who get more feedback on their gender behavior (from parents) recognize their gender sooner. This might mean parents' influence is a big deal, not just these mental folders.

🏆 Evidence Alert

• Generally, GST gets more thumbs up from research than CDT. Like, just knowing your gender label can make you prefer certain toys or hobbies.