Final Exercise 4

Social categorisation

Mental, including semantic and implicit, associations are

The concept of the predictive brain argues that

Which one of the following is NOT affected by mentions of gender stereotypes?

Self-reflexivity can be used

Stereotypes carry emotional value, meaning that when they are activated they make us feel in a certain way about the group and its member(s).

Research suggests that children are less receptive to implicit stereotype changes than adults.

Looking into the cultural origins of stereotypes, research suggests that stereotypes are learned through social influences coming from parents, friends, peer groups as well as the media, among others.

Gender stereotyping is a generalised view or preconception about attributes or characteristics, or the roles that are or ought to be possessed by, or performed by, women and men.

After viewing an alternative version of the Princess and the pea story, where the princess was represented as strong and brave, and the King represented as vain and feminine, the teachers did not observe any changes in gender-stereotypical behaviour amongst the children.

Assignment 

Based on what you have learned about gender stereotypes, use a notebook to write down every mention of gender stereotyping you identify within a week at school. These mentions can come from students, teachers, parents, learning resources or even yourself. Then, use these notes to reflect on what gender stereotypes are reinforced in your environment. If one or more colleagues are interested you can think about ideas to counter these stereotypes, by identifying alternative phrases to use in the day-to-day or by creating small action plans on how to teach around a topic that includes gender stereotypes in order to challenge them for your class. You can keep a journal of your efforts and in a semester’s time you can again note down any gender stereotypes mentioned in the school environment and see if they are fewer than before.