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摘 要：From analyzing the children's gender development, this article elaborates the reason of children's aggressive behavior and discusses the relationship between aggressive behavior and violent television programs.
關键词：Gender role；aggressive behavior；violence on television
中图分类号：G642 文献标识码：A 文章编号：1009-0118（2012）-02-0-02
1.Social and biological explanations for the development of gender roles in children.
Gender identity refers to the child’s adoption of either a typically masculine or typically feminine sex-role. Sex identity is largely biological. Both sex identity and gender identity are aspects of cognition. They are the knowledge that children have acquired. Gender roles refer to the behavior that each person has.
1.1 Social learning theory emphasizes that sex appropriated behaviors are largely taught by society rather than by being biologically determined. Sex appropriate behaviors are learned in the same ways as all other behaviors through imitation. In many conscious and unconscious ways parents instill sex appropriate behaviors in their children from the moment they are born, for example, handle the new born girl with a gentle and delicate way and the boy with a more vigorous and playful way. Although the behavior which is generally associated with boys and girls may vary according to their socialization, the extent or depth of it may be explained by hormone levels.
1.2 Biological theory believes that sex-typed behaviors occur as a result of basic biological differences between sexes. Biological theorists have investigated the functions of biological factors in the following two main ways:
1.2.1 Effects of Hormone
Young and his associates conducted experiments on monkeys injected with testosterone and found out hormones play a part in producing sex-typed behavior. John Money studied the matched pair of hermaphrodites and concluded that it is the socially imposed identity which is the accepted one.
1.2.2 The Lateralization of Brain Function
Bryden found that men are more specialized than women concerning the two hemispheres of the brain specializing in different functions. Thus, it indicated that some sex differences are innate. But psychology has no clear consensus regarding this.
2. Comparison of social and biological explanations for the development of gender roles in Children.
2.1 Difference
Social learning theory believes very young children act according to how they are expected to act. Their behavior can be conditioned in quite informal ways by other children and adults.
Biological theory believes there are sex differences which are the result of conception and of hormone balances during maturation. Biological forces do act on us as we are “human animals”. Gender roles vary between people, between culture, and between members of the same sex in any one culture.
2.2 Similarities
Both of the theories believe gender roles vary between different socialization
Both of the theories believe that hormone may play a part in the development of gender roles.
3. The possible reasons why a child might behave aggressively.
Aggression is an aggressive act which causes injury or anxiety to others or the destruction of property.
The reasons why a child might behave aggressively are：
3.1 Aggression is instinctive and we must find acceptable ways of expressing this, and have an innate, spontaneous readiness to fight.
3.2 Biological theory believes that there is a relationship between aggressive behavior and biochemistry (psychology). Aggression is not automatically produced by stimulation to the brain, but the aggression-center may be stimulated and the higher centers in the brain decide on exactly which response will be initiated.
3.3 Aggression is a reaction to frustration. But it cannot apply equally to all children because there is a wide range of individual differences in reactions to frustration.
3.4 Aggression as a learned response. Social learning theorists believe that aggression is no different from any other learned response. It can be learned by observation and imitation. The more often aggression is reinforced; the more likely it is to occur. Peers are a frequent source of reinforcement for aggressive behavior even from a very young age. Home situation can also encourage aggressive behavior.
3.5 Imitation of aggression—Experiment carried by Bandura showed the children will imitates aggressive behavior.
3.6 Televised violence—a number of studies have investigated the relationship between viewing violent television programmes and aggressive behavior and it does show a relationship between them.
4. Discussion on the link between aggressive behavior and violence on television
A number of studies have been carried out to investigate the relationship between viewing violent television programmes and aggressive behavior.
Bandura has conducted an experiment which demonstrated that children will imitate aggressive behavior. He expanded the experiment to include two filmed versions of models performing aggressive acts. One showed an adult behaving aggressively towards a doll and the other showed a cartoon character displaying the same aggressive behavior. Children watched these filmed versions of aggressive behavior imitated the aggression. The observation of the live model produced more imitation of specific aggressive acts; observation of the filmed models produced more aggressive responses of all kinds. From the finding of his experiment, we are considering the effects of watching violent television programmes. There are several studies regarding this issue.
Steuer, Applefield and Smith (1971) carried a study of two group of children watch television for a specific amount of time every day. One group watched violent cartoons; the other group watched non-violent cartoons. The results of this study indicated that the children who watched violent cartoons became more aggressive in their interactions with their peers, while the other group showed no difference in their behavior.
Eron and his associates (1972) reported on their longitudinal study which traced T.V. viewing habits over a ten year period. The results of this study showed high exposure to violent television programmes at age 9 was positively related to aggression in men at the age of 19. But there is no consisted relationship between the T.V. viewing habits of girls and their aggressive behavior because girls are seldom reinforced for aggressive behavior.
We may find a relationship between viewing violence and aggressive behavior; but we must be careful in interpreting the studies. The result does not necessarily mean that watching violent television programmes causes aggressive behavior. We could say that children who are naturally aggressive prefer to watch violent television programmes.
關键词：Gender role；aggressive behavior；violence on television
中图分类号：G642 文献标识码：A 文章编号：1009-0118（2012）-02-0-02
1.Social and biological explanations for the development of gender roles in children.
Gender identity refers to the child’s adoption of either a typically masculine or typically feminine sex-role. Sex identity is largely biological. Both sex identity and gender identity are aspects of cognition. They are the knowledge that children have acquired. Gender roles refer to the behavior that each person has.
1.1 Social learning theory emphasizes that sex appropriated behaviors are largely taught by society rather than by being biologically determined. Sex appropriate behaviors are learned in the same ways as all other behaviors through imitation. In many conscious and unconscious ways parents instill sex appropriate behaviors in their children from the moment they are born, for example, handle the new born girl with a gentle and delicate way and the boy with a more vigorous and playful way. Although the behavior which is generally associated with boys and girls may vary according to their socialization, the extent or depth of it may be explained by hormone levels.
1.2 Biological theory believes that sex-typed behaviors occur as a result of basic biological differences between sexes. Biological theorists have investigated the functions of biological factors in the following two main ways:
1.2.1 Effects of Hormone
Young and his associates conducted experiments on monkeys injected with testosterone and found out hormones play a part in producing sex-typed behavior. John Money studied the matched pair of hermaphrodites and concluded that it is the socially imposed identity which is the accepted one.
1.2.2 The Lateralization of Brain Function
Bryden found that men are more specialized than women concerning the two hemispheres of the brain specializing in different functions. Thus, it indicated that some sex differences are innate. But psychology has no clear consensus regarding this.
2. Comparison of social and biological explanations for the development of gender roles in Children.
2.1 Difference
Social learning theory believes very young children act according to how they are expected to act. Their behavior can be conditioned in quite informal ways by other children and adults.
Biological theory believes there are sex differences which are the result of conception and of hormone balances during maturation. Biological forces do act on us as we are “human animals”. Gender roles vary between people, between culture, and between members of the same sex in any one culture.
2.2 Similarities
Both of the theories believe gender roles vary between different socialization
Both of the theories believe that hormone may play a part in the development of gender roles.
3. The possible reasons why a child might behave aggressively.
Aggression is an aggressive act which causes injury or anxiety to others or the destruction of property.
The reasons why a child might behave aggressively are：
3.1 Aggression is instinctive and we must find acceptable ways of expressing this, and have an innate, spontaneous readiness to fight.
3.2 Biological theory believes that there is a relationship between aggressive behavior and biochemistry (psychology). Aggression is not automatically produced by stimulation to the brain, but the aggression-center may be stimulated and the higher centers in the brain decide on exactly which response will be initiated.
3.3 Aggression is a reaction to frustration. But it cannot apply equally to all children because there is a wide range of individual differences in reactions to frustration.
3.4 Aggression as a learned response. Social learning theorists believe that aggression is no different from any other learned response. It can be learned by observation and imitation. The more often aggression is reinforced; the more likely it is to occur. Peers are a frequent source of reinforcement for aggressive behavior even from a very young age. Home situation can also encourage aggressive behavior.
3.5 Imitation of aggression—Experiment carried by Bandura showed the children will imitates aggressive behavior.
3.6 Televised violence—a number of studies have investigated the relationship between viewing violent television programmes and aggressive behavior and it does show a relationship between them.
4. Discussion on the link between aggressive behavior and violence on television
A number of studies have been carried out to investigate the relationship between viewing violent television programmes and aggressive behavior.
Bandura has conducted an experiment which demonstrated that children will imitate aggressive behavior. He expanded the experiment to include two filmed versions of models performing aggressive acts. One showed an adult behaving aggressively towards a doll and the other showed a cartoon character displaying the same aggressive behavior. Children watched these filmed versions of aggressive behavior imitated the aggression. The observation of the live model produced more imitation of specific aggressive acts; observation of the filmed models produced more aggressive responses of all kinds. From the finding of his experiment, we are considering the effects of watching violent television programmes. There are several studies regarding this issue.
Steuer, Applefield and Smith (1971) carried a study of two group of children watch television for a specific amount of time every day. One group watched violent cartoons; the other group watched non-violent cartoons. The results of this study indicated that the children who watched violent cartoons became more aggressive in their interactions with their peers, while the other group showed no difference in their behavior.
Eron and his associates (1972) reported on their longitudinal study which traced T.V. viewing habits over a ten year period. The results of this study showed high exposure to violent television programmes at age 9 was positively related to aggression in men at the age of 19. But there is no consisted relationship between the T.V. viewing habits of girls and their aggressive behavior because girls are seldom reinforced for aggressive behavior.
We may find a relationship between viewing violence and aggressive behavior; but we must be careful in interpreting the studies. The result does not necessarily mean that watching violent television programmes causes aggressive behavior. We could say that children who are naturally aggressive prefer to watch violent television programmes.