Final answer:
Children learn gender roles through rewards for gender-appropriate behaviors, which is part of the larger socialization process that includes influences from family, education, peer groups, and mass media. These societal agents reinforce gender roles and expectations, leading children to conform to traditional gender behaviors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Social learning theory suggests that children learn gender roles through rewards for gender-appropriate behaviors. One way this occurs is through play, where children are often provided with toys that are stereotypically associated with their gender and receive positive feedback from parents for playing with these toys. This process is part of a broader socialization process where children learn to behave in ways that conform to societal values, beliefs, and expectations. As they grow up, children are exposed to various agents of socialization such as family, education, peer groups, and mass media, all of which reinforce gender roles by creating normative expectations for gender-specific behavior.
Mimicking the actions of significant others is crucial during early childhood and can result in either positive reinforcement for conforming to expected gender behaviors or negative sanctions for non-conformity. For instance, a girl may be praised for playing with dolls while a boy may be ridiculed for the same, thereby reinforcing traditional gender expectations. This conditioning can lead individuals to believe they are acting out of natural inclination rather than following a socially constructed role.