Question

Nadia is 3 years old. According to Kohlberg's cognitive developmental theory of gender, which of the following statements is most likely TRUE? (a) She is able to realize that a person's sex is a fixed characteristic from birth to adulthood. (b) She is able to understand that one's sex is maintained even when external features such as hair length and clothing change. (c) She is able to distinguish whether she is male or female. (d) She is able to understand that sex is a permanent feature tied to biological characteristics.

Answer 1

According to Kohlberg's cognitive developmental theory of gender, which is based on the broader framework of his theory of moral development, young children go through several stages in their understanding of gender.

At the age of 3, Nadia is most likely in the early stages of gender development, which corresponds to the first stage of Kohlberg's theory, known as the "gender identity" stage. During this stage, children begin to understand and label themselves as either male or female, but their understanding is often based on superficial characteristics like clothing, hair length, and other observable features.

So, the most likely TRUE statement for Nadia, who is 3 years old, is:

(c) She is able to distinguish whether she is male or female.

At this stage, children do not yet fully grasp the concept of gender constancy, which is the understanding that one's gender remains the same regardless of external appearances or changes in clothing or hairstyle. This level of understanding typically develops in later stages of Kohlberg's theory.

Step-by-step explanation: