AP Psychology Lesson: Gender and Sexual Orientation: Influences on Behavior

AP Psychology Lesson Plan

Gender, Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation: How They Influence Behavior**

Unit: Development & Learning
Lesson: 3 of 3
AP Exam Weighting: 15–25%
Goal: Understand how gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation shape human behavior through biological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors.

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1. Warm-Up 

Think–Pair–Share

Write one short response for each, then discuss with a partner.

1. How do gender expectations influence daily behavior? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why might someone’s sexual orientation affect who they feel comfortable interacting with? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What messages about gender or sexuality have you seen in media, and how might they shape behavior? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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2. Core Vocabulary

Students write short definitions in their own words.

3. Mini-Lecture Notes 

Gender & Gender Identity

Word Bank

Use these words to fill in the blanks below:

biological, cultural, cognitive, emotional, social pressure, acceptance, rejection, role models, reinforcement, punishment, interests, behavior

• Gender is shaped by __________ and __________ influences.

• Gender identity develops through personal experiences, cultural expectations, and __________ processes.

Sexual Orientation

• Orientation refers to consistent patterns of __________ or __________ attraction.

• Orientation does not determine personality, but it can shape behavior because of __________ or __________.

Theories

• Social Learning Theory: We learn gender roles by watching __________ and receiving __________ or __________.

• Gender Schema Theory: Our brain creates mental categories about how “boys” and “girls” should behave, which influences __________ and __________.

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4. Concept Questions

1. Define gender in your own words:

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2. Define sexual orientation in your own words:

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3. Define gender identity in your own words:

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4. Example for Social Learning Theory:
   Explain how reinforcement or modeling shapes gendered behavior.

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5. Example for Gender Schema Theory:
   Provide a different example showing schemas influencing choices.

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6. How can sexual orientation influence social interactions in a cultural context?

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7. Why might stigma around sexual orientation impact mental health?

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8. How can cultural norms shape the development of gender identity?

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5. Main Activity: Three-Part Critical Thinking Task 

A. Behavior Breakdown

Scenario 1: A boy enjoys painting but stops because peers call it “girly.”
Analyze using BOTH:

• Social Learning Theory ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Gender Schema Theory ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Write how each theory explains his change in behavior.

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B. Identity and Orientation Case 

Scenario 2: A teenager hides their sexual orientation around family due to fear of negative reactions.
Explain using:

• Sexual orientation  ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Gender identity ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Minority Stress Theory ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Cultural norms ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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C. Micro-Debate 

Claim: “Gender roles are primarily learned, not biological.”

Students must argue:

• One for the claim (use Social Learning + Culture).

• One against (use biological perspectives: hormones, evolution).

• One moderate viewpoint.

Short presentations (1 minute each group).

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6. Applied Research Tasks 

Study Summary 1:

Children exposed to rigid gender roles in media showed more stereotypical behaviors.
Question:
How does this support social learning theory, and what factors (family, culture, peers) might weaken or strengthen the effect? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Study Summary 2:

Adolescents facing stigma toward sexual orientation had higher anxiety, but supportive school environments reduced harm.
Question:
How does orientation influence behavior here, and what is one way schools can strengthen support? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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7. Exit Activity: 

Give an examples from real life or media:

• Gender schema ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Social learning ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Stigma ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Gender identity ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Minority stress ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Example should be 1–2 sentences.

AP Exam Connection: This practices analyzing and evaluating research, a key skill for FRQs.

AP Exam Practice

Instructions: Answer the question below. We’ll review answers as a class to learn exam strategies.
Free-Response Question (FRQ):
Explain how gender, sexual orientation, and social learning theory interact to influence a specific behavior (e.g., career choice, relationships, or self-expression). Provide one example for each factor (gender, sexual orientation, social learning theory) and analyze how they interact to shape the behavior.

Closure

Instructions: Write a brief summary (2–3 sentences) of two key ideas you learned today about how gender and sexual orientation influence behavior.

Extended Practice

Instructions: Complete the tasks below based on today’s lesson to reinforce AP skills.

1. Review your answers from this lesson.
2. Write a detailed paragraph (5–7 sentences) applying today’s topic to a real-life behavior (e.g., how gender or sexual orientation affects your social interactions or choices). Include references to gender, sexual orientation, and social learning theory, and explain their interaction.

3. Find a short article or study on gender or sexual orientation and behavior (e.g., via apa.org) and write 2–3 sentences summarizing its relevance to today’s lesson. Cite the source (e.g., website or article title).