Harrison is often praised for his gender-typical behavior. his parents make statements like, "you are such a big boy when you climb the jungle gym by yourself! " gender researchers would use this as support for what theory of gender development?

Social Cognitive Theory

Explanation:

Social Cognitive theory of gender role development, which was developed by Albert Bandura, shows how gender typing and conceptions are developed and created from various experiences and how gender roles and conduct could be shaped through self-regulatory and motivational mechanisms. It looks at ways in which males and females of a society are socialized into masculine and feminine adults, which in turn have effects on the development of an individual.

The praise showered on Harrison is a form of gender reinforcement that rewards the gender appropriate behavior his parents expects from him, according to the social cognitive theory of gender development