gender bias

Question 1

define universality

Answer 1

an underlying characteristic of human beings that is capable of being applied to all, despite differences of experience and upbringing

Question 2

what fundamental element of psychology do gender and cultural bias impact

Answer 2

universality

Question 3

define gender bias

Answer 3

tendency to treat an individual in a different way due to gender

Question 4

define gender

Answer 4

psychological, social, cultural difference between boys and girls including attitudes, social roles, behaviour

Question 5

define alpha bias

Answer 5

alpha bias within psychological research exaggerates or overestimates differences between the sexes

Question 6

give 3 examples of alpha bias

Answer 6

sociobiological theories
freud’s psychosexual development
chodrow (1968)

Question 7

explain how sociobiological theories are an example of alpha bias

Answer 7

to explain sexual attraction

males - promiscuous
females - monogamous

Question 8

explain how freud’s psychosexual development is an example of alpha bias

Answer 8

Oedipus and Electra complex

which states males are more moralistic than females so have a greater superego

Question 9

explain how Chodrow’s research in 1968 is an example of alpha bias

Answer 9

females bond better with daughters than sons due to biological similarities

mother empathise more with daughters

Question 10

define beta bias

Answer 10

where theories ignore or minimalize the differences between the sexes

(often occurs when females are not part of an experiment and we assume the research findings apply equally)

Question 11

explain how fight or flight response as an example of beta bias

Answer 11

male animals are used to study fight or flight behaviour as female behaviour is affected by regular hormonal changes due to ovulation

then from this research it is assumed men and women respond the same to threatening situations with the fight or flight response

Question 12

explain how Taylor et al research (2000) is an example of beta bias

Answer 12

women prefer the tend and befriend response

“love” hormone oxytocin is more plentiful in women

women respond to stress by increasing oxytocin production

Question 13

explain in terms of attachment an example of beta bias

Answer 13

emotional care is provided solely by mothers

but there is research on role of father and then can also provide emotional support in the absence of a mother

Question 14

define androcentrism

Answer 14

normal behaviour is judged according to a male standard

(this leads to female behaviour being misunderstood as research is only conducted on males resulting in female behaviour being seen as “abnormal” or “deviating from the norm”)

Question 15

what are the implications of gender bias (in terms of alpha bias)

Answer 15

creates misleading assumptions about female behaviour

• fails to challenge negative stereotypes
• validates discriminatory practice
• may provide justification to deny women of opportunities
  links - women 2x more likely to be diagnosed with depression

Question 16

what did Javris say regarding gender bias

Answer 16

“normal for women to feel abnormal”

Question 17

what type of data is used to measure gender bias and why is this important

Answer 17

qualitative data which gives people a voice and breaks those stereotypes

Question 18

what did jacklin’s research into gender bias show

Answer 18

meta analysis

found girls have superior verbal ability but boys have better spatial awareness

Question 19

what did formanowicz say regarding gender bias

Answer 19

it is the least researched type of bias