Gender Bias

Question 1

What is an issue?

Answer 1

An issue is a topic that creates conflict.

Question 2

What happen if psychological issues are ignored?

Answer 2

Can potentially undermine the value of psychological theories and research.

Question 3

State 2 common issues within psychology.

Answer 3

Ethical issues.

The role of animals.

Cultural bias.

Gender bias.

Question 4

What is a debate?

Answer 4

A debate is an ongoing academic discussion about the fundamental aspects of human behaviour.

Question 5

State 2 common debates within psychology.

Answer 5

Nature vs nurture.

Free will vs determinism.

Holism vs reductionism.

Question 6

What is a bias?

Answer 6

Supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, due to personal opinions.

Question 7

State 3 potential implications of a bias.

Answer 7

Makes research less applicable and valid.

Results less accurate, more personal influence to corrupt results.

Loss of objectivity, relationship between variables weakened.

The research may not be replicable.

Reduces how applicable study may be.

Question 8

What is universality?

Answer 8

Any underlying characteristics of human beings that is capable of being applied to all, despite differences in experiences, upbringing, time, or culture.

Question 9

What did Flanagan state in 2017?

Answer 9

‘Psychological researcher theory may offer a view that does not justifiably represent the experience and behaviour of men and women.

Question 10

Psychologists have often investigated human behaviour using what? What was wrong with what they did with findings?

Answer 10

Psychologists have often investigated human behaviour using studies of men only but assume that what they discovered applied to all people.

Question 11

Give one example of gender bias.

Answer 11

Assuming that males and females are the same

Question 12

State 2 psychological studies that have a gender bias.

Answer 12

Moscovici: all female sample (blue slides study).

Asch: all male students (majority influence study).

Question 13

What is alpha bias? Give an example.

Answer 13

If a theory identifies gender differences, but suggests that one gender is better than another; exaggerating the differences between the genders.

E.g. Milgram.
E.g. Bowlby.
E.g. Freud.

Question 14

What is beta bias? Give an example.

Answer 14

When a theory ignores of downplays the differences.
Research that views males and females as similar.

E.g. Asch

Question 15

What is androcentrism?

Answer 15

‘Male bias’. Men’s behaviour is the standard against which women’s behaviour is compared.

Question 16

What did Tavris argue in 1993? What was the solution? Give an example.

Answer 16

Argues that most cultures take male behaviour as standard and therefore women make the decision to behave like a male or different from them.

Treatments should be individualistic, in order to combat the bias.

E.g. for OCD, symptoms are picked up later in female life, as the findings are based on male studies.

Question 17

What is essentialism?

Answer 17

Gender differences in question are inevitable/ fixed by nature​.

Question 18

How can an alpha bias be overcome?

Answer 18

By making sure that the norms and values of women are seen as just as men and vice versa.

Question 19

How can a beta bias be overcome?

Answer 19

Facilitating equal treatment, with improved access to education and employment opportunities.

Question 20

What did Hare-Mustin and Marecek state in 1988? Give an example.

Answer 20

Stated that equality for men and women ignores the differences between them, which results in different needs.

E.g. equal parental leave may be fair but ignores the demands of pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.

Question 21

Emphasis on the female norm has led to the development of what?

Answer 21

Feminist psychology as an established branch.

Question 22

What do feminist psychologists believe?

Answer 22

Believe real biological differences between men and women, but also acknowledge the role of socially influenced stereotyping.