Gender bias Flashcards
(13 cards)
gender bias
bias is a tendency to treat one individual or group in a different way from others.
psychological research may offer a view that does not justifiably represent the experience and behaviour of men and women
what is alpha bias in gender?
research that focuses on differences between men and women. tend to present a view that exaggerate these differences
example of alpha bias in psychology
Freud’s theory of psychosexual development.
during phallic stage both boys and girls develop a desire for their opposite-gender parent. in a boy this creates castration anxiety. the anxiety is resolved when the boy identifies with his father. but a girl’s eventual identification with her mother is weaker, which means her superego is weaker.
Therefore girls are morally inferior to boys
what is beta bias in gender?
research that focuses on similarities between men and women. tend to present a view that ignores or minimises these differences
what does beta bias assume?
that research findings apply equally to both men and women even when women have been excluded from the research process
example of beta bias in psychology
research on the fight or flight response.
biological research has generally favoured using male animals because female behaviour is affected by regular hormone changes due to ovulation. early research into fight or flight assumed both male and female respond to threatening situations with fight or flight
Taylor et al claimed this isn’t true and described the ‘tend and befriend’ response. Oxytocin is more plentiful in women and women respond to stress by increasing oxytocin production. this reduces the fight or flight response and enhances a preferences for tend and befriend.
beta bias research that misinterprets men
research on attachment assumed emotional care is provided solely by mother. but research on the role of the father shows that fathers can supply the emotional care often assumed to be given by women
what is androcentrism in gender?
male-centred
when ‘normal’ behaviour is judged according to a male standard.
means female behaviour is often judged to be ‘abnormal’ by comparison
what are consequences of androcentrism?
alpha bias and beta bias
example of androcentrism in psychology
over the years, psychology has presented a male-dominated version of the world
the American Psychological Association published a list of 100 most influential psychologists of the 20th century which included only 6 women
suggests psychology has traditionally been an androcentric perspective
evaluation of gender bias (brief)
weakness - gender bias in research methods
weakness - promotes sexism in research process
strength - beta bias leads to greater access to education
weaknesses of gender bias
One weakness is that there is gender bias within research methods of studies. If theories and studies are gender biased, the research may find differences between genders, but it may not be the genders that differ but simply the methods used to test or observe them. For example, Rosenthal (1966) found that male experimenters are more pleasant and encouraging to female participants and subsequently they perform better in tasks compared to male participants. This highlights how gender bias in research methods can distort findings and lead to false conclusions about gender differences, reducing the validity of psychological research.
gender bias promotes sexism in the research process. women remain underrepresented in university departments. although psychology’s undergraduate intake is mainly women, lecturers in psychology departments are more likely to be men. this means research is more likely to be conducted by men and this may disadvantage pxs who are women. for example, a male researcher may expect women to be irrational and unable to complete complex tasks and such explanations are likely to mean that women underperform in research studies. This shows how gender bias reinforces existing inequalities within psychology, ultimately limiting the generalisability of psychological theories
strengths of gender bias
Beta bias has allowed women greater access to educational and occupational opportunities due to promoting a belief that minimises difference between men and women. However Hare, Mustin and Marecek pointed out that arguing
for equality draws attention away from women’s special needs. For example, equal parenting ignores the biological demands of pregnancy, childbirth and the needs of
women as a result of this. Therefore, this suggests that some elements of beta bias may actually disadvantage women.
