issues Flashcards
paper 3
Bias
a view that is distorted in some way
Gender bias
research and theories in psychology are not equally reflecting the experience of men and women
Universality
psychologists try to create theories that apply to all people equally regardless of time , gender or cultured differences of experience
Androcentrism
the male view of behaviour dominates
theories produced tend to represent male views
leads to neglect or exclusion of women’s experience
Alpha bias
exaggerates the difference between men and women
suggests the difference between men and women are real, fixed and don’t change
leads to the bias that one gender is devalued compared to the other
Beta bias
minimises differences between men and women
men an women are assumed to be more similar than they actually are
leads to the ends of one gender being ignored
‘normal’ behaviour is often based on male characteristics
female behaviour judged as abnormal compared to males standard
Freud alpha bias
suggests all women have penis envy suggesting they re morally inferior too men
women cannot fully develop a superego as they have a weaker identification to their mothers
Chodorow alpha bias
suggests daughters and mothers have a stronger connection than sons and mothers because they are biologically similar
meaning women develop empathy and can bond with others
Feminist response to freud
penis envy is phallocentric
women may differ to men because they envy their power and status in society not their penises
Consequences of freud
demeaned women
reduced female development to frustrated desire for masculinity
suggests women are “ a strange, inferior, less-than-human species”
contributes to stereotypes of women
Impact/effects of gender bias
misleading assumptions about female behaviour
negative stereotypes are formed and unchallenged
validation of discriminatory practise on incorrect assumptions
‘scientific’ justification
male standard of comparison impacts women
societal impacts affects lives
differing responses to therapy
historical research on ability
Limitation of alpha bias
p - alpha bias leads to a distorted view
e- Freuds’s theory includes concept of penis envy and oedipus complex - suggesting women can’t fully develop superego
e- THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE suggest women are inferior to men as they have reduced development , women will always envy men
l- alpha bias raises ethical implications because it impacts the way women are seen which impacts their opportunities in society
Limitation of beta bias
p- historical beta bias results from using all male samples
e- Milgram, Asch and Zimbardo use of men and no women - no universality
e- THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE limited generalisability of how women may be more or less obedient and competent , may differ due to socialising differently
l- limited validating as basing females on male findings.
Limitation of gender bias
p- gender bias leads to a distorted view of female experience
e- biological view of fight or flight is based on male response as women would ‘fend to befriend’ response - incorrect assumptions of women behaviour
freud - women’s ambition based on penis envy suggesting women are abnormal and inferior
e- THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE misleading assumptions about women fail to challenge negative stereotypes
Tarvis “it becomes normal for women to feel abnormal”
l- ethical implication - disadvantages women
Limitation of gender binary
p- psychology is limited by the use of gender binary
e-categorising and researching distinct ‘male’ and ‘female’ behaviour presents a narrow view that isn’t always supported by evidence eg hormones are both ‘male’ and ‘female’
e- USE OF THE GENDER BINARY IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE research continues to categorise male and female behaviour separately - people who don’t identify as these genders aren’t represented
l- findings shouldn’t be generalised, research should use samples that represent all members of target population
Gender bias through research
p- critics argue that gender bias is a serious problem that runs through all stages of psychological research
e- research shows theres a male dominance in academic departments although most undergrads are women- findings will represent ‘male’ qs and interpretations of behaviour
e- THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE it shows that issues like the Matilda effect and misrepresentation of female behaviour and not being challenged , research by women less represented
l- issues with validity remain, not all behaviour same for men and women.
Positive consequences of gender bias
p- understanding the impact of gender bias has led to improved research
e- new approach recognises full objectivity not possible, researchers reflect on how experience has shaped research and interpretation
Dambrin and Lambert highlight context of their research into why few women in accounting were in high positions
e- THIS IS A POSITIVE CONSEQUENCE BECAUSE reflexivity enhances the trustworthiness and credibility of research by making the researchers influence transparent
l- understanding of negative effects of gender bias has good application, raised standard of research
Why is psychology weird - Henrich et al
W: Western- 95% research comes from USA, Europe and English speaking countries (12% of population)
E: Educated
I: Industrialised
R: Rich
D: Democratic
Cultural bias
Jahoda and Maslow
Tendency to ignore cultural differences and explain all behaviour from the perspective of a person’s own culture, distorted view
Ethnocentrism
Ainsworth
Researcher sees things in terms of themselves and their social groups
Researchers culture is superior, culture studied judged as inferior
Cultural relativism
The view that behaviour cannot be judged properly unless seen in terms of context of its own culture, can be difficult to ensure awareness of differences to avoid ethnocentrism
Imposed etic
When a technique or theory developed in one culture is used to study the behaviour of people in another culture, associated to ethnocentrism
Ainsworth strange situation, Cochrane and Sashidharan, Deviation from ideal mental health, the Chitling test
Emic
When individual culture are studied, and generalisations are only made within that culture, associated to cultural relativism
DSM-5
reducing cultural bias in psychology
Cross cultural research - expanding the number and variation of cultures researcher adds to theories, so they are relevant
Reflexivity - Researchers should be continually reflecting on the bases they hold and there potential impact
Universality - do not assume characteristics are universal across all cultures
Immersion and indigenous psychology - Uses researchers who are active to/ familiar with/ immersed in the culture
Sample use and generalisation - don’t extrapolate from WEIRD samples to cultures that are not represented in your research
Emic approaches - study a single culture to understand that culture, interpret behaviour in it’s cultural context
