Issues - Gender bias & Culture bias

Question 1

What is universality?

Answer 1

Any underlying characteristics or behaviour of human beings that could be applied to all, despite differences of experience and upbringing

Question 2

What is Bias?

Answer 2

The beliefs of psychologists impact their research design and interpretations of results. Biasing the theories we use.

Question 3

What causes bias?

Answer 3

Psychologists are people whose beliefs and values have been influenced by their social and historical context.

Question 4

What is beta bias?

Answer 4

Exaggerating the similarity (or minimising the differences) between men and women.

Question 5

How does beta bias normally occur?

Answer 5

Findings are obtained from males and are applied to females without any additional validation

Question 6

What is the issue with beta bias?

Answer 6

Theories can misinterpret 1 of the genders

Question 7

What is an example of beta bias from research?

Answer 7

Fight or Flight
Tend and Befriend

Question 8

What is alpha bias?

Answer 8

Exaggerating or overestimating the differences between men and women

Question 9

What is an issue of alpha bias?

Answer 9

Theories can devalue one gender in comparison to another

Question 10

What is an example of alpha bias from research?

Answer 10

Freuds work

Question 11

What is androcentrism?

Answer 11

Taking male thinking and behaviour as the norm while regarding female behaviour as inferior or abnormal when it is different

Question 12

What is the issue of androcentrism?

Answer 12

Theories devalue and misrepresent women

Question 13

What is gynocentrism?

Answer 13

Taking female thinking and behaviour as the norm while regarding male behaviour as inferior or abnormal when it is different

Question 14

What are three evaluations of the gender bias issue?

Answer 14

• Scientifically misleading
• Upholding stereotypical assumptions
• Stereotypes

Question 15

Why does gender bias promote sexism in the research process?

Answer 15

Lack of females appointed to senior level, so their concerns may not be reflected in research questions. This leads to more male research being published.

Question 16

What does promoting sexism in the research process lead to?

Answer 16

Supporting a form of institutional sexism- creating biased theories. Lack of valid research.

Question 17

What is reflexivity?

Answer 17

Where many researchers are aware of their bias therefore embrace it as a critical part of the research

Question 18

What does reflexivity lead to?

Answer 18

Greater awareness of personal bias in shaping futures therefore the issue shouldn’t be problematic

Question 19

What is a WEIRD sample?

Answer 19

White, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic

Question 20

What % of researchers are from the USA?

Answer 20

64%

Question 21

What is cultural bias?

Answer 21

A tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all behaviour through the norms of your own culture.

Question 22

What is the issue of cultural bias?

Answer 22

Misinterpretation of behaviour.

Question 23

What is Ethnocentrism?

Answer 23

A cultural bias leading to the belief in the superiority of your own culture. Causing prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures, regarding them as underdeveloped.

Question 24

What is the issue with Ethnocentrism?

Answer 24

Prejudice and misinterpretations

Question 25

What are emic behaviours?

Answer 25

The behaviour that contructs to a specific culture

Question 26

What are etic behaviours?

Answer 26

The behaviour contructs that are universal to all people

Question 27

What are imposed etics?

Answer 27

When emics and etics get mistaken for each other

Question 28

What is the issue with imposed etics?

Answer 28

Misunderstanding and misinterpretation of behaviour.

Question 29

What is cultural relativism?

Answer 29

The idea that norms and values can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.

Question 30

What is an issue of cultural relativism?

Answer 30

Avoids cultural bias but limits universality.

Question 31

Why is Ainsworth's experiment an example of ethnocentrism?

Answer 31

Norms of other cultures seem deficient, cultural differences in child-rearing styles (Japanese and German samples) leading to discriminatory results.

Question 31

What is an example of ethnocentrism?

Answer 31

Ainsworth's strange situation attachment research

Question 32

What is an example of cultural relativism?

Answer 32

Cultural bias in the diagnosis of mental health disorders

Question 33

What is a mental health diagnosis an example of cultural relativism?

Answer 33

African-Caribbean immigrants are 7x more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness. Some factors that indicate schizophrenia is a cultural norm in Africa. Mental illness is not a universally agreed-upon concept, e.g. anorexia is not recognised in East Asia.