Issues - Gender in Psychology Flashcards
(11 cards)
Define gender universality.
The idea that there are behaviours that occur in both men and women due to the same explanation.
E.g. the dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia suggests that too much dopamine activity can result in schizophrenic symptoms, regardless of whether you are male or female.
Define gender bias.
Gender bias refers to when research does not represent the behaviour of either men or women. This leads to the behaviour of that gender being misrepresented.
Identify and define the 3 types of gender bias.
Alpha bias = Gender differences are over-exaggerated.
Beta bias = Gender differences are minimised or ignored.
Androcentrism = When research uses all-male samples and so male behaviour is considered the norm.
Give examples of the three types of gender bias in Psychology.
Alpha bias: Freud argued that girls have weaker superegos due to a lack of castration anxiety, but crime statistics do not support this.
Beta bias: The fight-or-flight response was thought to be universal, but females tend to show a ‘tend and befriend’ response.
Androcentrism: Aggression studies often use male samples, meaning female aggression is viewed as abnormal if it differs.
Identify ways of reducing the three types of gender bias.
Alpha bias: Use both men and women in research; consider gender universality.
Beta bias: Use both genders; if one is used, state conclusions apply only to that gender.
Androcentrism: Include more females in studies; take a feminist approach to psychology.
Outline gender bias in Psychology.
Gender bias occurs when psychological research or theory misrepresents the behaviour of men or women, leading to inaccurate or unfair conclusions about one gender.
Discuss one strength of highlighting gender bias in Psychology.
A strength of highlighting gender bias is that it has led to improvements in psychological research. Researchers now include more females and ensure gender-balanced samples.
Discuss another strength of addressing gender bias in Psychology.
Addressing gender bias has improved psychological treatments. For example, drug therapies are now more likely to be tested on both men and women.
Discuss one limitation of gender bias in Psychology.
A limitation of gender bias is that it can negatively affect treatment. For example, many drug trials historically involved only males.
Discuss another limitation of gender bias in Psychology.
Gender bias continues due to institutional sexism. Fewer women hold senior research positions, so male researchers often decide what is studied.
Discuss a further limitation of gender bias in Psychology.
Research showing gender differences is more likely to be published than studies showing similarities. This leads to an exaggeration of gender differences.
