Gender and Culture in Psychology: Gender Bias Flashcards
What is universality?
Any underlying characteristic of human beings that is capable of being applied to all, despite differences of experience and upbringing.
What threatens universality?
Gender bias and Culture bias.
What is Gender bias?
Psychological research or theory may offer a view that does not justifiably represent the experience and behaviour of men and women (usually women).
What is androcentrism?
Male-centred.
When ‘normal’ behaviour is judged according to the male standard.
What is Alpha bias?
Research that focuses on the differences between men and women and therefore tends to present a view that exaggerates these differences.
What is Beta bias?
Research that focuses on similarities between men and women, and therefore tends to present a view that ignores or minimises differences.
What is an example of alpha bias?
Freud’s (1905) theory of psychosexual development.
What happens during the phallic stage?
Both boys and girls develop a desire for their opposite-gender parents.
Boy -> Castration anxiety
Girl -> Penis envy
Have to identify with same gendered parent to internalise this creating the male/ female gender identity.
What happens when a girl eventually identifies?
A girls identification with her same-gender parent is weaker, which means her superego is weaker.
What does the weaker supergo suggest about girls?
They are morally inferior to boys/ men.
What did Chodorow (1968) suggest in regards to alpha bias?
Suggested that daughters and mothers have greater connectedness than sons and mothers because of biological similarities.
-> Women develop better abilities to bond with others and empathise.
What is an example of beta bias?
The fight or flight response.
Why does biological research favour men?
Because female behaviour is affected by regular hormonal changes due to ovulation, ignoring any differences.
How does favouring men relate to the fight or flight response?
It assumes both males and females respond to threatening situations with fight or flight.
What is the ‘tend and befriend’ response from Taylor et al (2000)
The love hormone -> oxytocin is more plentiful in women and it seems that women respond to stress by increasing oxytocin production.
-> This reduces the fight or flight response and enhances the tend and befriend.
