gender and culture in psychology: gender bias Flashcards
1
Q
universality and bias
A
- psychologists hold beliefs and values that have been influenced by the social and historical context within which they live
- these beliefs may be biased, leaning toward a subjective view that doesn’t reflect objective reality
- bias in research process may be inevitable, undermines psychology’s claims to universality (that conclusions drawn can be applied to everyone, everywhere, regardless of time or culture)
2
Q
alpha bias
A
- research that exaggerates differences is alpha-biased, differences are usually presented as fixed and inevitable
- sometimes these heighten the value of women, but usually devalue females in relation to males
- freud’s theory of psychosexual development shows this, during the phallic stage the males experience castration anxiety which is resolved after identification, however this identification for females is much weaker, meaning the superego is weaker (women are morally inferior to men)
- alpha bias sometimes favours females in the psychodynamic approach, Chodorow suggested that daughters and mothers have greater connectiveness due to biological similarities, therefore women develop better abilities to bond and empathise
3
Q
beta bias
A
- research that ignores or underestimates differences is beta-biased, when we assume that findings apply equally to both sexes even when females have been excluded from the process
- research on fight or flight shows this, biological research generally favours male animals because female behaviour is affected by hormonal changes, this ignores any possible differences, early research into fight or flight assumed that both males and females respond in the same way
- Taylor claimed this isn’t true and described the tend and befriend response, oxytocin is more plentiful in females and it seems that women respond to stress by increasing oxytocin production
- research that minimised gender differences may result in misinterpretation of female behaviour, other research has misinterpreted males, such as research on primary attachment care by the mothers (role of the father opposes this)
4
Q
androcentrism
A
- alpha and beta bias are consequences of androcentrism
- over the years, psychology has presented a male-dominated version of the world
- the APA published a list of the 100 most influential psychologists which only included 6 women
- suggests that psychology has traditionally been a subject produced by males, for males and about males (an androcentric perspective)
- female behaviour, if considered, has been misunderstood and pathologised (taken as a sign of illness)
5
Q
evaluation - biological vs social explanations
A
- gender differences often presented as fixed and enduring when they are not
- Maccoby and Jacklin presented findings of several gender studies that concluded that girls have superior verbal ability and boys have better special ability, suggested these differences are hardwired into the brain before birth
- these findings become widely reported and seen as facts, Joel used brain scanning and found no such gender differences in brain structure or processing
- we should be wary of accepting research findings as biological facts, they may be explained better as social stereotypes
6
Q
evaluation - sexism in research
A
- gender bias promotes sexism in the research process
- women remain underrepresented in university departments, psychology lecturers are more likely to be male, meaning research is more likely to be done by males which then may disadvantage female pps
- institutional structures and methods of psychology may produced gender-biased findings
7
Q
evaluation - gender-biased research
A
- research challenging gender biases may not be published
- Formanowicz analysed many articles relating to gender bias, research on gender bias is funded less often and published by less prestigious journals
- gewer scholars therefore become aware of it or apply it in their own work
- gender bias in psychology may not be taken as seriously as other forms of bias
