Gender Bias

Question 1

6 parts of the spec:
1
2
3
4
5
6

Answer 1

1. Gender and culture in psychology
2. Free will and determinism
3. The nature-nurture debate
4. Holism and reductionism
5. Idiographic and nomothetic
6. Ethical implications (and social sensitivity)

Question 2

In psychology, the aim is to develop theories that have universality:
What is universality?

Answer 2

Underlying characteristics of human beings can be applied to all, despite differences in experience and upbringing.

Question 3

What threatens universality?

Answer 3

Gender Bias
Culture Bias

Question 4

What is Gender bias?

2 types:

Implications of Gender bias
1
2
(3)

Answer 4

Gender bias refers to the differential treatment or representation of men’s and women based on stereotypes rather than real differences.
2 types: alpha and beta

Psychology has been dominated by male psychologists - led to biased theories based off male perspectives.

Psychological research and theory devalue and misrepresent

it puts forward a distorted view of what behaviours may be typical and atypical for men and women.

Question 5

2 types of gender bias:

Answer 5

Alpha bias
Beta bias

Question 6

What is alpha bias?
Implication:

Answer 6

Tendency to exaggerate differences between men and women (when there are actually not) suggesting that these differences are real and fixed across time.

Devalues one gender (usually females in relation to males)

Question 7

Examples of alpha bias

Research/theory:

Why is this an example of alpha bias?

Implications of gender bias:

Answer 7

Psychodynamic explanations for offending:

Freudian theory: assumption that girls develop a weaker superego that boys as they
Don’t experience castration anxiety
Under less pressure to identify with their mothers (than sons with fathers)
So develop weaker superego.

The girl forms a weaker superego than her male counterpart therefore her sense of morality is inferior

It might be assumed that women are more likely to commit crime or have weaker immortals.

Question 8

What is Beta bias?
Implications:

Answer 8

tendency to ignore or minimise differences between men and women, assuming what is true for one gender is true for both (when there are actual differences)

If the theory states women and males are equal, consequences is one gender may be misrepresented (e.g. findings found about men applied equally to females)

Question 9

Examples of Beta bias

Research/theory: Milgram’s obedience study

Why is this an example of beta bias?

Implications of this:

How this may lead to androcentrism?

Answer 9

Milgram’s obedience research
Studies obedience in male ps who were given the role to shock learners everything they made a mistake on a learning task. Found 65% went up to 450V. Concluded people will obey authority figures even when inflicting harm on someone else/ disagree.

Assumes both females and males will obey immoral orders from authority figures.

Misrepresents females: Doesn’t account that females are actually more submissive
If they are more submissive - seen as abnormal and the norm is set by male behaviour.

Question 10

2 examples of beta bias in psychology:

Answer 10

Milgrams obedience research

Kohlbergs stage theory of moral reasoning

Question 11

Examples of Beta bias

Research/theory: Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral reasoning

Why is this an example of beta bias?

Implications of this:

Answer 11

Kohlberg proposed a stage theory of moral development based entirely on a longitudinal study of a sample of emeritus men

Kohlberg based his stages of moral development around male reasoning - male perspective of justice rather than caring

Inappropriate generalisation to women form testing just males
Minimised gender differences

Question 12

What is androcentrism?

Leads to:

Answer 12

A consequence of beta bias.
Type of ‘male bias’ where men’s behaviour is taken as norm, therefore female behaviour judged as abnormal.
Leads to female behaviour being misunderstood even seen as mentally ill (psychologised)

Question 13

Examples of androcentrism

Answer 13

Milgram’s obedience research
Kohlberg too

Question 14

Examples of androcentrism:

Research/theory: Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral reasoning

Leads to androcentrism:

Answer 14

Leads to androcentrism: claimed that women generally reach lower levels of development (as their reasoning is based on care instead of justice) which suggest moral may inferior.

Question 15

Examples of androcentrism:

Research/theory: Milgram’s obedience study

Leads to androcentrism:

Answer 15

Leads to androcentrism:
normal to obey AF so women seen as abnormal if they don’t as male behaviour taken as norm.

Question 16

Evaluation of gender bias

Answer 16

implications of gender bias
sexism within research process
Reverse alpha bias
Avoiding beta bias

Question 17

Evaluation of gender bias:
Implications of gender bias:

Answer 17

A problem with gender bias is that it might lead to misleading assumptions about female behaviour which could fail to challenge negative stereotypes

May provide a scientific justification to deny women opportunities in work place or in wider society where men set standards for what is normal.

Problem as gender bias can have damaging consequences which can affect lives and prospects of women.

Question 18

Evaluation of gender bias:
Sexism within the research process

Answer 18

If psychological theories and studies are gender biased, one consequence is that research may find differences between genders that may not actually exist.
May not be genders differ but the methods used to test or observe them are biased - so males and females appear different

For example, women are disadvantaged through laboratory experiments.
Places with male researcher usually - inequitable relationship.
Who has power to label them as unreasonable, irrational and unable to complete tasks.

Limitation as this is a methodological issue so psychologist may be guilty of supporting sexism that creates bias in theory and research.

Question 19

Evaluation of gender bias:
Reverse alpha bias

Answer 19

One way of dealing with gender bias is to develop theories which show the differences between men and women but emphasis the VALUE of women rather than men.

E.g. women are better at learning because they are more attentive, flexible and organised.

Such research challenges stereotypes that the male position is better so challenged people preconceptions.

Question 20

Evaluation of gender bias:
Avoiding a beta bias

Answer 20

Feminists have put forward a number of criteria that should be adhered to in order to avoid gender bias in
research.
Women should be studied within meaningful real-life contexts, and genuinely participate in research, rather
than being the objects of study.
Diversity between groups of women should be examined, rather than comparisons between men and
women.