gender bias Flashcards
Universality and bias?
psychologists possess beliefs and values influenced by the social and historical context within which they live. This may undermine psychologists’ claim to discover facts about human behaviour that are objective, value-free and consistent across time and culture (universality). Bias is leaning towards a personal view that doesn’t reflect reality. Psychological theory and research may not accurately represent the experience and behaviour of men and women (gender bias).
Alpha bias exaggerates differences?
Differences between the sexes are usually presented as fixed and inevitable. These differences occasionally heighten the value of women but are more likely to devalue females in relation to males.
Example of alpha bias is psychodynamic theory?
Alpha bias favouring males: Freud (1905) claimed children in the phallic stage, desire their opposite sex parent. This is resolved by identification with the same sex parent. But a girl’s identification is weaker, creating a weaker Superego and weaker moral development.
Beta bias minimises differences?
Ignoring or underestimating differences between men and women often occurs when female participants are not included in the research process but it is assumed that research findings apply equally to both sexes.
Examples of beta bias are fight or flight / tend and befriend?
Early research into fight or flight was based on male animals (because female hormones fluctuate). Fight or flight was assumed to be a universal response to threat. Taylor et al (2000) suggest that females exhibit a tend and befriend response governed by the hormone oxytocin which is more plentiful in women (but also present in small quantities in men) and reduces the fight or flight response. It is an evolved response for caring for the young.
Androcentrism?
Alpha and beta bias are consequences of androcentrism. Psychology has traditionally been a subject dominated by males - a list of 100 famous psychologists contained 6 females. This leads to females being misunderstood and even pathologized (taken as a sign of illness). For example, feminists object to the category of premenstrual system (PMS) because it medicalises female emotions by explaining these in hormonal terms. But male anger is often seen as a rational response to external pressures (Brescoll and Uhlmann 2008).
A03: One limitation is that gender bias promotes sexism in the research process.
Women are underrepresented in university departments (Murphy et al 2014).Research is more likely to be conducted by males which may disadvantage females. For example, a male researcher may expect female participants to be irrational and unable to complete complex tasks (Nicolson 1995), which may mean they underperform.
This means that the institutional structures and methods of psychology may produce findings that are gender biassed.
A03: Another limitation is that research challenging bias may not be published.
Formanowicz et al (2018) analysed 1000 articles relating to gender bias - such research is funded less often and is published by less prestigious journals. This still held true when gender bias was compared to ethnic bias, and when other factors were controlled (e.g. the gender of author(s) and methodology).
This suggests that gender bias in psychological research may not be taken as seriously as other forms.
A03: A further limitation is that gender differences are given as fixed and enduring.
Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) concluded that girls have better verbal ability and boys spatial ability - due to hardwired biological brain differences. Joel et al (2015) used brain scanning and found no such gender differences.
This suggests that we should be wary of accepting research as biological facts when it might be better explained as social stereotypes.
A03 (counter): However, this does not mean psychologists should avoid studying gender differences in the brain.
Ingalhalikar et al (2014) suggests the popular social stereotype that females are better at multitasking may have some biological truth to it - their hemispheres are better connected.
This suggests that there may be biological differences but we still should be wary of exaggerating the effect they may have on behaviour.
