Gender Bias Flashcards
What is gender bias?
- A study conducted only on males but generalised also to females
- If our understanding of ‘normal behaviour’ is being drawn from research that involves all male samples then behaviour that deviates from this is seen as ‘abnormal’ by comparison
- Female behaviour is misunderstood and at worst, their behaviour pathologized - taken as a sign of psychological instability or disorder
- For example, the medicalisation of PMS is criticised by some psychologists
Define Gender bias
The differential treatment orrepresentation of men and women based on stereotypes rather than real differences
Define Alpha bias
Theories that assume there are real and enduring differences between men and women. Thus they exaggerate the difference.
Define Beta bias
Theories that ignore or minimise gender difference. They do this by assuming all people are the same and therefore its reasonable to apply the same theories/methods with both men and women
Define Bias
Learning in a particular direction, a systematic distortion in ones attitude and beliefs based on prejudice or pre-existing ideas
Define Gender
Psychological characteristics associated with being female or male
Define Androcentrism
Mental process of viewing the world from a male point of view
Who proposed alpha and beta bias?
Hare-Mustin and Marek (1998)
The problem with alpha bias
Likely to devalue one gender in comparison to the other - usually females
The problem with beta bias
Most theories have been created by male researchers and most researchers have used all male samples so they tend to represent a male-world view (androcentrism) - can lead to female behaviour being misunderstood, judged as abnormal or deficient in comparison
Example of Alpha bias
Freud:
- He viewed femininity as failed masculinity - he exaggerated the differences between men and women
- Women are seen as inferior to men as they are jealous of men’s penises and because they can’t undergo the same Oedipus conflict as boys do
- Because the superego develops from the Oedipus conflict, women therefore must be morally inferior because they have a weaker identification with their mothers
Example of Beta bias
Fight of flight response:
- Biological research conducted on male animals as it was thought the response would be the same in females however studying female hormones is much more complex
- Taylor et al (2000) found that females tend to use a tend and befriend response at times of stress, an adaptive behaviour to protect offspring
Therefore gender difference was initially understated and female behaviour could have been misinterpreted
What can be done to reduce gender bias?
- Representative sample (both sexes)
- Making it clear in reporting that any conclusion relates only to the gender of the sample
- Have male and female researchers
- Ensure the procedure is appropriate to each gender
- Use reflexivity (understanding of biases) to acknowledge potential bias
Evaluation (see sheet)
