Gender Bias

Question 1

Define Gender Bias

Answer 1

The differential treatment/representation of males and females based on stereotypes

Question 2

Define Alpha Bias in Gender

Answer 2

Exaggerate the differences between males and females

Question 3

Define Beta Bias in Gender

Answer 3

Minimising or ignoring differences between males and females

Question 4

Define Androcentrism in Gender Bias

Answer 4

Theories/explanations that are centered around males

Question 5

What is Universality in Gender Bias?

Answer 5

When a theory can be applied to everyone regardless of gender

Question 6

Examples of Alpha Bias (Gender)

Answer 6

1. Psychodynamic Approach
   - Suggests girls suffer a different conflict as boys and don’t identify with their mothers as strongly as boys identify with their fathers
   - He says this impact their development by giving them a weaker superego - would mean impose less guilt
2. Evolutionary explanation attachment
   - Suggests m/f are innately different to help them with their roles in attachment, aiding the survival of the species
   - Males are more dominant + breadwinners VS women who are more empathetic have more parental investment into the offspring’s survival (child)

Question 7

Examples of Beta Bias (Gender)

Answer 7

1. Asch’s Conformity Research
   - Only used male participants (androcentric)
   - Assumes that females would respond in the same way as males
   - (H) Replication by Mori and Arai found there are gender differences in conformity rates, so Asch’s explanation of conformity is not complete

Question 8

Examples of Universality (Gender)

Answer 8

1. Field et al → filmed babies face-2-face interactions with primary caregiver mothers and fathers
2. Selman Perspective Taking
   Cross sectional sample 30m/30f (20 age 4,5,6)

Question 9

Implications of Gender Bias (workplace)

Answer 9

• ✅❌ Treatment in work/education - ! (Must catch the Hare)
  
  • Beta bias minimises differences between men and women
  • Leads to more equal environment in work and education, treated equally
  • This may include equal paternity leave - good…
  • (H) Hare-Mustin and Marech suggested equal paternity leave could be problematic because biological differences, do men need it as much?

Question 10

Implications of Gender Bias (learning)

Answer 10

• ✅ Learning and Organisation - ! (Corn Dawg)
  
  • Cornwell = females are better at learning and more attentive and organised
  • Helps to challenge gender stereotypes and make research more inclusive
    
    • Earlier research focused on men whereas this research (AB) helps to show the positive attributes of women

Question 11

Implications of Gender Bias (leader)

Answer 11

• ✅❌ Leadership - ! (Bird in the sky)
  
  • Feminist approach restore balance to psychological theory
  • Eagly = females are less effective in leadership than males
  • Catalysed more training opportunities in the workplace for women to improve their leadership qualities
  • (H) Eagly also found women had worse leadership when tested in a lab but were equally as good in the real world. Therefore lab experiments may be biassed against women

Question 12

Consequences of Gender Bias (socially sensitive)

Answer 12

• ❌ Socially sensitive in social roles - !
  
  • Gender bias research has contributed to the formation of rigid gender stereotypes e.g. women as primary caregiver
  • This contributed to wider beliefs of gender roles within a family
  • Economical impact - if the mother is the breadwinner but believes she should stay at home because of this stereotypical research
  • (H) Field found father can be just as good (combats this with research that has universality)

Question 13

Consequences of Gender Bias (publication)

Answer 13

• ❌ Publication - ! (George Foreman)
  
  • Formanwicz analysed 1000 articles on gender bias
  • Found research into gender bias is not well funded, and published in less prestigious journals
  • Fewer scholars become aware or apply it to their own work

Question 14

Consequences of Gender Bias (bias methodologies)

Answer 14

• ❌ Bias methodologies
  
  • Gender bias research may be finding differences that don’t actually exist
  • Rosenthal - male experimenters more pleasant towards female participants vs males and females performed worse on the tasks
  • Feminists argue lab experiments disadvantage women because of how controlled they are
  • Mention Eagly study (women better real life then labs)
  • Therefore gender bias lowers the validity of research