Gender Bias

Question 1

what are the two forms of gender bias?

Answer 1

• alpha bias
• beta bias

Question 2

what is alpha bias?

Answer 2

exaggerates or overestimates differences between the sexes
- often devalues women

Question 3

who are the researchers for alpha bias?

Answer 3

• Freud
• Chodorow

Question 4

what is Freud’s research for alpha bias?

Answer 4

Psychosexual Development
- in the phallic stage, both boys and girls develop a desire for the opposite gender parent
- in a boy this creates strong castration anxiety, anxiety is resolved when the boy identifies with their father
- a girls eventual identification with her same-gender parent is weaker, which means that her superego is weaker
- women are more morally inferior than men

Question 5

what is Chodorow’s research for alpha bias?

Answer 5

• mothers and daughters have have a greater connectedness than sons and mothers because of biological similarities
• as a result of child’s closeness, women develop better abilities to bond with others and empathise

Question 6

what is beta bias?

Answer 6

• ignores or minimises differences between men and women

Question 7

what is the research involved in beta bias?

Answer 7

• fight of flight response
• biological research generally favours using male animals as female animals are affected by regular hormonal changes due to ovulation
• this simply ignores any possible differences
• shows that men and women respond to threatening situations with fight or flight

Question 8

who refuted the idea of both men and women responding using fight or flight?

Answer 8

Taylor et al

Question 9

what did Taylor et al do?

Answer 9

• tend and befriend response
• love hormone oxytocin is higher in women
• women respond to stress by increasing the oxytocin production
• reduces the fight or flight response and enhances the preference for ‘tend and befriend’

Question 10

what does alpha and beta bias lead to?

Answer 10

androcentrism is a consequence of alpha and beta bias

Question 11

what is androcentrism?

Answer 11

• historically, there has been predominance of psychology research based on samples of men
• male-centred is when ‘normal’ behaviour is judged according to a male standard
• masculine traits are seen as desirable and feminine traits are seen as less acceptable

Question 12

what did Brescoll and Uhlmann say?

Answer 12

• men’s anger is seen as a rational response to external pressures
• anger in women in explained to hormonal terms = premenstrual syndrome

Question 13

what are the evaluations for gender bias? (all limitations)

Answer 13

• gender differences are only explained as fixed and enduring which they aren’t
• promotes sexism is research process
• research challenging gender bias may not be published