gender bias Flashcards
why is it important that there is rigorous testing across both genders?
because it is recognised that men + women are not the same
why may psychologists’ beliefs be biased?
they may have been influenced by the social + historical context
what does bias undermine psychology’s claims to?
universality
what is alpha bias?
research that focuses on differences between men + women, and therefore tends to present a view that exaggerates these differences
true or false?
differences within alpha bias are typically presented as fixed/inevitable
true
how do Freud’s psychosexual stages of development present an alpha gender bias?
during the phallic stage, both boys + girls develop a desire for opposite-gender parent - in a boy, this creates a strong castration anxiety (which is resolved when the boy identifies with his father), whereas a girl’s eventual identification with her mother is weaker, meaning that her superego is weaker
what is beta bias?
research that focuses on similarities between men + women, and therefore tends to present a view that ignores/minimises differences
how does fight/flight research present a beta gender bias?
research has generally favoured using male animals because female behaviour is affected by regular hormonal changes due to ovulation - this ignores any possible differences between males + females
how did Taylor et. al. criticise research into fight/flight?
she suggested that the hormone ‘oxytocin’ is more plentiful in women than men, and it seems that women respond to stress by increasing oxytocin production - this reduces fight/flight response and enhances a preference for ‘tend/befriend’
what is androcentrism?
when ‘normal’ behaviour is judged according to a male standard (meaning that female behaviour is often judged to be ‘abnormal’ or ‘deficient’ by comparison)
what are consequences of androcentrism?
alpha bias + beta bias
what is one limitation of gender bias?
gender bias promotes sexism in research
why may male psychology lecturers lead to gender bias?
research is more likely to be conducted by men, which could disadvantage participants who are women
what is one strength of research into gender bias?
it points out the sexism that occurs as a result of gender bias
what was Ford + Widiger’s aims + procedure?
~ they aimed to determine whether clinicians were more likely to diagnose HPD or ASPD based on gender of patient, even when case descriptions were the same
~ case studies were identical except for gender of patient - symptoms described were consistent with either disorder
what did Ford + Widiger find?
clinicians were more likely to diagnose HPD with females + ASPD with males
what are 2 symptoms of HPD?
~ exaggerates emotions
~ uses physical appearance to attract attention
what are 2 symptoms of ASPD?
~ aggressiveness
~ consistent irresponsibility
what is another limitation, in terms of biological + social explanations?
gender differences are often presented a fixed/enduring, when in fact they are not
what did Maccoby + Jacklin present findings of?
several gender studies which concluded that girls have superior verbal ability whereas boys have better spatial ability - they suggested that these differences are hard-wired into brain before birth
why were Maccoby + Jacklin’s data/findings popularised?
because they fitted existing stereotypes of girls as ‘speakers’ and boys as ‘doers’
how did Joel et. al. challenge Maccoby + Jacklin’s research?
they used brain scanning + found no such sex differences in brain structure or processing
what is a positive counterpoint to Joel et. al.’s research?
research suggests that the social stereotype that women are better at multi-tasking may have some biological truth to it - a woman’s brain may have better connections between RH + LH than in a man’s brain
