Gender Bias

Question 1

Define three types of gender bias

Answer 1

Alpha bias - exaggerates differences between the sexes

Beta bias - minimises the differences between the sexes

Androcentrism - normal behaviour is judged from the male standard.

Question 2

Give an example of alpha bias

Answer 2

Sociobiology theory

• males interest to impregnate as many women as possible to pass on genes
• women’s interest to ensure the survival of the few children she can produce
• suggests sexual promiscuity is genetically determined in males but going against a females nature

Question 3

Give an example of beta bias

Answer 3

Fight or flight

• based on males generalised to women
• Shelley Taylor et al suggested tend (caring for offspring) or befriend (forming defensive networks with other females)

Question 4

Give an example of androcentrism (3)

Answer 4

Freud’s theory
Psychosexual stages - females don’t get castration anxiety so don’t feel the same pressure to form an identification with their same sex parent so they form a weaker superego
- penis envy means women are defined by the fact there not men - Horney suggested the term ‘womb envy’ is more likely.
- women’s vanity is a defence mechanism to make up for their sexual inferiority, by focusing on physical charms

Question 5

Evaluate gender bias in psychological research (2)

Answer 5

Implications
- validates discrimination
- creates misleading assumptions about female
behaviour and encourages stereotypes
Sexism within the research process
- mainly male researches so research questions
are orientated around male concerns
- research is more likely to be published if it’s
results show a difference between the genders.

Question 6

What criteria was put forward to avoid gender biased research (3) and by who?

Answer 6

Worrell
- women should participate in research in
real life contexts
- Diversity within groups of women should be
studied
- a greater emphasis should be placed on
collaborative research methods which collects
qualitative data