gender bias Evaluations (PEEl)

Question 1

What is a limitation of gender bias in psychology

Answer 1

P - GENDER DIFFERENCES SEEN AS ENDURING AND FIXED - determined by biology

E- Macoby and Jacklin(1974)
- girls have better verbal ability
- boys have better spatial ability

However Joel et al. (2015) - used brain scanning and found no gender differences

E- suggests that we should be weary to accept certain research as biological facts as they are better explained as social facts

Question 2

counterpoint of gender bias

Answer 2

P- Researchers have found there is some biological truth to some stereotypes such as women are better multitaskers
E- their hemispheres are better connected

E- This suggests there may be some biological basis for gender differences but we need to still be weary of exaggerating the effect they have on behaviour

Question 3

what is another limitation of gender bias

Answer 3

P- IT PROMOTES SEXISM IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS

research is more likely to be conducted by males
E- Nicolson 1995 = a male researcher may except a female to be irrational and unable to understand complex tasks which may mean they underperform

E- This means that gender biased research may create misleading assumptions about female behaviour and fail to challenge negative stereotypes therefore disadvantaging women
L- this is a weakness as it may be used validate discriminatory practices and have damaging effects on the lives on women.

Question 4

what is a further limitation

Answer 4

P- RESEARCH challenging bias may not be published

E- Formanowicz analysed 1000 articles relating to gender bias and found that such research is less funded and published by less prestigious journals

E- not taken seriously, overlooked