Gender bias in psychological research Flashcards
What is gender bias?
when psychological research offers a view that doesn’t represent experiences of both men and women (threatens universality of research)
What did Maccoby and Jacklin 1974 conclude about gender differences between males and females?
that there was only consistent evidence for 4 differences that exist between males and females
-girls have greater verbal ability and are less aggressive than boys
-boys have greater visual and spatial abilities and have greater arithmatic abilities than girls
What did Baron and Cohen 2002 argue ? (males)
What did Bremser and Gallup 2012 propose ?(females)
they argued that the high prevelance of autism spectrum disorders in males is a result of having an extreme male brain
they proposed that having an extreme female brain could explain the different prevelance of eating disorders in males and females
What are the features of a ‘male brain’ and a ‘female brain’
2 for each
male-high systemising skills and low empathising skills
female-high empathising skills and low systemising skills
Hare-Mustin and Marecek 1988 proposed 2 basic forms of gender bias , these are …
Explain what each is
alpha bias-when psych research overestimates the differences between the sexes
beta bias-when psych research minimises the differences between the sexes
What is androcentrism?
make 3 points
a consequence of gender bias in research
it is known as male bias and is when male behaviour is accepted as the norm and therefore behaviour of women is atypical as its different
Describe evidence from attachment and bio-psychology support the view that research is gender biased
(state whether its an example of alpha or beta bias)
Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Theory-an example of alpha bias , he suggested removing a young child from mother would cause later emotional problems which overestimates importance of maternal bond and downplays paternal role
Fight or flight response-example of beta bias , seen as the universal response to threat however more recent research suggests female biology leads them to display the ‘tend and befriend’ response
Describe evidence from aggression and gender that supports the view that research is gender biased
(state whether its an example of alpha or beta bias)
MAOA gene-example of beta bias , aggression as a result of a faulty MAOA gene only been reported in males but assumed to be same in females , recent research suggests its linked with happiness in females
Freud’s theory of gender development-example of alpha bias , exaggerates differences between males and females as sees feminine gender development as an expression of failed masculinity and took male behaviour as the standard for all behaviour
Describe evidence from schizophrenia that supports the view that research is gender biased
(state whether its an example of alpha or beta bias)
bias in diagnosis-an example of alpha bias , overestimates the differences in prevelance of schizophrenia between males and females , differences may just be due to diagnoses being missed in female patients
Make 2 points about the implications of alpha bias
-creates misleading assumptions about male and female behaviour
-leads to potentially damaging social stereotypes and a scientific justification to deny people oppurtunities or diagnose disorders
Make 2 points about the implications of beta bias
-encourages men and women to be seen as equal which leads to more equal oppurtunities
-may lead to misrepresentations of experiences
Make 2 points about how there is sexism within the research process
-researchers and studies which find a gender difference are more likely to be published
-this means psychology may be guilty of supporting a form of institutional sexism that creates bias in theories/research
