Gender + Culture In Psychology : Gender Bias Flashcards
What is meant by universality
-any underlying characteristic of human beings that is capable of being applied to all, despite differences of experience + upbringing
-gender/culture bias threaten the universality of findings in psychology
Whats meant by universality + bias in psychological research
-psychologists like most hold beliefs + values that have been influenced by social/historical context they live in
-could be biased beliefs - lean towards subjective view, doesn’t reflect objective reality
-bias undermines psychology’s claim to universality of human behaviour (conclusions drawn can be applied to everyone regardless of time/culture)
-gender bias comes in 2 forms : alpha and beta
Explain what is meant by the term gender bias (5 marks)
-bias is tendency to treat 1 individual / group in different way to others
-Psychological research may offer view that doesn’t represent experience/behaviour of men/women (usually women)
-for 5 full marks, continue w brief explanation of alpha and beta bias
Define alpha bias and describe an example of psychological research that demonstrates this bias
-looks at differences between men and women, often devaluing women in relation to men, exaggerating these differences as inevitable
-example: Freuds theory of psychosexual stages of development. Phallic stage, both girls+boys develop desire for their opposite-gender parent
-boy develops strong castration anxiety , resolved when he identifies w father
-however, girls identification with her same gender parent is weaker , meaning superego is weaker
-therefore, girls+women morally inferior to boys/men
Define beta bias and describe an example of psychological research that demonstrates this bias
-focuses on similarities between men and women , assuming research findings apply equally to men and women even when women excluded from research process
-minimises any differences
-e.g fight or flight response
-biological research has usually shown preference to using male animals as female behaviour is affected by hormonal changes due to ovulation and so simply ignores any differences assuming both males/females respond to threatening situations w fight or flight
Why did Shelley Taylor say the fight or flight response as an eg of beta bias is untrue + other research
-instead described tend and befriend response
-‘love’ hormone oxytocin is more plentiful in women , yet present in smaller quantities in men
-seems women respond to stress by increasing oxytocin production
-this ac reduces fight or flight response , and enhances preference for tend and befriend
-this is an evolved response for looking after others
-illustrates how research that minimises gender differences may result in misrepresentation of women’s behaviour
-other research : misrepresentation of men
Eg research on attachment that assumed emotional care is provided solely by mothers
But research on fathers role show father can supply the emotional care , but often assumed to be province of women
Outline what is meany by androcentrism
-alpha/beta bias result of androcentrism
-over years, psychology has presented male-dominated version of world eg American psychological association published list of 100 most influential psychologists - only 6 women
-so traditionally a subject produced by men, for men, about men
-women’s behaviour misunderstood and pathologised.
-sign of illness
-feminist objected to diagnostic category premenstrual syndrome , medicalises women’s emotions, anger + explained hormonally
-men’s anger however, seen as rational response to external pressures
-male-centred, when ‘normal’ behaviour judged according to male standard
-female actions judged abnormal or deficient by comparison
What are other examples of alpha bias
Diagnosis of mental disorder
-depression
-stress
Bowlby
-gender
-mothers
From social influence topic, what examples of beta bias are there
Asch - used only American men 123
Milgram - didn’t test females as ‘results would’ve been similar’ - 40 American men
Zimbardo - assumed everyone would conform
Whats a limitation of research into gender bias (alpha) that they are often presented as fixed and enduring when they are not
Maccoby + Jacklin presented findings of several gender studies which concluded that girls have superior linguistic ability, boys have better spatial ability
They suggested these differences are ‘hardwired’ into brain before birth
Joel et al used brain scanning + found no such sex differences in brain structure/processing
It’s possible data from M+J was popularised as it fitted existing stereotypes of girls as ‘speakers’ and boys as ‘doers’
Suggests should be wary of accepting research findings as biological facts when they might be explained better as social stereotypes
Whats the counterpoint to the limitation that gender differences are often presented as fixed
However, doesn’t mean that psychologists should avoid studying possible gender differences in the brain
Eg. Research by Madura Ingalhalikar suggests that the popular social stereotype that women are better at multitasking may have some biological truth
It seems a woman’s brain may benefit from better connections between the right and left hemisphere than in a mans brain
Suggests there may be biological differences but we should still be wary of exaggerating the effect they may have on behaviour
Whats a further limitation of gender bias that it promotes sexism in research
Women underrepresented in university departments - science
Altho psychology’s undergraduate intake is mostly women, lecturers are mostly men
Means female ps more likely observed by men + therefore disadvantage - biased in interpretation of behaviour
May expect women to be more irrational + unable to complete complex tasks + expectations such as likely to mean women underperform
Means institutional structures + methods may produced gender-biased findings
Wats a further limitation that research challenging gender biases may not be published
Formanowicz et al
Analysed 1000 articles relating to gender bias published over 8 years
Found research on gender bias funded less often , by less prestigious journals
Consequence - fewer scholars become aware of / apply within own work
This still held true when gender bias compared with other forms of bias (ethnic) + when factors were controlled like gender of authors + methodology used
Suggests gender bias in research not taken as seriously as other biases
