Gender in Psychology Flashcards
What does universitality refer to?
to a theory that applies to everyone, regardless of gender
Why does gender bias threaten universality?
because if a theory is male-centred (androcentric), it may misrepresent women, might incorrectly make them appear inferior or pathological, or may not actually apply to them at all.
What is the term bias used to suggest?
that a person’s or a society’s views are distorted in some way. In Psychology there is evidence that gender is presented in a biased way.
What does gender bias refer to?
the differential treatment and/or representation of males and females, based on stereotypes and not real differences
What may psychological research or theory offer in the context of gender bias?
In the context of gender bias, psychological research or theory may offer a view that does not justifiably represent the experience and behaviour of men or women (usually women).
What could gender bias be the result of?
a sampling bias if studies are conducted predominantly on males, and then the findings are presumed to apply to females as well
What is androcentrism?
refers to research which is male centred or provides a male-biased view of the world.
What does androcentrism lead to?
gender bias and results in male behaviour and masculine traits being judged to be the norm/acceptable or desirable, and female behaviour and feminine traits are judged to be abnormal/less acceptable or less desirable.
What is alpha bias?
-the tendency to exaggerate or overestimate differences between men and women, to the detriment of one gender (usually women).
-Such differences are typically presented as real, enduring, fixed and inevitable.
What are you examples of alpha bias?
-freud suggested “femininity was failed masculinity”
-He also suggested that males were moral as women didn’t experience castration anxiety (when females identify with mum, less moral)
What is beta bias?
the tendency to minimise or ignores the differences between men and women, to the detriment of one gender (usually women)- It assumes that what is true for men is also true for women, or vice versa.
When does beta bias often occur?
when an androcentric sample is taken therefore female participants are not included as part of the research process and then it is assumed that research findings apply equally to both sexes.
What do theories including beta bias often assume?
that the findings from males can apply equally to females
What is an example of research with beta bias?
-fight or flight response- because when the research was carried out it was done on male animals men generalised to all. However, research suggests that men are more likely to use it and females are more likely to use tend a befriend.
-This was ignored
