issues and debates 1.1 Flashcards
gender bias
results when one gender is treated less favourably than the other, often referred to as sexism
universality
the idea that there are behaviours that occur in both men and women as a result of the same explanation e.g. knee jerk reaction
gender bias threatens universality of findings in psychology
2 types of gender bias
alpha
beta
alpha bias
differences between men and women are exaggerated
this can undervalue either sex
same behaviour - exaggerated difference
beta bias
differences between men and women are minimised
often happens when findings from only male sample are applied to men and women without additional validation
e.g. fight or flight response was only researched on male animals but deemed as universal
androcentrism
if our understanding of what counts as normal behaviour is drawn from research involving all male samples, any behaviour that deviates from standard is regarded as abnormal
(female behaviour is usually judged as abnormal, judged according to male standard)
e.g. Milgran’s study of all male participants that was generalised to females
ao3 gender bias
gender bias of researcher should be considered, may impact findings and show bias in reporting
in feminist research can be reverse alpha bias (emphasis on women)
feminist psych argues we have clear and distinct biological differences however social stereotypes we create make a far greater contribution to perceived differences. fem psych aims to rebalance research
implications of gender bias due to stereotyping as a result of gender bias in research. employers may show particular preference to one gender over another
what does recent research suggest about psychology?
it is a predominantly white, euro-american enterprise
what % of psychological researchers are from the US?
64%
universal theories
apply to all genders and cultures
culture bias
tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all behaviour through the lens of one’s own culture
ethnocentrism
occurs when a researcher assumes that their own culturally specific practices are ‘right’
other cultures are observed that differ from researchers own and may be regarded in negative light e.g. undeveloped
example of culture bias
Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
only reflects norms and values of American culture
defined attachment types as the child’s experience of anxiety on separation, suggested ‘secure’ attached child will show moderate amounts of anxiety when separated from mother
Japanese children were not left alone so they were distressed
cultural relativism
believes there is no right or wrong behaviour, need to consider persons behaviour as part of culture before making judgement
considers norms and context
etic approach
don’t consider norms of culture before studying e.g. Ainsworth
imposed etic
theory is used to study other cultures, culture is seen to play no role
emic approach
learns culture before studying behaviour
how is milgram an example of cultural bias?
studies revealed very different results when replicated in other parts of the world
e.g. the study was replicated in Australia and extremely low obedience was found
if the ‘norm’ or ‘standard’ for a particular behaviour (obedience) is judged only from the standpoint of one particular culture any cultural differences that deviate will be seen as abnormal
how to deal with cultural bias
to recognise when it occurs
research found 66% of studies were American, 32% European and 2% from rest of world
suggests much psychological research in unrepresentative can be improved be selecting different cultural groups to study
limitation of culturally bias research
can have real world effects
US army used IQ test, culturally biased towards dominant white majority
test showed African American were at bottom of IQ scale
people then had negative attitudes towards them
strength of culturally bias research (diagnosis)
has also been some progress in the field of diagnosing mental disorders
early versions of the diagnosis system ignored mental disorders that weren’t found in American culture
DSM-IV in 1994 acknowledged other cultural systems need to be considered and included a short appendix on culture-bound syndromes found in other parts of the world
implications of cultural impacts
can have implications on the economy and hiring of staff
if research highlights the benefits or deficits in a particular culture, this may lead to a bias in hiring from employers and thus impact employability
