issues and debates 1.1

Question 1

gender bias

Answer 1

results when one gender is treated less favourably than the other, often referred to as sexism

Question 2

universality

Answer 2

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

Question 3

2 types of gender bias

Answer 3

alpha

beta

Question 4

alpha bias

Answer 4

differences between men and women are exaggerated

this can undervalue either sex

same behaviour - exaggerated difference

Question 5

beta bias

Answer 5

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

Question 6

androcentrism

Answer 6

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

Question 7

ao3 gender bias

Answer 7

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

Question 8

what does recent research suggest about psychology?

Answer 8

it is a predominantly white, euro-american enterprise

Question 9

what % of psychological researchers are from the US?

Answer 9

64%

Question 10

universal theories

Answer 10

apply to all genders and cultures

Question 11

culture bias

Answer 11

tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all behaviour through the lens of one’s own culture

Question 12

ethnocentrism

Answer 12

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

Question 13

example of culture bias

Answer 13

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

Question 14

cultural relativism

Answer 14

believes there is no right or wrong behaviour, need to consider persons behaviour as part of culture before making judgement

considers norms and context

Question 15

etic approach

Answer 15

don’t consider norms of culture before studying e.g. Ainsworth

Question 16

imposed etic

Answer 16

theory is used to study other cultures, culture is seen to play no role

Question 17

emic approach

Answer 17

learns culture before studying behaviour

Question 18

how is milgram an example of cultural bias?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

how to deal with cultural bias

Answer 19

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

Question 20

limitation of culturally bias research

Answer 20

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

Question 21

strength of culturally bias research (diagnosis)

Answer 21

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

Question 22

implications of cultural impacts

Answer 22

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