Issues and debates Flashcards
Issue
a topic that creates conflict, may undermine the value of theories and research or focus on important aspects of the participants’ integrity
Debate
arguments about ways to explain behaviour, there’s often a middle-ground (interactionist approach), but debates are still described as dichotomous (two opposing views e.g. nature/nurture)
Bias
looking at issues from a limited perspective
Universality
any underlying characteristic of human beings that can be applied to all individuals, despite differences. gender and culture bias threaten universality in psychology
Gender bias
research offering a view that does not justifiably represent the experiences and behaviour of both men and women, and treats one gender group differently to another
Alpha bias
theories identify one gender as better or worse than the other, and focuses on/exaggerates differences, often presenting the differences and fixed and inevitable
Beta bias
theories ignore or minimise differences, often due to one gender not being included in research, and the results being generalised to them anyway
Impact of alpha and beta bias
unbalanced world view
Example of alpha bias
Freud’s theory - case study of little Hans and perpetuating women as inferior
Example of beta bias
Milgram or Asch’s studies
Androcentrism
behaviour of men is judged to be ‘normal’, so the behaviour of women is considered to be ‘abnormal’ or ‘deficient’ by comparison, consequence of beta bias
Example of androcentrism
Freud’s theory
Evaluation of gender bias: flawed research
Maccoby and Jacklin (1974): Girls have superior verbal ability whereas boys have better spatial ability. Joel et al (2015) used brain scanning and found no such difference, we should be wary of accepting research as fact as there may be social stereotypes involved
Evaluati
