Issues and Debates Flashcards
define gender bias
the differential treatment or representation of men and women based on stereotypes rather than real differences
define alpha bias
exaggeration of differences between men and women.
consequent is that devaluation of one gender in comparison to the other
examples of alpha bias
Freud
- psychodynamic explanation
Freud states that since females do not experience castration anxiety that why are under less pressure and less of a need to identify with moral standards of the same sex parent
suggests that females are less more moral then males
examples of alpha bias
Wilson
theory of relationship formation suggest that sexual promiscuity in males id genetically determined whilst females that are promiscuous go against their nature
females need to be more selective when choosing their mates due to a limit supply of eggs
Therefore may lead to prejudice and stereotyping go women that engage in these behaviours
examples of alpha bias
Schizophrenia
schizophrenia has been diagnosed more frequently in men compared to women
women are more likely to continue working and maintaining good interpersonal relationships
therefore schizophrenic symptoms of women may be masked or not severe enough to merit a diagnosis
define androcentrism
consequence of beta bias and occurs when all behaviour is compared to male standard
examples of androcentrism
whilst male anger seems as a logical response , female emotion at PMS is trivialised
define beta bias
a tendency to ignore or minimise differences between men and women. theories tend to ignore questions about the lives of women or insights found from studies of men will be generalised to women
examples of beta bias
flight or fight
research of flight or fight exclusively used male lab mice, due to lower hormonal fluctuations =+ adrenaline so could are more reliably measured
However the results were generalised
examples of beta bias
Kolberg
levels of moral reasoning theory was developed on the basis of studying a group of males who answered questions based on moral dilemmas
these were generalised to both males and females
argument against gender bias
Bias in research methods
if theories are gender based the researcher may find differences between genders nut many not be the gender that differs but the method used to test or observe them
eg; being more pleasant and encouraging to female participants = perform better in tasks
argument for gender bias
avoiding beta bias
beta bias has allowed own greater access to education and occupation opportunities
However psychologists point out that arguing for equality draws attention away from women special needs (so beta bias can be a disadvantage to women)
argument against gender bias
need to be challenged
gender bias remains unchallenged
Darwins theory of sexual selection portray women as choose and arguing that women are coy whilst women are aggressive for competition
this view needs to be challenged as it has been found that women are equally competitive when needed - supported by DNA
define culture
the rules, customs and moral that bind together members of a society or some other collection of people
define culture bias
the tendency to judge all cultures and individuals in terms of our own cultural assumptions
define cultural relativism
the view that behaviour, morals , standards and values cannot be judged properly unless they re views in the context of the culture inn which they originate
example of cultural relativism
Milgram
Milligrams study of obedience was conducted using 40 American males but also replicated using Spanish and Australian students where the results differed
suggests that muilgrams original results were specifically bound to American cultures
cultural relativism
alpha and beta bias
can lead to alpha bias - assumption of real differences lead psychologists to overlook universals
can lead to beta bias - eg schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations but hearing voices can be cultural norm = by assuming that same rules apply universally we may diagnose some people as mentally ill but relative to their culture they are not
cross cultural research
alpha and beta bias
alpha example - distinction between individualist and collectivist cultures. different expectations from each culture (USA vs japan) BUT there was a study that did not support common idea
beta example - IQ tests to study intelligence in many different cultures so assume their view of intelligence applies equally to all cultures. results in non western people appearing less intelligent = imposed etic. the test is made for one group then imposed on another
define ethnocentrism
example of alpha bias and leads to beta bias
seeing things from the point of view of ourselves and our social group. using own standards and customs from own culture . can lead to prejudice and discrimination
example of ethnocentrism
Ainsworth
strange situation is an example of culturalethnocentrism
suggests that secure attachment is only characterized by moderate separation and stranger anxiety . German children that showed little separation and stranger anxiety was deemed as due to cold and rejecting parenting
argument against culture bias
bias in research methods
Textbooks
smith and bond surveyed research in one European textbook on social psychology and found that 66% of studies were American, 32% European and 2% elsewhere
suggests that there is an almost institutionalized cultural bias as students would be learning about ‘universal’ behaviors that were demonstrated in only certain cultures
argument against cultural bias
consequences of cultural bias
IQ test
US army IQ test showed that European immigrants are seen as less intelligent. has had implications on attitudes held by Americans towards certain groups of people, leading to stereotyping
argument for culture bias
not all behaviors are affected by cultural bias
although there are differences in Asch study and milgram between collectivist and individualist, universal behaviors still exist
Ekman- attachment in interactional synchrony and reciprocity demonstrated that facial expressions for anger and guilt and disgust were universally recognized across all cultures
therefore to fully understand behaviors we must look both universal and culture bound examples
define determinism
belief that behaviour is controlled by external or internal factors acting upon the individual and beyond control.
-biological
-environmental
-psychic
define biological determinism
view that behavior is always caused by internal biological forces beyond our control , genes etc
genes which affect brain structure and neurotransmitter production (serotonin and dopamine ) will also determine behaviour
define environmental determinism
belief that behaviour is caused by previous experiences through classical and operant conditioning (little albert, operant conditioning example)
external forces we have no control over
define psychic determinism
freuds theory of personality suggests that adult behaviour is determined by a mix of innate drives and early experiences
result in unconscious conflicts over which we have no control
(eg Freud psychosexual stage of development that each stage is characterized by a conflict which can lead to fixation in adulthood if unresolved )
