Issues and Debates Flashcards
Gender Bias
The differential treatment or representation of men and women based on stereotypes rather than real differences
Gender Bias - Alpha Bias
Exaggerates the differences between men and women, suggesting that there is a hige difference between the two sexes. Usally devalues one of the genders in comparison to the other
Gender Bias - Examples of Alpha Bias
Psychodynamic explanation for offending behaviour - criminality occurs due to the superego. According to Freud Women do not s do not experience castration anxiety, they are under less pressure and have less of a need to identify with the moral standards of their same-sex parent, as compared to boys. This suggests that females, in line with the psychodynamic approach, are less moral than males - an idea
which has been refuted by Hoffman et al.
Gender Bias - Androcentrism
Consequences of Beta Bias and when all behaviour is compared according to a Male standard. Neglects or excludes women
Gender Bias - Examples of Androcentrism
PMS has been criticised by some as being a social construction, which trivialises female
emotion, particularly anger. On the other hand, male anger is seen as a logical response to
external pressures (Brescoll and Uhlman).
Beta Bias
Tends to ignore or minimise the differences between man and women. Such as theories tend to ignore questions about the lives of women.
Examples of Beta Bias
Early research conducted into the fight or flight response exclusively used male lab
mice because they experience fewer hormonal fluctuations and so changes in
Fresults from these studies were then generalised to females, ignoring differences
between the two sexes (e.g. speed and extent of the fight or flight response).
Gender Bias - Universality
The aim to develop theories that apply to all people, which may include real differences. This describes underlying characteristics of human behaviour which can be applied to all individuals.
Gender Bias - Evaluation ‘ Feminist Psychology’
Argues the difference psychology arises from biological explanations of behaviour. Feminist psychologists argue that there are reaal differences bust socially determined stereotypes maje a far greater contribution to percieved differences
