Issues and Debates Flashcards
What is gender bias ?
The differential treatment or representation of men and women based on stereotypes rather than real differences
What is evolutionary psychology ?
Increasing the chance of genes being passed onto the next generation
What is alpha bias ?
When the differences between men and women are shown and may be exaggerated. Either to heighten the value of a gender or devalue them.
What is androcentrism ?
Male centered
Results from and perpetuates a worldview that is persistently male.
Research that shows Alpha bias
Freud’s theory of psychosexual development - femininity is failed masculinity
2 sexes cannot be equal in position or worth
Reflected the culture he lived in
Devalues women
What is beta bias ?
assuming that what is true for men is also true for women, mistakenly minimizing the differences between men and women. needs of a gender are ignored.
Examples of Beta Bias
Taylor et al - female biology has evolved to inhibit the fight or flight response, shifting attention towards caring for offspring and forming defensive networks with other females
What is universality ?
To recognize differences but not the superiority of one gender over another.
Evaluation of gender bias ?
- gender of researcher : Rosenthal - male experimenters more pleasant to female pts than to male pts. Men appeared to perform worse.
-lab experiments - ignore experiences of women outside this controlled setting. Eagly and Johnson (men and women similar leadership styles, lab)
-avoiding beta bias - consequences for women i.e. equal parental leave ignores the biological demands of pregnancy disadvantaging women.
Example of Alpha Bias in culture ?
The Chitling test of intelligence - culturally biased, favours African Americans other cultures underperform
What is alpha bias in culture ?
Assume real differences between cultural groups
expect ind. cultures to be less conformist because they are less orientated towards group norms.
Takano and Osaka - reviewed 15 studies compared US and Japan
14 of 15 found no diff in conformity
ind/collectivism not a real distinction, no longer useful
Beta bias in culture ?
ignore or minimise cultural differences
all people same, use same theories and methods
Example of Beta bias in culture ?
western - intelligence is individual
collectivist - intelligence is a functional relationship depending on shared knowledge between the individual and society
IQ testing, non western cultures less intelligent due to imposed etic.
what is ethnocentrism ?
evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one’s own culture.
Alpha bias - one’s own culture considered to be different and better, other culture devalued i.e. attachment.
beta bias - if psychologists believe their world view is the only view i.e. schizophrenia
Evaluation of culture bias
