Issues and Debates

Question 1

Universality

Answer 1

Conclusions drawn from investigations can be applied to everyone, anywhere, regardless of time, culture or gender. They claim that they discover facts about human beings, which are objective and not influenced by their own values

Question 2

Gender bias

Answer 2

When psychological research may offer a view that does not justifiably represent the experience of men or women

Question 3

Alpha bias

Answer 3

Misrepresentation of behaviour because researchers overestimate the difference between the genders, which often devalue women in comparison to men.

Question 4

Beta Bias

Answer 4

There is a misrepresentation of behaviour because researchers underestimate the gender difference, often happens when women are not included in research, but it is still assumed that the research findings can be applied to both genders

Question 5

Androcentrism

Answer 5

Male based view of the world, male behaviour is judged to be normal and desirable, whilst female behaviour are judged to be abnormal

Question 6

Discussion of gender bias

Answer 6

+ psychology is guilty of supporting a form of institutional sexism
+ 1930s- gender biased research revealed that intellectual activity would shrivel women’s ovaries and reduce their chances of conceiving
+ little psychological difference between men and women who both go out to work and share child care and domestic chores
-gender bias can be avoided
-many modern researchers have begun to recognise the effect that their values and assumptions have on their work