Issues and Debates Flashcards
What is gender bias?
It is the different treatment/representation of men and women based on stereotypes rather than real differences.
What is androcentrism?
Male centred/focused often to the neglect or exclusion of women.
What are the two types of gender bias?
Alpha
Beta
What is alpha bias in gender? Ex
Difference between men and women is exaggerated. Misrepresentation of behaviour as a result.
Devalue one gender in comparison to the other.
What is beta bias in gender? Ig
Differences between men and women are ignored. What is assumed for men (usually) will be also assumed for women. Differences ignored.
What is an example of alpha bias in gender?
Freud’s theories reflected culture he lived in 19th century. Men more powerful/educated. In Freud’s alpha biased theory of psychoanalysis, he viewed femininity as failed masculinity - exaggerated.
What is an example of beta bias in gender?
When researching fight or flight stress responses, male animals mostly used because in females - there is a variation in hormone levels making research more difficult. Tf assumed true for males is true for females. Not the case - ignored.
For schizophrenia, symptoms are found by male psychologists and male ppts - differences ignored. Hence why females have been diagnosed as mentally stable in the past, this may not be the case.
What is universality?
Aiming to develop theories that apply to all people, may include real differences. Recognising differences but not the superiority of one gender over another.
Evaluation point about feminist psychology in gender bias.
Way to counter androcentrism is to take a feminist perspective. Gilligan argues differences in psychology arises from biological explanations of behaviour. The alternative, is the social constructionist approach, which aims to understand behaviour in terms of social processes and therefore finds a way to greater equality.
Evaluation point, gender bias in research methods.
Methods used to test or observe participants may be biased. Or perhaps males and females are treated differently by researchers which may cause differences.
What is reversing alpha bias in gender evaluation point
What is avoiding beta bias evaluation point
Changing preconceptions saying that women are better than men: research suggests they are better learners because they are more attentive and organised - Cornwall et. al.
Equal treatment for men and women (beta bias) given women greater opportunities - may be a disadvantage. Mustin and Marecek (1988) point out arguing for equality between men and women draws attention away from women’s special needs.
For example pregnancy/childbirth - biological demands.
Suggests we should avoid beta bias to ensure significant differences are taken account of.
What is culture bias about?
Most of traditional psychology represents Western bias. Psychology is mostly trained and taught in the West. Bias slowly reducing as psychology spreading.
What are the two types of culture bias?
Alpha
Beta
What is alpha bias in culture?
Refers to theories that assume there are real and enduring differences in cultural groups eg: collectivist and individualist. - Seperates
What is beta bias in culture?
Give example - IQ tests
Refers to theories that assume ignore/ minimise differences between cultural groups.
IQ tests devised by western psychologist assume that this view of intelligence applies to all cultures.
- Ignores
What is ethnocentrism?
Refers to our own ethnic background or cultural group as a basis for judgement about other groups. Your culture is superior to others.
Why is ethnocentrism less of a problem today?
Globalisation, more cultural mix.
What is cultural relativism?
Idea that all cultures are worthy of respect and and that in studying another culture we need to try to understand the way that a particular culture sees the world.
What is indigenous psychologies in cultural bias?
Way to overcome ethnocentrism in psychology is to encourage the development of different groups of theories in different countries.
What is emic-etic distinction in cultural bias?
- Indigenous psychologists take an ‘emic’ approach, focusing on culturally specific culture.
- ‘Etic’ approach seeks universals of behaviour.
‘Emic-etic’ uses indigenous research to promote many cultural settings.
What is the cultural bias in research methods?
Samples in textbooks mainly Smith and Bond who are Europeans mainly middle-class and young adults.
Give example and the consequence of cultural bias?
US Army IQ tests led to enduring and damaging stereotypes about black and immigrant populations
What is biological determinism?
Research into human genome is producing increasing evidence of genetic influences.
For example, the high intelligence gene.
What is environmental determinism?
Believe all behaviours are caused by previous experience, through classical/operant.
What is psychic determinism?
Freud’s psychoanalytical theory of personality suggests that adult behaviour is determined by a mix of innate drives and early experiences (internal and external forces)
Behaviour driven by libido (sex drive).
What is scientific determinism?
Based on belief that all events have a cause. Independent variable manipulated to observe casual effect on dependent variable. Harlow’s study (1959) showed contact comfort, not food, determined formation of attachment.
What is the humanistic approach to free will?
Maslow + Rogers argued self-determination is a necessary part of human behaviour.
Only when a person takes self responsibility is personal growth possible.
What is moral responsibility?
Says an individual is in charge of their own actions, in other words humans (except children/mentally ill) are accountable for their actions, regardless of innate factors.
Evaluation point for biological determinism.
It is doubtful that 100% genetic determinism will ever be found for any behaviour. For example the concordance for twins is never 100%.
Evaluation point for environmental determinism.
We know concordance rates for genetic determinism equally show that the environment cannot be solely the determining behaviour
Evaluation point for psychic determinism.
No scientific research.
Evaluation point for scientific determinism.
Too simplistic
Human behaviour very complex
What is soft determinism?
Soft determinism - A version of determinism that allows for some element of free will.
What is hard determinism?
Hard determinism - The view that all behaviour can be predicted that there is no free will.
Evaluation point for free will. (2)
Being able to decide between different courses of actions is not free will but may give us the illusion of having free will.
Idea of self determination may be a culturally relative concept, appropriate for individualist societies.
Collectivist cultures place greater value on behaviour determined by group needs.