Issues And Debates: Gender In Psychology

Question 1

What is Gender Bias?

Answer 1

The differential treatment or representation of men and women based on stereotypes rather than real difference.

Question 2

What is Alpha Bias?

Answer 2

• exaggerating the differences between men and women
• assume real and enduring differences.

Question 3

What is Beta Bias?

Answer 3

• ignore or minimise differences between men and women.
• Assume all people are the same (exaggerates the similarity between the genders)
• Applies theories/research to both men and women- often happens when findings obtained from men are applied to women without addition validation.

Question 4

What is Androcentrism?

Answer 4

A consequence of Beta Bias, taking male thinking/behaviour as ‘normal’, and regarding any different female thoughts/behaviour as deviant or abnormal.

Question 5

What are some examples of Alpha bias?

Answer 5

• Most of Freud’s theories are androcentric- e.g. ‘Penis Envy’ - women are defined psychologically by the fact that they aren’t men.
• Also Schizophrenia diagnosis in the past, when a lot more men than women were being diagnosed.

Question 6

What are some examples of beta bias?

Answer 6

• early research into the fight or flight response was only done on males, and then generalised to women, however women have a more likely different response: ‘tend and befriend’
• Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning (e.g. the Heinz Dilemma), was tested on men, and their responses were then generalised to women