Gender bias

What does bias undermine psychology’s claims to

Universality - that conclusions drawn can be applied to everyone, anywhere, regardless of time or culture

What is alpha bias

Research that focuses on differences between men and women, and therefore tends to present a view that exaggerates these differences

What is the classic example of alpha bias

Freud’s theory of psychosexual development. During the phallic stage of development, boys and girls both feel attraction to their opposite-gender parent. Boys experience a strong fear of their father (castration anxiety) and resolve this by identifying with him, strengthening their moral development (Superego). Girls also identify with their mother, but this bond is considered weaker, leading to a supposedly weaker moral sense. As a result, it is argued that women are morally inferior to men

How can alpha bias sometimes favour women in the psychodynamic approach

Nancy Chodorow (1968) suggested that daughters feel closer to their mothers than sons do due to biological similarities. This closeness helps women develop stronger bonding and empathy skills

What is beta bias

Research that focuses on similarities between men and women, and therefore tends to present a view that ignores or minimises differences

What is an example of beta bias

An example of beta bias is research on the fight or flight response, which often used male animals to avoid the influence of hormonal changes in females. Early studies assumed that both males and females react to threats in the same way, ignoring potential differences

Who claimed that the fight or flight response being present in both males and females is not true

Shelley Taylor et al. (2000) argued that women often respond to stress with a "tend and befriend" response instead of fight or flight. This is linked to higher levels of the hormone oxytocin in women (the ‘love’ hormone which is present in smaller quantities in men), which reduces the fight or flight reaction and promotes caring for others. Shows how research that minimises gender differences may result in a misrepresentation of women’s behaviour

What is an example of research that has misinterpreted men

Attachment research that assumed emotional care is provided solely by mothers, but role of fathers shows that fathers can supply the emotional care often assumed to only be given by mothers

What is androcentrism

Male-centred research, when ‘normal’ behaviour is judged according to male standard (meaning that female behaviour is often judged to be ‘abnormal’ or ‘deficient’ by comparison)

What did the American Psychological Association publish

A list of 100 most influential psychologists of the 20th century which included only 6 women - suggests that psych has traditionally been a subject produced by men, for men, and about men - an androcentric perspective

How was women’s behaviour been taken

Misunderstood, or worse, pathologised - taken as a sign of illness. For example, feminists criticise the diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) for treating women's emotions, like anger, as a medical issue caused by hormones. In contrast, men's anger is usually seen as a reasonable response to external challenges

What is a limitation

A limitation is that gender differences are often seen as fixed (alpha bias) when they are not. Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) claimed girls are better at verbal tasks and boys at spatial tasks, suggesting these abilities are "hardwired" before birth. These ideas became widely accepted, reinforcing stereotypes. However, Daphna Joel et al. (2015) used brain scans and found no differences in brain structure or processing between sexes. This shows that such findings may reflect stereotypes, not biology, and should be viewed critically

What is a counterpoint to the previous evaluation point

Psychologists should still study gender differences in the brain. For example, Madura Ingalhalikar et al. (2014) found that women may have better connections between the brain's hemispheres, possibly supporting the stereotype that women are better at multitasking. However, while biological differences may exist, we should be cautious about overstating their impact on behavior

What is a limitation

Another limitation is that gender bias reinforces sexism in research. Women are underrepresented in university departments, especially in science, even though most psychology undergraduates are women. With more male researchers, women participants may be disadvantaged. For instance, male researchers might assume women are less rational or capable, leading to poorer performance in studies. This suggests that institutional structures and methods of psych may produce gender-biased findings

What is another limitation

Another limitation is that research challenging gender biases may not be published. Formanowicz et al. (2018) analyzed over 1,000 articles and found that studies on gender bias receive less funding and are published in less prestigious journals. This means fewer people are aware of or apply this research. The issue persists even when compared to other biases, like ethnic bias, and after controlling for factors like author gender and methodology. This suggests gender bias in psychology is not taken as seriously as other biases