Gender bias

define universality

Any underlying characteristic of humans that is capable of being applied to all dispute differences of experience & upbringing

define gender bias

psychological research/theory may offer a view that does not justifiably represent the experience & behaviour of men or women (usually women)

when considering human behaviour bias is a tendency to…

treat one individual or group in a different way from others

define androcentrism

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

what is alpha bias?

Research that focuses on differences between men & women tending to preserve a view that exaggerates these differences.

what is beta bias?

Research that focuses on similarities between men & women tending to present a view that ignores or minimises differences.

The aim of psychology is to be…

universal

to be universal in psychology is to be able to…

establish laws of human behaviour that apply to everyone

… undermine psychology’s claim to be universal

gender bias and culture bias

bias is an … part of the research process

inevitable

why is bias an inevitable part of the research process?

psychologists are people who have beliefs and values that have been influenced by the social and historical context within which they live

gender bias has… forms

two

what are the two forms of gender bias?

alpha-bias & beta-bias

Psychological research which … is alpha-biased

exaggerates differences

such differences due to alpha-bias are often presented as…

fixed/inevitable and often devalue women in relation to men

what psychological research suffers from alpha-bais?

Freud’s theory of psychosexual development

why does Freud’s theory of psychosexual development suffer from alpha-bias?

during the phallic stage boys and girls develop a desire for their opposite gender parent, this creates a very strong castration anxiety in the boys which is resolved when the boy identified with his father (oedipus complex). However, a girl’s identification with her mother is much weaker, meaning her superego (and sense of morality) is weaker, suggesting that girls/women are morally inferior to men

Psychological research that …is beta-biased

ignores or undermines

why does beta-bias happen?

when we assume that research findings apply equally to both men & women, even when women have been excluded from the research process

what psychological research suffers from beta-bias?

Zimbardo’s investigation into conformity to social roles & Milgram’s electric shock study into obedience 

how is Zimbardo’s research beta-biaed?

used a all-male volunteer sample yet universally concluded that all people will readily conform to the social roles that they are expected to play

how is Milgram’s research beta-biased?

used 40 male volunteers as his sample

Alpha-bias & beta-bias are consequences of …

androcentrism

psychology has presented a …version of the world

male-dominated

why has psychology presented a male-dominated view of the world?

it has traditionally been a subject produced by men, for men and about men, offering an androcentric perspective & women’s behaviour, if it has been considered, has been misunderstood & sometimes pathologized and taken as a sign of illness

why are there are serious implications to gender-biased research?

gender-biased research may create misleading assumptions about female behaviour, fail to challenge negative stereotypes & validate discriminatory practice e.g. the gender pay gap. Gender bias may have damaging consequences which affect the lives and prospects of real women

A lack of women employed at a senior research level means that…

female concerns may not be reflected in the research question asked

explain the problem of sexism within the research process

male researchers are much more likely to have their work published & studies that find evidence of gender differences are more likely to appear in journal articles than those that do not. Also, the research situation may further disadvantage women if female participants are placed in an inequitable relationship with a male researcher who has the power to label them as unreasonable. Psychology may be guilty of supporting a form of institutional sexism that creates bias.

Explain how modern researchers are beginning to recognise the effect their own values & assumptions have on the nature of their work

rather than seeing bias as a problem that may threaten the objective status of their work, embrace it as an aspect of the research process & included a reflection on how their gender-related experiences influenced their reading of events. when bias is recognised it is less likely to have a negative impact on findings.