Gender bias

What is alpha bias?

Exaggerates differences between sexes

More likely to devalue women than men

Who is alpha bias more likely to devalue?

Women

What is beta bias?

Ignores or minimises differences between the sexes

Assumes findings from males can apply equally to women

Leads to androcentric view of human behaviour

What does beta bias lead to?

An androcentric view of human behaviour

What is androcentrism?

Male centred

normal behaviour is judged according to a male standard so often female behaviour judged as abnormal

Example of Alpha bias

Signing Freud:

Penis envy

Femininity is a failed form of masculinity

Example of Beta bias

Taylor et al (2002):

Fight or flight

previously only done with male animals

when done with females discovered females have tend or befriend instead

2 Consequence of androcentrism

Male behaviour seen as the norm so anything that deviates seen as abnormal

Leads to female behaviour becoming pathologised

What is the essentialist perspective on gender differences?

Gender difference is inevitable (essential) and fixed in nature

Only 4 differences between genders

-Girls have greater verbal ability

-Girls are less aggressive than boys

-Boys have greater visual and spatial abilities

-Boys have greater arithmetic ability (only appears at adolescence)

What's reflexivity?

Researchers see bias as crucial and critical part of research process