Gender differences

• What is a weakness of research on gender differences in coping with stress?

  Women do not simply adopt a tend-and-befriend response in every situation.
• According to Taylor et al., how do females generally compare to males in terms of aggression?

  Females are less aggressive in general than males.
• In what situation do females exhibit aggression according to Taylor et al.?

  Females are aggressive towards an intruder who threatens their offspring.
• How does female aggression differ from the generalized 'fight response' in males?

  Females are aggressive in situations requiring defense rather than a generalized fight response.
• Why is the female response to stress considered more complex than originally thought?

  It encompasses a range of strategies that are adapted to parental investment by females.
•  A weakness of research on gender differences in coping with stress is that

  there may be confounding variables that may be important in explaining the

  differences found.

   The degree of social support that men and women receive may act as a

  confounding factor. Women are more likely to receive social support than

  men and social support reduces the amount of stress experienced.

   This matters because women may be experiencing less stress and as a

  consequence select different coping styles rather than vice-versa.

   Therefore, this will reduce the internal validity of research.
• What does the complexity of the tend-and-befriend response imply about stress responses in men and women?

  Men and women share some similarities when placed under stress.
• What is a weakness of research on gender differences in coping with stress?

  It relies on self-report scales where individuals describe their coping strategies.
• How do women and men differ in their willingness to discuss coping with stress?

  Women may be more willing to reveal their emotional coping, while men downplay their emotional difficulties.
• Why is the difference in willingness to reveal emotional coping significant?

  It may indicate that there are no actual differences in coping style, but rather a social desirability bias.
• What is a common issue with retrospective recall in research on coping with stress?

  Retrospective recall is notoriously unreliable and can be biased by current stress levels.
• How does stress influence a person's recall of past events?

  The more stressed a person feels, the more likely their recall will be negative.
• What impact does unreliable recall have on research validity?

  It reduces the internal validity and reliability of the research findings.
• What is a weakness of research on gender differences in coping with stress?

  The finding that men are more problem-focused and women more emotion-focused is not upheld by most research studies.
• Who assessed male and female first-year undergraduates over an eight-week period regarding coping with stress?

  Hamilton (1988)
• What did Hamilton (1988) find regarding gender differences in coping with stress?

  He found no gender differences among first-year undergraduates.
• What issue is raised about the division of coping styles into problem-focused and emotion-focused?

  The division is considered rather simplistic.
• What did Endler and Parker (1990) identify as a third coping strategy?

  Avoidance-oriented coping.
• Why is the simple division of coping styles into problem-focused and emotion-focused considered too simplistic?

  • It does not account for the complexity of coping strategies.
  • Research has identified more than just two coping styles.
• What does the complexity of gender differences in coping with stress suggest?

  The concept of gender differences in coping with stress is more complex than initially thought.