issues and debates

• What is the main focus of the AQA A-Level Psychology revision companion?

  Issues and debates in psychology
• What are the key topics covered in the AQA A-Level Psychology revision companion?

  • Gender Bias
  • Culture Bias
  • Free Will & Determinism
  • Nature-Nurture Debate
  • Holism & Reductionism
  • Idiographic & Nomothetic Approaches
  • Ethical Implications
• What does gender bias in psychology refer to?

  Distorted views affecting treatment of genders
• What is androcentrism in psychology?

  Focus on male behavior and experience
• What is alpha bias?

  Theories exaggerating differences between genders
• What is beta bias?

  Theories minimizing or ignoring sex differences
• Who argued that "anatomy is destiny"?

  Sigmund Freud
• What did Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) conclude about gender differences?

  There are few genuine differences between genders
• What verbal ability do girls have compared to boys?

  Greater verbal ability
• What spatial ability do boys have compared to girls?

  Greater spatial ability
• How does androcentrism affect psychological theories?

  Ignores or minimizes women's views
• What is an example of alpha bias in Freud's theories?

  Girls are developmentally weaker than boys
• How do evolutionary explanations exhibit alpha bias?

  Justify differing roles of men and women
• What does beta bias traditionally ignore?

  Sex differences in psychological theories
• What did Carol Gilligan (1982) find about women's moral decisions?

  Women focus more on interpersonal relationships
• What is a consequence of beta bias in psychological research?

  Inaccurate conclusions about women
• What did Rosenthal (1966) report about male researchers?

  They ignore differences in studies
• How has hormone research been affected by beta bias?

  Conducted mainly with male animals
• What is the result of beta bias in psychological research?

  View of human nature based on male experience
• What did the study of emotion by Parron & Spencer (1980) involve?

  All male participants in research
• What initiatives have psychologists proposed to address gender bias?

  • Increase female representation in research
  • Challenge negative gender stereotypes
  • Conduct research focusing on women's experiences
• What does Darwin's theory of sexual selection suggest about women?

  Women are unselective in mate choice
• What evidence challenges Darwin's view on women's mate selection?

  DNA evidence suggests women are competitive
• How has gender research improved over time?

  • More inclusive research methods
  • Greater focus on women's perspectives
  • Addressing stereotypes in psychological theories
• What did Chilvers (1978) argue about women's emotionality?

  Women are viewed as more emotional than men
• Why might women be diagnosed with more serious illnesses?

  Difficulty complying with diagnostic systems
• What are the possible exam questions related to gender bias?

  1. Define androcentrism.
  2. Explain gender bias in psychology.
  3. Discuss androcentrism's impact on research.
  4. Differentiate between alpha and beta bias.
  5. Evaluate gender bias in psychology.
• social sensitivity


  sieber and stanley used the term social sensitivity to describe studies where there are potential social consequences for the participants, or the group of people represented by the research