Gender in Psych

• Define gender universality

  The idea that there are behaviours that occur in both men and women due to the same explanation. E.g. the dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia suggests that too much dopamine activity can result in schizophrenic symptoms, regardless of whether you are male or female.
• Define gender bias

  Gender bias refers to when research does not represent the behaviour of either men or women. This lead to the behaviour of that gender to be misrepresented.
• Identify and define the 3 types of gender bias

  Alpha bias = Gender differences are over-exaggerated i.e. men and women are proposed to behave very differently when they may not. Beta bias = Gender differences are minimised or ignored i.e. men and women are proposed to behave the same/similarly when they may not. Androcentrism = When research uses all male samples and so male behaviour is considered the norm. If female behaviour differs, it is considered abnormal.
• Give examples of the one type of gender bias in psychology - alpha bias

  Alpha bias = Freud argued that girls have weaker superegos than boys. This is because they lack castration anxiety so they are under less pressure to identify with their same-sex parent and internalise their superego. As the superego is responsible for moral behaviour, a weaker one would result in females committing more crimes. However, there is no evidence from crime or prison statistics to suggest that girls have a weaker superego. This means that Freud over-exaggerated gender differences
• Give an example of gender bias in psychology - beta bias

  Beta bias = The fight or flight response proposes that everybody reacts to danger by either fighting it or running away/flight. However, research has found the females tend to engage in a different response i.e. the tend and befriend response. This means that, rather than fight or flighting, they tend to look after their offspring and try to form alliances with others. This means that fight or flight research ignored these gender differences.
• androcentrism

  aggression has largely involved all-male samples and so our understanding of aggression has come from how males react. males+females tend to show differences in aggression e.g. males-more likely to react aggressively to external events (being provoked) females - likely to show aggression in response to internal events (hormonal changes). resulted in aggression seen in fem in response to internal events being viewed as irrational-deviates from how males show aggression. male aggressive beh. is considered the norm while different aggressive beh. seen in fem is considered abnormal.
• Alpha bias - ways of reducing

  Use both men and women research. This will ensure the researcher does not study one gender and then inaccurately predicts that the other gender would behave very differently. Consider gender universality whereby men and women are viewed as more similar than they are different. This will help to ensure the researcher does not inaccurately assume that males and females are very differen
• Beta bias - ways of reducing

  Use both men and women in research. This will ensure that the researcher does not study one gender and then inaccurately predicts that the other gender would behave the same. If studying one gender, clearly state the conclusions of the study only apply to that gender. This will prevent people from generalising the results to everyone i.e. incorrectly assuming the other gender would behave the same way.
• Androcentrism - way of reducing

  Use more females in psychological research. This will ensure that samples do not just consist of men and so male behaviour would not be considered the norm. Take a feminist approach to psychological research whereby women are viewed as normal rather than deficient men.
• Outline gender bia

  Gender bias occurs when research does not represent the behaviour of either men or women, leading to misrepresentation. Alpha bias Over-exaggerates gender differences, assuming men and women behave very differently when they may not. Often linked to biological determinism. Beta bias Ignores/minimizes gender differences, assuming men and women behave the same when they may not. Happens when research uses one gender but generalizes findings. Androcentrism Research uses all-male samples, viewing male behaviour as the norm.Female behaviour is seen as abnormal if it differs.
•  limitation of gender bias in psychology resulted in negative applications to treating psychological disorders

  research into drug therapies has typically involved male animals and then male participants, despite the drugs later being given to both males and females. limitation resulted in some drugs being less effective for females and/or producing more negative side effects and overdoses in female patients.shows how beta bias (ignoring or minimising gender differences) can lead to problems when developing treatments for both genders. Therefore highlights issues of gender bias in Psychology.
•   use more females+ensure their sample equally represents both men and women+if they do only use one gender-emphasise that their conclusions only apply to that gender.

  Strength-more females in psych research has helped to reduce androcentrism-male behaviour is no longer considered the norm.use of samples that equally represent males+females have also helped to reduce alpha bias/beta bias-prevents researchers from using one gender incorrectly assuming that the other gender behaved the same (beta bias)/very differently (alpha bias). highlights importance of raising issue of gender bias.
•  limitation

  institutional sexism means that women are less likely to be in senior research positions. limitation-research topics within psych are largely dictated by male researchers- so they tend to neglect female-related topics (effect of the menopause on female psychological health).psych research is more likely to be published if it finds significant differences in the behaviour of men+women than if it finds no significant differences.resulted in society continuing to over-exaggerate gender differences -alpha bias. Therefore highlights the ongoing issues of gender bias in Psychology.