Controversies

• What is a controversy in psychology?

  A debate or disagreement
• Why are controversies important in psychology?

  They highlight issues with no easy answers
• How many controversies must you discuss in psychology?

  Five controversies

  
• What does "synoptic" mean in the context of controversies?

  Pooling together all learned knowledge
• What are the five controversies in psychology?

  • Cultural bias
  • Ethical costs of research
  • Non-human animals
  • Scientific status
  • Sexism

  
• What do you need to understand about each controversy?

  The issue and why it is controversial
• What types of marks are awarded in the exam for controversies?

  AO2 and AO3 marks
• What do AO2 marks represent?

  Providing evidence and arguments
• What do AO3 marks represent?

  Interpreting evidence and providing discussion
• What is the implication of being asked to explore a controversy in an exam?

  Include subtopics in your answer
• What is the issue of sexism in psychology?

  Gender bias in research and representation
• Why is sexism considered a controversial issue in psychology?

  It affects research and societal perceptions
• What is gender bias?

  Differential treatment based on stereotypes
• What is androcentrism?

  Being centered on or dominated by males
• Who argued for two types of gender bias?

  Hare-Mustin and Marecek
• What is alpha bias?

  The assumption of real and enduring differences
• What is beta bias?

  Minimizing or ignoring sex differences
• What is a consequence of beta bias in research?

  Ignoring significant sex differences
• What did Rosenthal (1966) find about researcher behavior?

  Researchers treated female participants more positively
• What is the fight-or-flight response?

  A stress response traditionally studied in males
• What did Taylor et al. (2000) find about female stress responses?

  Females produce a tend-and-befriend response
• What did Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) conclude about gender differences?

  Only four significant differences exist
• What did Joel et al. (2015) find about male and female brains?

  No unique cluster of features for each gender
• What are positive consequences of alpha bias?

  Valuation of feminine qualities by theorists
• What are negative consequences of beta bias?

  Misrepresentation of both genders' experiences
• What did Kitzinger (1998) argue about sex differences?

  They are political and maintain male power
• What is heterosexism in psychology?

  Ignoring non-heterosexual orientations
• What has been the focus of mainstream social psychological research?

  Heterosexual romantic love relationships
• Why is it important to address heterosexism in psychology?

  To include diverse relationship experiences
• What do feminists argue about gender differences?

  They are used to maintain male power.
• How do judgments about women's abilities affect their self-esteem?

  They lower women's self-esteem and self-perception.
• What has been largely ignored in psychology according to the text?

  Non-heterosexual orientations.
• What did Julia Wood and Steve Duck argue in their book?

  Research focused too narrowly on heterosexual relationships.
• What did Buss's cross-cultural study find about mate selection?

  Men prefer younger women; women prefer older men.
• Why do men prefer younger women according to Buss?

  Youth is related to fertility.
• What is alpha bias in the context of research on homosexuality?

  Exaggerating differences between gay and straight relationships.
• What did Kurdek & Schmitt's study reveal about love in different couples?

  Love levels were high and similar across all couples.
• What did Peplau find about relationship longevity?

  Similar backgrounds and commitment lead to longer relationships.
• What historical view was held about homosexuality until 1973?

  It was classified as a mental illness.
• What are the three overlapping themes in the liberal humanism approach to homosexuality?

  • Rejection of sexual orientation as central<br>- Assertion of homosexuality as normal<br>- Denial of threat to family and society