Issues and Debates

• Define Alpha bias

  • in psychological research is that which exaggerates/ overestimates gender differences between sexes 
• what is alpha bias likely to result in for females?

  • most likely to devalue females in relation to male counter parts 
• What is meant by beta bias?

  ignores, minimises or underestimates differences between men and women 
• when does beta bias occur?

  • occurs when females are not included as part of research process and then assumed that research automatically applies to both sexes
• what is a consequence of beta bias?

  Androcentrism
• what is gender bias?

  when a theory research offers a view that does not justifiably represent the experience or behaviour of men and women
• state examples of beta bias in psychology?

  1. Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning theory was developed on the basis of studying groups of American males, who all answered questions based on moral dilemmas e.g. the Heinz dilemma. These results were then generalised to represent levels of moral reasoning for both men and women.
• what is universitality?

  Any characteristics of humans that can be applied to all despite differenced of experience and upbringing
• example of alpha bias

  1. schizophrenia has been diagnosed more frequently in men compared to women, whereas before this time there had been no significant differences. This is an example of alpha bias, according to Cotton et al, because women are more likely to be able to continue working, maintain good interpersonal relationships and show less distress than men. This means that the schizophrenic symptoms of women may be masked or not severe enough to merit a diagnosis.
• another example of alpha bias

  1. psychodynamic explanations for offending behaviour suggests that criminality occurs due to a deviant superego. According to Freud, since females do not experiencecastration anxiety, they are under less pressure and have less of a need to identify with the moral standards of their same-sex parent, as compared to boys. This suggests that females, in line with the psychodynamic approach, are less moral than males - an idea which has been refuted by Hoffman et al.
• — Bias in research methods = If theories and studies are gender biased, the research may find differences between genders but it may not be the genders that differ but simply the methods used to test or observe them. For example, Rosenthal (1966) found that male experimenters are more pleasant and encouraging to female participants and subsequently they perform better in tasks/male participants appeared to perform less well. Secondly, fewer women being appointed at senior research positions means that female concerns are less likely to be reflected in the experimental questions.
• — The laboratory experiment may also be an example of institutionalised sexism within psychology = Male researchers have the authority to deem women as “unreasonable, irrational and unable to complete complex tasks” (Nicolson, 1995). Eagly and Johnson noted that studies in real settings found women and men were judged as more similar in styles of leadership than in lab settings, hence having higher ecological validity.
• explain the difference between an alpha and beta bias? 4 marks

  one difference between an alpha and beta bias is that an alpha bias exaggerate the differences between males and females whereas beta bias minimises the differences between males and females

  
  

  EG Freud's work is alpha based as he exaggerated the differences by saying that women were inferior and suffered from penis envy. OOTH the biological exp. Fight or flight demonstrated beta bias as it was assumed men and women respond to stress the same way