gender bias

• what is gender bias: psychological theory and research may not accurately present the experience and behaviour of men and women
• alpha bias: exaggerates the differences between the sexes
• beta bias: minimises or ignores the differences between men and women
• examples of beta bias:

  • using male animals instead of female because hormones fluctuate, flight or fight response was thought to be a universal response to a threatening situation
  • Taylor et al found that females tend or befriend governed by the hormone oxytocin
• one consequence of beta bias is ANDOCENTRISM: 'normal' behaviour comes from research involving from all male samples , then any behaviour that deviates from this is seen as abnormal
• one limitation is problems of gender bias in psychological research:

  • gender-biased research may create misleading assumptions about female behaviour and validate discriminatory practises
  • it may provide a scientific justification to deny women's opportunities in workplaces or even within the wider society
  • gender bias in a psychological research is not just a methodological flaw but also has damaging consequences which affect the lives of women
• another limitation is that gender bias promotes sexism in the research process:

  • a lack of women in executive positions at senior level research means that female concerns will not be reflected in research questions, male researcher are most likely to publish their work
  • female ppts in lab studies are in an inequitable relationship with usually the male researcher who has the power to label them as irrational and unable to complete complex task
  • therefore psychology may be guilty in supporting a form of institutional sexism that creates bias
• one strength is that an understanding of gender bias leads to reflexivity:

  • researcher recognise their effects of their values on their work, they embrace bias as an important aspect of the research process rather than seeing it as a problem threatening their objective status of their work
  • of the lack of women in executive positions in accountancy firms, Dambrin and Lambert include reflection on how their gender related experiences influence their understanding of events
• • continued...
  • such reflexivity is an important development in psychology and may lead to greater awareness of the role of personal bias in shaping future research
• a strength is feminist psychologists propose how gender bias can be avoided:

  • Worell suggested a criteria researchers can follow to avoid gender bias, women should be studied withing meaningful, real life context and genuinely participate in research rather than being objects of the study
  • diversity in groups should be studied , rather than comparisons made between women and men
  • this way of doing research may be preferable, and less gender biased, than lab-based research