Gender bias

• What is gender bias?

  When research or a theory offers a view that does not justifiably represent the experience and behaviour of men or women
• what is alpha bias?

  research that focuses on differences between men and women, so tend to present a view that exaggerates these differences
• what is an example of alpha bias?

  Freud.

  a girls superego is weaker, so, girls are morally inferior to boys
• where does alpha bias favour women?

  chodorow
• what did chodorow state?

  women develop better abilities to bond with others as they form a greater connection to their mothers, compared to sons
• what is beta bias?

  research that focuses on similarities between men and women, so, presents a view that minimises differences
• what is an example of beta bias?

  fight or flight.

  assumes both genders respond to threatening situations with this response
• what did Taylor et al state?

  tend and befriend response
• what is the tend and befriend response

  Women respond to stress by increasing the hormone oxytocin
• what is alpha and beta bias a result of?

  androcentrism
• what is androcentrism?

  when normal behaviour is judged according to a male standard.

  Female behaviour can be seen as abnormal in some cases
• what is an example of women’s behaviour being pathologised?

  anger in women is explained in hormonal terms but in men is seen as a rational response to external pressures
• 
  

  suggest 2 ways in which psychologists could avoid gender bias in their research

  - do not apply findings from research with male participants to females

  - use both men and women in experiment