Gender bias

• What does beta-bias minimize in psychological research?

  Differences between men and women
• What occurs when females are not included in the research process?

  Assumed findings apply equally to both genders
• What did early research on the fight or flight response focus on?

  Male animals
• What did Taylor et al (2000) suggest about female biology?

  It evolved to inhibit flight or fight
• What response do females exhibit according to Taylor et al (2000)?

  Tend and befriend response
• What governs the tend and befriend response in females?

  Oxytocin
• What is the consequence of beta-bias in research?

  Androcentrism
• How does androcentrism affect the understanding of behavior?

  Deviant behavior is seen as abnormal
• What can result from misunderstanding female behavior due to beta-bias?

  Pathologizing of female behavior
• What are the limitations of gender bias in psychological research?

  • Creates misleading assumptions about female behavior
  • Validates discriminatory practices
  • May deny women opportunities in society
  • Promotes sexism in research
  • Males' research is more likely to be published
• How does gender bias in research affect women's concerns?

  They may not be projected adequately
• What is a strength of recognizing gender bias in research?

  Leads to reflexivity in research
• What does reflexivity in research promote?

  Greater awareness of personal bias
• What challenges do psychologists face regarding bias in research?

  • Bias may be inevitable due to personal beliefs
  • Claims of universality are undermined
  • Research may not accurately represent experiences
• What does alpha-bias exaggerate in psychological research?

  Differences between sexes
• How are differences between sexes often presented in alpha-bias?

  As real, enduring, fixed, and heritable
• What did Wilson (1975) explain about human sexual attraction?

  It is based on survival efficiency
• What is the male interest in sexual attraction according to Wilson (1975)?

  To impregnate as many females as possible
• How do females preserve their genes according to Wilson (1975)?

  By ensuring the survival of their offspring
• How is sexual promiscuity viewed differently between males and females?

  Males are seen as naturally selected, females are not
• What are the implications of alpha-bias in psychological research?

  • Heightens the value of men
  • More likely to devalue females in relation to men
• whats the difference between alpha and beta bias?

  Alpha bias = when researchers exaggerate the differences between the genders.

  Beta bias = when researchers minimise/ignore the differences between the genders.
• what is personal bias

  when researchers lack objectivity
• whats gender bias

  differences between genders are misrepresented
• how do you know a study is gender biased?

  1. they exaggerate the differences between men and women.
  2. they ignore the differences between men and women.
  3. they observe behaviour in one gender that they ignore in the other.
  4. they define their behavioural categories in an incomplete way.
• studies which are beta bias such as asch, zimbardo and milgram may not...

  generalise to both genders, reducing external validity
• androcentrism definition

  andro= man

  androcentrism= men centred
• androcentric bias

  generalising male findings to men and women
• did freud place men above women?

  yes, said that women would get penis envy for not being born a man
• freuds theory suffers from alpha or beta bias?

  androcentric alpha bias
• why does freuds theory suffer from androcentric alpha bias ?

  because he claimed there are massive psychological differences between men and women
• how did freud see women compared to men?

  men were seen as desirable.

  women were seen as abnormal and inferior.
• what is gynocentrism?

  when we focus on females
• does moscovicis theory suffer from gynocentric beta bias?

  yes
• When research like Moscovici’s makes invalid conclusions by using mainly female participants but draws conclusions about everybody, it’s called

  gynocentric beta bias
• drawback of gynocentrism

  researchers may draw invalid conclusions as to how women will behave
• ainsworth and moscovici had gynocentric or androcentric views?

  gynocentric