gender bias

• universality is an issue of gender bias as psychologists possess beliefs and values influenced by the social and historical context tithing which they live. This may undermine psychologists claims to discover facts about human behaviour that are objective, value-free and consistent across time and culture (universality)
• bias is an issue of gender bias as bias is leaning towards a personal view that doesn't reflect reality. Psychological theory and research may not accurately represent the experience/behaviour of men and women
• alpha bias exaggerates differences as an issue of gender bias. Differences between the sexes are usually presented as fixed and inevitable. These differences occasionally heighten the value of women, but are more likely to devalue females in relation to males.
• example of alpha bias psychodynamic theory as an issue of gender bias.

  Alpha bias favours males- Freud claimed children, in the phallic stage, desire their opposite sex parent. This is resolved by identification with their same sex parent. but as girl's identification is weaker, creating a weaker superego and weaker moral developments.

  
  

  Alpha bias favouring females- Chodorow said that daughters and mothers are more connected than sons and mothers because of biological similarities
• beta bias minimises differences as an issue of gender bias as ignoring or underestimating differences between men and women often occurs when female participants are not including in the research process but it is assumed that research finding apply equally to both sexes
• example of beta bias is fight or flight. Early research into fight or flight was based on male animals and fight or flights was assumed to be a universal response to threat. Taylor et al. suggest that females exhibit a tend and befriend response governed by the hormone oxytocin which is more plentiful in women and reduces fight or flight response
• androcentrism is that alpha and beta bias consequences of androcentrisms. Psychology gas been a subject dominated by men which leads to female behaviour being misunderstood and even pathologised
• one limitation of gender bias is that gender differences are give as fixed and enduring. Maccoby and Jacklin concluded that girls have better verbal ability and boys better spatial ability due to hardwired biological brain differences. Joel et al. used brain scanning ad found no gender differences. This suggests that we should be wary of accepting research as biological facts when it might be explained better as social stereotypes
• counterpoint to gender differences are given as fixed an enduring is that Ingalhalikar et al. suggests the popular stereotypes that females are better at multitasking may have some biological truth to it as their hemispheres are better connected. This suggests that there may be biological difference but we still should be wary of exaggerating the effect they may have on behaviour
• One limitation of gender bias is that it promotes sexism in the research process. Women are underrepresented in university departments (Murphy et al.). Research is more likeyly to be conducted by males which may disadvantages females. For example, a male researcher may expect female participants to be irrational and unable to complete tasks which mean they underperform. This means that the institutional structures and methods of psychology may provide findings that are gender biased