Gender Bias

• Gender bias


  When research or theories may offer a view that doesn't justifiably represent the experience of both males and females
• ALPHA BIAS


  The differences between men and women are exaggerated and resulting in one gender being devalued
• Theory example


  • Freud theory sees women as 'false masculinity' due to differences in how boys and girls experience the phallic stage
  • Women suffer from penis envy, can't strongly identify with same sex parent= weaker superegos and so make women more corruptible and inferior
• Study example


  • Kail and Siegel - women's verbal ability consistently greater than men, whilst men's spatial ability is consistently greater than women
• BETA BIAS


  The difference between man and women are ignored, minimised or underestimated and assumes that all people are the same
• Theory example


  • f+f response- comes from rats looking at change in hormones and deliberately used males rats only as male hormones are more stable than female rats
  • This is beta bias as when fight or flight response was understood it was universal for both male and females despite not using a female sample
• Study example


  • Milgram used all male Participants
  • Moscovici used all female Participants
• ANDROCENTRISM


  It's a result of Beta bias if our understanding of 'normal' is the result of an all male sample, then any behaviour that deviates from this standard will be considered abnormal. This results in female behaviour being misunderstood and perhaps seen as a psychological illness
• Theory example

  • Male anger is seen as a rational response to external pressures but when women express anger it is seen as a hormonal response
• Study examples

  • Asch used all male Participants
  • Zimbardo conducted a study with all male guards