Bias

• Gender Bias - unfairly exaggerating or minimising differences between gender

  • alpha bias: exaggerates, psychodynamic - women are less moral from pens envy
  • beta bias: minimises - zimbardo only used men but generalised findings
  • androcentrism: unfairly favours men - milgram
  • universality: aim to develop theories applying to all (what psychology wants to achieve but may include individual differences) - Darwin and evolution, men and women loo for different qualities
• Gender Bias AO3

  • evidence of gender bias assumptions - darwin theory of sexual selection portrays women as choosy
  • reinforces stereotype and prejudice - creates misleading assumptions e.g. denying women placement opportunities in work because of PMS
• Culture Bias - explanations developed in one culture and unfairly applied to others

  • ethnocentrism: theory developed using researchers own background then unfairly applied to others - Asch in America
  • cultural relativism: behaviour can’t be judged properly unless viewed in context it was originated in - Ainsworth SS
• Culture Bias AO3

  • creates and reinforces stereotype - validates discrimination e.g. giving US army an IQ test that was culturally biased making African American score the worst IQ