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Summary AQA Psychology year, ISBN: 9780748798230 Issues and Debates
written notes on Issues and Debates for A level psychology
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Gender Bias:Gender bias:
Gender bias refers to the idea that psychological data have a bias towards one or other
gender.
- When differences have not been considered properly, it leads to a biassed
conclusion about gender
- Includes the different treatments of male and females as a result of stereotypes
Androcentrism Theories that are focused or centred on men
- Gender bias leans particularly in favour of males
- Research is male-centred (including researchers and participants)
E.g., research on ‘fight or flight’ assume what is true for men is also true for
women, however research by Taylor suggests in situations, women ‘tend to
befriend’, in order to ensure survival for their offspring
Gynocentrism Gender bias that leans particularly in favour of females
- Research is female-centred
Alpha bias Theories which exaggerate the differences between males and females
- E.g., Freud
- Commonly used to undervalue one of the sexes (usually female)
- Differences are usually attributed to biological factors, e.g., genes and hormones
Beta bias Theories which ignore or minimise sex differences between males and females
- Assumes all findings can be generalised and applied to them equally
- E.g., Milgram
Zeitgeist ‘Spirit of time’ - any period of time has certain social and moral expectations that people
will generally adhere to
Research showing gender bias:-
Name: Research/Theory: Alpha/ justification?:
Beta
bias:
Milgrams Obedience test - Beta Results of obedience are
Generalised obedience findings from men to women too, bias generalised to both genders when
suggesting they all obey in the same way. there are suggestions that levels
of obedience are different
between men and women.
Asch - Line study on conformity - Beta Results are generalised when
Did not study women and generalised levels of conformity bias research was only studied on
to all genders male conformity
Freud - Id, ego, superego - Alpha Argues that women have low
Women are less morally mature, because they have a less bias superegos, whereas there is no
developed superego scientific support for this, and
- Led to women being treated as second-class used to exaggerate the difference
citizens between males and females
Castration anxiety -
Suggests women have penis envy in replacement to
castration anxiety
Kohlberg - Study of Moral development - Alpha Exaggerates the difference
Women have poorer reasoning skills than men, when told bias between males and females (had
the Heinz dilemma 72 boy p’s)
- Findings gave men moral superiority
, Evaluation of Gender bias:-
(S) - Feminist psychology - agree that there are real Biologically based sex differences, but socially
determined stereotypes make a far greater contribution to perceived differences. This can be acknowledged by
the androcentric view held by Eagly
- Eagly - acknowledged that women may be less effective leaders than men, but this knowledge should be
used to develop suitable training programmes and therefore create more female leaders
(S) - Beta bias has allowed women greater opportunities such as education. However, it can also be a
disadvantage as it draws away from the needs of women, for example the biological need of childbirth
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(L) - Has had negative consequences to society (women) - it reinforces negative stereotypes, especially around
women and justifies their mistreatment
- This leads to discrimination
- Stereotypes against women is also political - women are kept out of work and make-dominated
universities, because of research theories such as Bowlby’s critical period
- Reinforces patriarchal norms
(L) - Lack of women in senior research positions - meaning female concerns may not be reflected in the
research questions posed and male researcher are more likely to have their work published
- Women are at a disadvantage in lab studies because it doesn't reflect women’s experience in real lids
and the male research has the power to label them negatively
(L) - assumptions need to be challenged - Gender bias has not been challenged in many theories.
- E.g, Darwin's evolutionary theory of sexual selection portray women as choosy and males as the ones
competing to be chosen
- However, research found that women also compete with other females and use a strategy to mate with
more than one man
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