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Gender bias in psychology essay, 16 marker
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Gender bias in psychology essay, 16 marker from Issues and Debates topic. AQA Psychology Year 2.
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Gender bias 16 markerFirstly, within gender bias there is alpha and beta bias. Alpha bias exaggerates differences
between the sexes which 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. An example of alpha bias is in Freuds research as alpha bias favours males. His
research suggested that in the phallic stage, children desire their opposite-sex parent. This is
resolved by identification with their same-sex parent; however, girl’s identification is
weaker, it creates a weaker Superego and weaker moral development. There is also alpha
bias favouring females, research from Chodorow said that daughters and mothers are more
connected than sons and mothers because of biological similarities so therefore women
develop better bonds and empathy for others.
Secondly, there is beta bias which minimises the differences between the sexes. Ignoring or
underestimating differences between men and women often occurs when female
participants are not included in the research process, but it is assumed that research
findings apply equally to both sexes. An example of beta bias is the fight or flight and tend
and befriend response. Early research was based on male animals (because female
hormones fluctuate). Fight or flight was assumed to be a universal response to threat. Taylor
and others suggest that females exhibit a tend and befriend response governed by the
hormone oxytocin which is more plentiful in women (but also present in small quantities in
men) and reduces the fight or flight response. It is an evolved response for caring for young.
Then there is androcentrism. Alpha and beta bias are consequences of androcentrism.
Psychology has traditionally been a subject dominated by males – list of 100 famous
psychologists contained 6 females. This leads to female behaviour being misunderstood and
even pathologized (taken as a sign of illness). For example, feminists object to the category
of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) because it medicalises female emotions (e.g. anger) by
explain these in hormonal terms. But male anger is often seen as a rational response to
external pressures (Brescoll and Uhlmann).
One limitation is that gender differences are given 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 and others used rain scanning and found no such
gender differences. This suggests that we should be wary of accepted research as biological
facts when it might be explained better as social stereotypes.
Another limitation is that gender bias promotes sexism in the research process. Women are
underrepresented in university departments. Research is more likely 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 complex tasks, which may mean
they underperform. This means that the institutional structures and methods of psychology
may produce findings that are gender-biased.
A further limitation is research challenging bias may not be published. Formanowicz and
others analysed 200 articles relating to gender bias – such research is funded less often and
is published by less prestigious journals. This still held true when gender bias was compared
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