| What is universality ? | When a theory is described as universal, it means that it can apply to all people, irrespective of gender and culture. |
| What does gender bias mean? | Favouritism shown to one gender over another |
| What does androcentrism mean? | The practice of putting a male’s point of view at the centre of one’s world view, culture, and history |
| What is estrocentrism? | The practice of putting a female’s point of view at the centre of one’s world view, culture, and history |
| What is alpha bias? | When a study/theory over exaggerates the difference between the genders (this may enhance or undervalue members of either sex) |
| What is beta bias? | Ignoring or minisming the differences between genders |
| Example of alpha bias? | -Freud’s theories reflect his culture at the time (men are more powerful and educated).
-Psychoanalysis therefore views women as lesser as a form of failed masculinity (eg. penis envy).Only describes Oedipus complex |
| Example of beta bias? | Biopsychologists looking at fight-or-flight typically used male animals to research on. Recent research shows females use a tend-and-befriend response instead in times of stress, (Taylor 2000). |
| Example of androcentrism? | Psychology is dominated by male researchers, This leads to female behaviour being misunderstood or pathologized.
PMS has been objected by females as it medicalises female emotions by explaining it in hormone terms. But male anger is often seen as a rational response to pressure. |
| What is the gender bias in anorexia? | One symptom of anorexia listed in the DSM-5 is amenorrhea which is the loss of a menstrual cycle for 3 months.
This criteria does not have an equivalent in males, giving clinicians less chance to consider anorexia in men. |
| What is the gender bias in autism? | Autism often is under-diagnosed in females as most of the key criteria for diagnosis centre around limited social skills, relationships and communication.
Autistic females are often better in social contexts than their male counterparts, so they may be misdiagnosed with things like depression, anxiety or OCD instead. |
| A strength of gender bias? | -Encouraged modern researchers to use reflexibility
- This is when researchers reflect on their own values and assumptions of gender and how they might have impacted their work/research
-Research can also be used to uplift women positively eg: Cornwell notes that women are better at learning as they are more attentive and organised
-Type of research helps to reduce or challenge stereotypes, which is important in reducing gender bias |
| A stength of gender bias ? | -Feminist psychology sets out a series of requirements needed to ensure equality in psychological research
-Done by studying women in real-life contexts, genuinely participate in research (not just lab rates) with an equal number of male and female ppts
-Needs to be a diverse group of women and differences within women, not just in comparison to men
-Methods are much more preferable and less gender-biased than the rigid lab environment |
| A weakness of gender bias? | -Psychological research is instituional sexism
-Senior researchers (who choose what to investigate) are more likely to be men and so female issues are less likely to be addressed. Male researchers also more likely to get published
-Potential for women to be treated as 'lab rats' in research - with male researchers in a powerful position drawing conclusions on their behaviour
-Create further bias and inequality in psycholgocial theory and research |
| A weakness of gender bias? | -Gender differences can be politcially-motivated arguments, presented as a scientific fact
-Analusis by Walkerdine (1990) showed how 'scientific' research published in the 1930s described how by engaging in 'intellectual activities' eg. going to university, women's ovaries would shrviel and harm her chances of having children
-Research like this can provide a scientific justification to deny women opportunitites in work and wider society
-Show how gender bias is not a methodlogical problem in psychology, but can have significant negative implications in real life |
