Gender bias
Discuss gender bias in psychological research
A01
- Gender bias - A type of bias where psychological research or theory may offer a
view that does not justifiably represent the experience of men or women
(typically women)
- 2 types - beta and alpha bias
- Beta bias – when the diBerences between men and women are ignored,
minimised or underestimated
- Alpha bias – when psychological theory and/research exaggerates diBerences
between men and women
- Universality - any underlying characteristic of human beings that is capable of
being applied to all, despite differences of experience and upbringing -
means bias in research process may be inevitable
- Androcentrism - Male-centred views are when ‘normal’ behaviour is judged
according to a male standard - female behaviour is often judged to be
‘abnormal’ or ‘deficient’ by comparison
- Psychology has presented a male- dominated version of the world
A03
S – value of studying gender differences
P - studying gender differences can provide insights into possible biological influences
on behaviour
E - Ingalhalikar et al. found that women’s brains showed stronger inter- hemispheric
connections than men’s
E -supports the stereotype that women are better at multitasking, suggesting that some
social beliefs may be rooted in biology.
However, psychologists must be cautious not to overstate these differences, as this
risks slipping into determinism and reinforcing stereotypes
L - increases the applicability of research, as recognising biological contributions may
inform workplace practices or teaching methods, but the reliability of findings must be
established before generalising.
C - critics argue that highlighting biological diff risks reinforcing traditional gender roles,
limiting social progress and reducing validity
L – sexism in research
P - Another limitation is that sexism within the research process reinforces
androcentric bias.
,E - Murphy et al., found that while psychology undergraduates are mostly female,
psychology lecturers are more likely to be male.
E - research agendas are often shaped by male perspectives - disadvantage female
ppts - the kinds of research questions asked and the way results are interpreted are
more likely to reflect male experience, reducing representativeness.
L - undermines the generalisability of psychological research, as knowledge produced
may not accurately represent the experiences of women.
C - psych is becoming more gender-balanced, with more women entering academic
roles, meaning the reliability of research perspectives may improve over time
L – publication bias
P - research which challenges gender bias is less likely to be published, reinforcing
existing inequalities.
E - Formanowciz et al. analysed over 1,000 articles and found that research on gender
bias is funded less often and published in less prestigious journals.
E - fewer psychologists are made aware of these issues, preventing progress in
addressing bias and creating a false impression that gender bias is not a significant
concern in psychology.
L - reduces the validity of psychology as a science, as published knowledge may be
distorted by publication bias, favouring certain perspectivesj over others
, Cultural bias
Discuss cultural bias and/or gender bias in psychology
A01
- Cultural bias - a tendency to interpret all phenomena through the 'lens' of one's
own culture, ignoring the effects that cultural differences might have on
behaviour
- Ethnocentrism – judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s
own culture, (presuming that in normal and correct).
- Cultural relativism can be considered as the opposite of ethnocentrism – it is
the idea that behaviours, norms, values, ethics and moral
- Standards of a particular culture can only be meaningfully understood if we
study them within the context of the culture in which they appear
- Berry created a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of
human behaviour
- Etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to
describe those behaviours as universal
- Emic approach functions from inside a culture and identifies behaviours that are
specific to that culture
A03
S – Emergence of cultural psychology
P - emergence of cultural psychology as a discipline.
E- Cohen argued that psychology should explore how people are shaped by, and shape,
their cultural experiences. This discipline often uses an emic approach, studying
behaviour from inside a culture instead of imposing Western frameworks.
E - demonstrates psychology’s shift towards inclusivity
By adopting emic approaches, researchers are more likely to capture authentic
experiences, improving ecological validity - reduces ethnocentrism and prevents
misleading conclusions that come from applying Western norms universally.
L - cultural psychology enhances the validity and applicability of research - produces
findings grounded in cultural contexts. improves generalisability of psychology, as
theories become more rep of diverse populations.
C - as a relatively new discipline, cultural psychology may lack reliability until findings
are consistently replicated across different cultures
L – Classic studies are culturally bias
P - many of the influential studies in psychology are culturally-biased.
E - Asch’s line-judgement study used only American, white, middle-class male
students.
Discuss gender bias in psychological research
A01
- Gender bias - A type of bias where psychological research or theory may offer a
view that does not justifiably represent the experience of men or women
(typically women)
- 2 types - beta and alpha bias
- Beta bias – when the diBerences between men and women are ignored,
minimised or underestimated
- Alpha bias – when psychological theory and/research exaggerates diBerences
between men and women
- Universality - any underlying characteristic of human beings that is capable of
being applied to all, despite differences of experience and upbringing -
means bias in research process may be inevitable
- Androcentrism - Male-centred views are when ‘normal’ behaviour is judged
according to a male standard - female behaviour is often judged to be
‘abnormal’ or ‘deficient’ by comparison
- Psychology has presented a male- dominated version of the world
A03
S – value of studying gender differences
P - studying gender differences can provide insights into possible biological influences
on behaviour
E - Ingalhalikar et al. found that women’s brains showed stronger inter- hemispheric
connections than men’s
E -supports the stereotype that women are better at multitasking, suggesting that some
social beliefs may be rooted in biology.
However, psychologists must be cautious not to overstate these differences, as this
risks slipping into determinism and reinforcing stereotypes
L - increases the applicability of research, as recognising biological contributions may
inform workplace practices or teaching methods, but the reliability of findings must be
established before generalising.
C - critics argue that highlighting biological diff risks reinforcing traditional gender roles,
limiting social progress and reducing validity
L – sexism in research
P - Another limitation is that sexism within the research process reinforces
androcentric bias.
,E - Murphy et al., found that while psychology undergraduates are mostly female,
psychology lecturers are more likely to be male.
E - research agendas are often shaped by male perspectives - disadvantage female
ppts - the kinds of research questions asked and the way results are interpreted are
more likely to reflect male experience, reducing representativeness.
L - undermines the generalisability of psychological research, as knowledge produced
may not accurately represent the experiences of women.
C - psych is becoming more gender-balanced, with more women entering academic
roles, meaning the reliability of research perspectives may improve over time
L – publication bias
P - research which challenges gender bias is less likely to be published, reinforcing
existing inequalities.
E - Formanowciz et al. analysed over 1,000 articles and found that research on gender
bias is funded less often and published in less prestigious journals.
E - fewer psychologists are made aware of these issues, preventing progress in
addressing bias and creating a false impression that gender bias is not a significant
concern in psychology.
L - reduces the validity of psychology as a science, as published knowledge may be
distorted by publication bias, favouring certain perspectivesj over others
, Cultural bias
Discuss cultural bias and/or gender bias in psychology
A01
- Cultural bias - a tendency to interpret all phenomena through the 'lens' of one's
own culture, ignoring the effects that cultural differences might have on
behaviour
- Ethnocentrism – judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s
own culture, (presuming that in normal and correct).
- Cultural relativism can be considered as the opposite of ethnocentrism – it is
the idea that behaviours, norms, values, ethics and moral
- Standards of a particular culture can only be meaningfully understood if we
study them within the context of the culture in which they appear
- Berry created a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of
human behaviour
- Etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to
describe those behaviours as universal
- Emic approach functions from inside a culture and identifies behaviours that are
specific to that culture
A03
S – Emergence of cultural psychology
P - emergence of cultural psychology as a discipline.
E- Cohen argued that psychology should explore how people are shaped by, and shape,
their cultural experiences. This discipline often uses an emic approach, studying
behaviour from inside a culture instead of imposing Western frameworks.
E - demonstrates psychology’s shift towards inclusivity
By adopting emic approaches, researchers are more likely to capture authentic
experiences, improving ecological validity - reduces ethnocentrism and prevents
misleading conclusions that come from applying Western norms universally.
L - cultural psychology enhances the validity and applicability of research - produces
findings grounded in cultural contexts. improves generalisability of psychology, as
theories become more rep of diverse populations.
C - as a relatively new discipline, cultural psychology may lack reliability until findings
are consistently replicated across different cultures
L – Classic studies are culturally bias
P - many of the influential studies in psychology are culturally-biased.
E - Asch’s line-judgement study used only American, white, middle-class male
students.
