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What is universality and why is it hard to achieve in psychological research?
What is universality and why is it hard to achieve in psychological research?
Universality = when conclusions drawn from psychological research can be applied to everyone regardless of time, gender and culture. This is hard to achieve because psychologists - like everyone - hold personal beliefs and value which lead to inevitable bias in research.
What is Alpha bias? Give an example from the studies in the specification.
What is Alpha bias? Give an example from the studies in the specification.
Alpha bias = research that focuses on differences between men and women and therefore tends to present a view that exaggerates these differences. 
Example = Freud’s theory of psychosexual development
Outline what is meant by androcentrism in psychological research.
Outline what is meant by androcentrism in psychological research.
Androcentrism is when 'normal' behaviour is judged according to a male standard - meaning that female behaviour is often judged to be 'abnormal' when it is simply different. Women's behaviour if considered has been misunderstood and sometimes pathologised (taken as a sign of illness).
Explain how sexism may be reflected in psychological research.
Explain how sexism may be reflected in psychological research.
Women remain unrepresented in university departments particularly in science. Although psychology undergraduates are mostly women, in a study by Murphy et al, it was shown that lectures are most likely men. This means that more psychological research will primarily be conducted by man and this disadvantages female participants. As the researcher will hold personal values and beliefs this bring bias into their research/ observations meaning that these studies may produce findings that are gender-biased.
What are real - life applications on effects on women as a result of gender biased findings in psychological research?
What are real - life applications on effects on women as a result of gender biased findings in psych...
Gender biased research creates misleading assumptions about female behaviour, fails to challenge negative stereotypes and in turn validates discriminatory practices. In any domain where men set the standard of normalcy, it becomes normal for women to feel abnormal - Tavris et al. This can have damaging effects particularly in the workplace and also in personal relationships. Feminists have objected to the diagnostic category 'premenstrual syndrome' on the grounds that is medicalises women's emotions, such as anger, by explaining these in hormonal terms. Whereas men's anger is seen as a rational response to external pressures - Brescoll et al. 

However, many modern researchers now recognise the effects of their own bias (known as reflexivity).