Gender bias including androcentrism and alpha and beta bias
Gender bias occurs when psychology research treats one gender's experience as the norm. This distorts our understanding of all genders.
Real World
Kohlberg developed his moral development stages by studying only boys, then claimed women were morally inferior when they scored lower — Carol Gilligan challenged this in 1982, arguing women simply use a different 'ethic of care' reasoning style.
Exam Focus
Distinguish alpha bias (exaggerates differences) from beta bias (minimises differences) — confusing them is a common examiner-noted error.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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