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Why Study the Psychology of Women?. Critical thinking about gender issues. Qualitative/Phenomenological vs. Quantitative. Statistical Significance . Components of critical thinking. Ask good questions about what you see or hear: a search for moderator variables .
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Why Study the Psychology of Women? • Critical thinking about gender issues. • Qualitative/Phenomenological vs. Quantitative. • Statistical Significance. • Components of critical thinking. • Ask good questions about what you see or hear: a search for moderator variables. • Determine when conclusions are supported by the evidence provided. • Suggest alternative interpretations of the evidence.
Why Study the Psychology of Women? • Many traditional psychological theories were developed by studying all male sample, and thus, have been gender biased . • Androcentrism = The male experience is viewed as standard. • http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/18735108/ns/today-travel/t/discrimination-debate-women-only-hotel-floors/
Women and Men: Similar or Different? • Similarities Approach: Beta bias • Men and women are basically alike in their intellectual and social behavior • Differences between women and men are produced by socialization, not biology
Women and Men: Similar or Different? (Cont…) • Differences Approach: Alpha bias • Emphasizes differences between women and men • Essentialism = Differences are thought to arise from essential qualities within the individual that are rooted in biology • May emphasize and celebrate positive qualities historically associated with women (cultural feminism)
Definitions. • sex = the classification of individuals as • female or male based on their genetic makeup, anatomy, and reproductive functions. • gender = the meanings that societies and individuals give to female and male categories. • gender differences = psychological differences between males and females w/o regard for causation.
Definitions (Cont…) • feminist = a person who favors political, economic and social equality of men and women, and therefore, favors legal and social changes that will be necessary to achieve that equality. • Post-feminism?
Ambivalent Sexism (Glick & Fiske, 2007; Lee et al., 2010) • Hostile sexism: negative stereotypes of women • Benevolent sexism: positive characterizations such as “women are pure” or “women should be protected”
Changes in sexist attitudes over time • Sexism has decreased in the U.S. since 1970 • May be due in part to changes in legislation • However, may reflect decreased social acceptability of blatantly sexist views rather than real changes in beliefs • Women vary in their willingness to acknowledge their own experience with discrimination (e.g., Carvallo & Pelham, 2006)
Sources of Sex Bias in Psychological Research. • Bias in topic selection & questions asked. • Bias in choice of sample. • Bias in measurement. • Experimenter effects. • Observer effects. • Bias in interpretation. • Bias in publishing the results.