WOMEN ch 1
describes exactly how researchers will measure a variable (or characteristic) in a study
- An operational definition
Kahoot e..g this feminism in psych: a. Appeared in 2nd wave fem b. Critiqued psych as a bad sci c. Was catalyzed by Weissten
- Appeared in 2nd wave fem - Critiqued psych as a bad sci - Was catalyzed by Weissten
emphasizes that each person belongs to many social groups, based on categories such as ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and social class. This complexity makes it difficult to study individual differences in psychology.
- Intersectionality:
, as the name implies, means that the results have some meaningful and useful implications for the real world
- Practical significance
being white = normal standard in our culture, where white ppl think that they don't belong to ethnic groups "I'm just normal"
- Related concept is white-as-normative concept,
useful perspective for understanding gender, says that individuals and cultures construct or invent their own versions of reality, based on prior experiences, social interactions, and beliefs
- Social constructionism:
means that the results are not likely to occur by chance alone. In the mathematical formulas used in calculating statistical significance, the sample size has a major influence on statistical significance.
- Statistical significance
Another form of bias that is related to ethnic bias, in which U.S. residents believe that their nation has higher status than other countries. (e.g. many in the U.S. government believe that they have the right to break international laws)
- U.S.-centered nationalism:
e.g. of doing gender
- e.g. provide gender messages to other people by your appearance, your tone of voice, and your conversational style
this says that gender is a basic, unchangeable characteristic that resides within an individual; emphasize that women are more concerned than men with caregiving because of their own inborn nature, not because society currently assigns women the task of taking care of children; emphasizes that women' s psychological characteristics are universal and occur in every culture; inconsistent with women-of-color feminism (NB: remember they say to consider other human dimensions that affect women like ethnicity and social class, not gender alone)
- essentialism:
the biases that researchers bring to the study can influence the outcome. If researchers expect males to perform better than females on a test of mathematics ability, they may somehow treat the two groups differently. As a result, males and females may respond differently
- researcher expectancy:
About the textbook - Theme states that psychological gender differences are typically small and inconsistent; gender differences are more likely (a) when people evaluate themselves, (b) in real-life situations, and (c) when people are aware that others are evaluating them.
1
- Critical thinking consists of the following three components:
1. Ask thoughtful questions about what you see or hear. 2. Look for potential biases at each step of the research process, as outlined in Figure 1.3 (page 21). 3. Determine whether the conclusions are supported by the evidence that has been presented. 4. Suggest alternative interpretations of the evidence.
- 4 theoretical approaches to feminism:
1. liberal fem: goal = gender equality, which can be achieved by passing laws that guarantee equal rights for wom&men; argues that everyone benefits if we reduce our culture's rigid gender roles 2. cultural fem: focuses on gender diff that value women (not gender similarities like liberal fem); emphasizes positive qualities presumed to be stronger in wom than men (nurturing, caring); says society should emphasize cooperation not aggression 3. radical fem: says that the cause of women's oppression is deep in the entire sex and gender system, not superficial laws and policies; emphasizes that sexism permeates our society; says society needs to change dramatically its policies on sexuality and violence against wom 4. women of colour fem: says that the other 3 over-emphasize gender, but they emphasize that fem must pay attention to other human dimensions (ethnicity, social class) [e.g. life of black lesbian wom differs from European American lesbian]
Cora: "The way marriage is currently designed, women are basically servants who spend most of their energy improving the lives of other people."
1. radical feminism;
About the textbook - Theme states that people react differently to men and women; for example, males are typically considered more valuable than females.
2
Marta: "Too many feminists think that White women are at the center of feminism, and the rest of us are out at the edges of the feminist circle."
2. women-of-color feminism;
About the textbook - Theme states that women are less visible than men in many important areas; for instance, our language is androcentric.
3
Nereyda: "Laws must be made to guarantee women the right to be educated the same as men; women need to reach their full potential, just like men do."
3. liberal feminism;
About the textbook - Theme states that women vary widely from one another; for example, they vary in their psychological characteristics, life choices, and responses to biological processes.
4
4. Sylvia: "My goal as a feminist is to value the kind of strengths that have traditionally been assigned to women, so that women can help society learn to be more cooperative."
4. cultural feminism;
María: "Society needs to change in a major way so that we can get rid of the oppression of women."
5. radical feminism;
Michelle: "I consider myself a feminist. However, I think that many feminists just don't pay enough attention to factors such as social class and ethnicity."
6. women-of-color feminism;
Stuart: "I think women should be given exactly the same opportunities as men with respect to promotion in the workplace."
7. liberal feminism;
Terry: "Because women are naturally more peaceful than men, I think women need to organize and work together to build a peaceful society."
8. cultural feminism
bias based on chronological age; typically directed toward elderly people
Ageism:
bias against people with disabilities
Albeism:
Suppose that you hear a lecture in which the female speaker says, "I will be exploring this topic from an essentialist perspective. Which of the following sentences would you be most likely to hear? a. "Women have one characteristic in common with one another: a concern about the well-being of children." b. "Gender differences may be large in the workplace but small in personal interactions." c. "In the Western hemisphere, people have a view of gender that is very different from the view in the Eastern hemisphere." d. "Gender differences are so small that they essentially have no practical significance."
a
Which of the following is an example of sexism? a. Your next-door neighbor is saving money for his son to go to college, but he doesn't think that females should pursue higher education. b. A television interviewer addresses a man as "Samuel Munson," and she addresses a woman as "Cynthia Harper." c. A fabric store hires a man to measure and cut fabric. d. A company has an unwritten policy that they will not hire elderly people.
a
Women and Ethnicity Asian Americans
also come from diverse backgrounds. Although they are considered the ideal minority, they often experience discrimination and stressful work conditions.
Women and Ethnicity - The variability within any ethnic group— or subgroup— is
always large.
A feminist is a person who believes that a. there are large gender differences, in terms of psychological characteristics. b. women's ideas and women's experiences should be valued. c. women should be granted more privileges and authority than men. d. gender is much more important than race, as a psychological characteristic.
b
According to your textbook, the word heterosexism refers to a. a bias against individuals who are heterosexual. b. a bias against individuals who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. c. a greater bias against lesbians than against gay males. d. a positive attitude toward all intimate relationships, whether they are heterosexual or lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
b
Dr. Chen has conducted a study about whether men and women differ in their honesty when taking an examination. According to your textbook's discussion of the terms sex and gender, a. the title should be "Sex Comparisons in Honesty." b. the title should be "Gender Comparisons in Honesty." c. if Dr. Chen finds differences between men and women, call it "Sex Comparisons in Honesty." Otherwise, call it "Gender Comparisons in Honesty." d. because the terms sex and gender are interchangeable, either title is acceptable.
b
Several years ago, the wife of a prominent politician argued that women are naturally attracted to taking care of the home and the family, rather than achieving in the world of work. Which of the following terms describes this viewpoint? a. Social constructionism b. Essentialism c. Liberal feminism d. Radical feminism
b
Suppose that you are trying to explain the phrase "doing gender" to a high school student. Which of the following statements would be most accurate? a. "Men are more likely than women to 'do gender.'" b. "When a female student meets a male student, she may smile and act very interested in him; this is an example of 'doing gender.'" c. "'Doing gender' is a phrase that applies to our perception of other people, rather than how we ourselves act." d. "The ability to 'do gender' is programmed into our genetic makeup, and our culture has little influence on the way we 'do gender.'"
b
Which of the following examples best illustrates racism? a. Counselors who advise young Black women to be clerical workers, but young Black men to go into business b. People who assume that most young Native Americans are alcoholics c. Parents of a White college student who encourage their daughter to take courses about race relations d. Black high school teachers who encourage Black students to apply to colleges where the majority of students are Black, as well as colleges where the majority are White
b
Which of the following statements about sexism is correct? a. Women cannot be sexist. b. People are sexist when they are biased against men, as well as when they are biased against women. c. If a researcher discovers that men score higher than women on a particular test, he or she would be sexist to publish these findings, even if the report is objective. d. The terms feminist and sexist can be used interchangeably.
b
Your textbook contrasts two similar terms, sex and gender. Which of the following research topics involves the study of sex, rather than gender? a. What do adults think are ideal characteristics for young girls and boys? b. How many weeks after conception do the external genitals of boys and girls develop? c. Do people believe that females should be helped more than males? d. Do young children rate adult women as being more nurturant than adult men?
b
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS AND BIASES IN CURRENT RESEARCH. - When researchers formulate their hypotheses, these can influence their theoretical orientation, the research they consider relevant, and the topics they choose to investigate
biases
- Note that sexism can be both
blatant (woman vs man in suit) and subtle (calling 40yr old woman girl, not a 40yar old man boy)
A sexist person would be most likely to believe that a. men—as well as women—can be feminists. b. women and men should be paid the same. c. female high-school students should not be permitted to play football. d. gender similarities are more common than gender differences
c
According to the definition given in your textbook, a. a feminist is someone who believes that women should have privileges that are denied to men. b. men cannot be feminists. c. a feminist has a high regard for women and believes that both genders should be treated similarly. d. the research shows that people who refuse to call themselves feminists are highly unlikely to believe in the principles of feminism.
c
According to the information at the beginning of Chapter 1, a. women in countries such as Afghanistan are actually treated in a less biased fashion than women in the United States and Canada. b. topics such as pregnancy and rape are now a standard part of introductory psychology textbooks. c. psychologists have typically focused on men's experiences when they study topics such as achievement and retirement. d. women in the United States and Canada consistently earn higher salaries than men if we consider jobs that are traditionally female.
c
Alicia doesn't seem to be concerned about a woman who just broke up with her lesbian partner, though she is very concerned about a woman who just broke up with her male partner. Alicia is most clearly demonstrating a. sexism. b. classism. c. heterosexism. d. cultural feminism.
c
Cynthia is very polite to the principal at her daughter's school, but she is rude to the cleaning staff at this school. Cynthia is most clearly demonstrating a. ableism. b. ageism. c. classism. d. sexism.
c
The discussion of the early origins of the psychology of women pointed out that a. the discipline advanced rapidly because of people's commitment to learning correct information about gender. b. several strongly supportive male psychologists helped to nurture this growing discipline. c. much of the early research on gender was influenced by biases that women were less competent than men. d. this research, in general, was remarkably free of sexist research strategies and conclusions.
c
Which of the following statements is correct about the distinction between the words sex and gender? a. Gender refers to biologically based categories, which are either male or female. b. Sex refers only to sexual activity, and therefore the term sex chromosomes is not an appropriate phrase. c. Gender refers to social categories and psychological characteristics. d. The terms sex and gender are so distinctive that they are rarely confused with each other in the professional literature.
c
Which of the following students has the best understanding of the term, "doing gender"? a. Alexei: "The phrase 'doing gender' refers to the process of conducting psychological research about gender comparisons." b. Irina: "The phrase 'doing gender' refers to a specific kind of historical analysis, which explores how women have been left out of the standard accounts of history." c. Sarah: "When people convey gender-related messages to each other—for instance, by the way they smile—they are 'doing gender.'" d. Peter: "When people work for gender equality—for instance, in the workplace—they are 'doing gender.'"
c
Mayra and her feminist friends believe that having more women in world government positions will decrease the incidence of wars because of women's more peaceful nature. Mayra represents which approach to feminism? a. Cultural feminism b. Women-of-color feminism c. Liberal feminism d. Radical feminism
c fem
is any characteristic, other than the central variable being studied, that is not equivalent under all conditions; this has the potential to influence the study' s results
confounding variable
Women and Ethnicity - Blacks
constitute the third-largest ethnic group in the United States. Blacks in the United States and Canada differ from one another with respect to their family' s history.
A feminist psychologist who emphasizes the differences perspective on gender is likely to a. emphasize constructionist explanations. b. point out the importance of stereotypes in shaping gender-related behavior. c. point out that social forces are responsible for the current gender differences. d. emphasize the importance of positive personality attributes that are typically associated with women, rather than men.
d
According to your textbook's discussion of the ageism, this term a. means that gender differences increase as people grow older. b. is limited to biases against elderly adults. c. is limited to biases against adolescents. d. is typically aimed at elderly adults, but it actually means biases based on a person's age.
d
Chris is respectful toward his female professors, but he often speaks rudely to the female secretaries at his college. Chris is most clearly demonstrating a. ableism. b. ageism. c. sexism. d. classism
d
Which of the following students best describes the role of social biases in the psychology of women? a. Rickey: "The psychology of women examines how sexism influences women's lives; other biases are relatively unimportant." b. Meisha: "Studies of either racism or sexism provide important information about the psychology of women, but the combined effects of racism and sexism are rarely discussed." c. Keshav: "Although other social biases are sometimes mentioned, sexism and heterosexism are actually the only important issues for researchers in the psychology of women." d. Andrew: "Understanding the psychology of women requires an examination of a number of social biases including sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, and ageism."
d
Your textbook discusses the difference between the words sex and gender. Which of the following differences is correct? a. Gender refers to animals, whereas sex refers to humans. b. Gender refers to children, whereas sex refers to adolescents and adults. c. Gender is a narrower term than sex. d. Gender refers to psychological characteristics, whereas sex emphasizes biological characteristics
d
- E.g. pic of 7mos boy who was photographed posed w a football; photographer is providing??messages for the infant, mother and everyone who sees pic; these messages tell us that this small infant needs to learn know how to run fast, knock down other people, and become a hero.
gender
- When researchers interpret their results, biases may include
ignoring practical significance, overlooking alternative explanations, misinterpreting correlational data, and overgeneralizing the findings
Polly believes that feminist goals can be best achieved by passing laws to guarantee women equal educational and workplace opportunities. Polly represents which approach to feminism? a. cultural feminism b. liberal feminism c. radical feminism d. women-of-color feminism
l fem
Heterosexism (also called sexual prejudice): a bias against anyone who is not exclusively heterosexual; therefore harms
lesbians, gay males, and bisexuals; encourages many people to believe that male-female romantic relationships should be considered normative, and therefore people in same-gender relationships do not have the same rights and privileges
Sexism and racism combine in complex ways, e.g. experiences of women of colour
may be different from experiences of European American men
Differences perspective:
men and women are generally different in their intellectual and social abilities, emphasize women's positive characteristics that have been undervalued; favoured by cultural fem
history of psych of women both Woolley and Hollingworth's work was
not biased towards women
Women and Ethnicity - The limited research about multiracial individuals does
not show consistent disadvantages or advantages.
- When researchers design their studies, biases can influence how they choose their
operational definitions, participants, and the people who conduct the research; another bias is the inclusion of confounding variables
- When researchers communicate their findings, gender differences may be
overreported; the title of the paper may emphasize gender differences; journal editors may prefer articles that demonstrate gender differences; and the popular media may distort the research.
Similarities perspective:
psychologists who emphasize this believe that men and women are generally similar in their intellectual and social skills; argue that social forces may create some temporary differences (e.g. women may be more submissive than men in the workplace because women typically hold less power in that setting); de-emphasizing gender roles and strengthening equal rights laws, they say, gender similarities will increase still further; favoured by liberal fem
Andrea works at a local women's shelter and believes that eliminating violence against women requires major changes in society. Andrea most likely would be considered a a. cultural feminist. b. liberal feminist. c. women-of-color feminist. d. radical feminist.
r fem
K e.g. ? =can be found in every part of sci method
research bias
When researchers perform their studies, biases may include
researcher expectancy as well as the participants' expectations
- essentialism:
says that gender is a basic, unchangeable characteristic that resides within an individual; emphasize that women are more concerned than men with caregiving because of their own inborn nature, not because society currently assigns women the task of taking care of children; emphasizes that women' s psychological characteristics are universal and occur in every culture; inconsistent with women-of-color feminism (NB: remember they say to consider other human dimensions that affect women like ethnicity and social class, not gender alone)
K e.g. sex vs gender
sex = bio and physiological and gender = psychological
K e.g. social bias includes:
sexism/ageism/racism/ableism
Women and Ethnicity - Native Americans and Canadian Aboriginals
share a common geographic origin and history. However, they represent numerous different native backgrounds
Women and Ethnicity Latinas/os
share a language with one another as well as many values and customs. However, their other characteristics vary tremendously. Latinas often comment that they must frequently cross boundaries between Latina culture and European American culture
history of psych of women - Hollingworth's work
showed that their menstrual cycles had little effect on their intellectual abilities
history of psych of women - Woolley's work
showed that wom&men had similar intellectual abilities; women scored higher in memory, thinking tasks
- psychologists tend to pay little attention to ??, leaving the research to sociologists
social class
Racism - Research suggests that White preschoolers tend to have what friends
tend to choose other White children as their friends, even when the classroom includes many Black children
bias against people on the basis of racial or ethnic groups.
Racism:
bias that is based on social class (defined by such factors as income, occupation, and education), providing special privileges to some people based on their social category
Classism:
- critics aruge that this perspective is problematic because by emphasizing gender differences we are reinforcing gender stereotypes
Differences pers
men and women are generally different in their intellectual and social abilities, emphasize women's positive characteristics that have been undervalued; favoured by cultural fem
Differences perspective:
concept that says you express your gender when you interact w people, perceive gender in these other people; emphasizes that gender is active, dynamic (not at all stable, rigid), part of our identity so its impossible for us to stop
Doing gender:
the principle that values women's experiences and ideas; emphasizes that women and men should be socially, economically, and legally equal
Feminism:
broad term that refers to the psychological characteristics and social categories that human culture creates
Gender:
a bias against anyone who is not exclusively heterosexual; therefore harms lesbians, gay males, and bisexuals; encourages many people to believe that male-female romantic relationships should be considered normative, and therefore people in same-gender relationships do not have the same rights and privileges
Heterosexism (also called sexual prejudice):
relatively narrow term that typically refers only to those inborn biological characteristics relating to reproduction (such as sex chrom/sex organs)
Sex:
bias against people on the basis of their gender, (e.g. person who believes that women cannot be competent lawyers = sexist)
Sexism:
psychologists who emphasize this believe that men and women are generally similar in their intellectual and social skills; argue that social forces may create some temporary differences (e.g. women may be more submissive than men in the workplace because women typically hold less power in that setting); de-emphasizing gender roles and strengthening equal rights laws, they say, gender similarities will increase still further; favoured by liberal fem
Similarities perspective:
Suppose that you hear a lecture about gender, and the speaker emphasizes how each culture creates its own set of ideas about gender. Thus, our current conceptions about gender are not inevitable. Based on this information, which of the following approaches is the speaker most likely to support? a. Social constructionism b. The differences perspective c. Cultural feminism d. Essentialism
a
White privilege concept:
White people have certain privileges, based on their skin color; which they often take for granted; while people of other ethnic groups lack this status (e.g. when a black woman uses a credit card, some White people may wonder if she stole the card)
White people have certain privileges, based on their skin color; which they often take for granted; while people of other ethnic groups lack this status (e.g. when a black woman uses a credit card, some White people may wonder if she stole the card)
White privilege concept:
According to the similarities perspective on gender, a. men and women are quite similar to one another. b. men are quite similar to one another, but women are quite different from one another. c. men are quite different from one another, and women are quite similar to one another. d. men are quite different from one another, and women are quite different from one another; however, we construct similarities within each gender.
a
According to your text, a course in the psychology of women a. explores psychological issues of specific concern to women. b. demonstrates that women really are different from men. c. illustrates that women from different ethnic groups are impressively similar to one another. d. discovers evidence to show that women no longer experience gender discrimination
a
According to your textbook, the phrase "doing gender" means a. expressing our own gender, as well as responding to other people on the basis of their gender. b. conscientiously using the words sex and gender in an appropriate fashion. c. doing research that emphasizes gender similarities rather than gender differences. d. trying to be gender-fair in situations that would normally encourage gender-based discrimination.
a
Suppose that a professor is giving a lecture on aging. She says she will approach her topic from a social constructionist standpoint. This means that she is likely to emphasize that a. our ideas about elderly people are often shaped by myths and stereotypes, rather than by objective observation of elderly people. b. the behavior of elderly people is largely determined by biological processes. c. the only way we can know about elderly people is by conducting research using well-controlled experimental methods. d. we should take a practical viewpoint, applying our knowledge to construct helpful programs for elderly people.
a
