Research Paper on Psychology: Search for Objective Truth or Value-Free Science?

Introduction

One of the significant criticism played against psychology world is that it rarely produces the objective "value-free science." The central assumption is that there exists an absolute truthfulness and that the psychology work should pursue such purpose vigorously. The natural scientists, including biology and chemistry, highly believe in such objective truthfully it's in existence. Any denial regarding the stated goal is considered a weakness by either the scientist or the science ignoring it. The vital degree of the question being addressed is the core nature of the bias in the research field due to its value-free science that can be gained. Psychology work should be ready to enhance and embrace the question to eradicate biasness.

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Difference between Alpha bias and Beta Bias

Alpha Bias

Alpha bias refers to the theories exaggerating the differences between females and males. Taking a case of psychoanalysis approach, psychologist Freud supports that, by failing to suffer oedipal conflicts the same way as boys. They hardly take their mother characters as the boys identify with their fathers. The evolution approach in alpha bias has been highly criticized in psychology (Gilligan, 1982). This is because, the evolution process of human beings explains aspects such as men dormancy, women and parental care and the likelihood of men committing suicide.

Beta Bias

This refers to theories often assume that the outcomes from males can as well apply to females. The Beta Bias theory is explained in Kohlberg's stages of moral development. The core source is a general survey conducted in boys aged between 10-16 years. On the same way, the male samples were interviewed at an interval of 3-4 years over 20 year period. Kohlberg classification was based on moral justices as well as researchers such as Carol Gilligan (1982).

However, there a very most ideal likelihood that there exists no such thing called total value-free knowledge (one with personal bias or someone without prejudice). Implies that, gender bias, as well as other forms of biasness, will be a tough task to eradicate. Though, this does not bring implication that the psychologist carries on such practices. The value-free knowledge realization is represented as a 'holy grail.'

Psychology was faced with gender bias before the 1970s. Some psychologists such as Stanley Hall raised claims that women should be seldom allowed to enroll to higher education, arguing that, knowledge increases blood flow to the brain away from the uterus. The views of Stanley Hall led to a rise in the feminist movement in the 1970s. the feminists started challenging the delimiting factors limiting the women views according to the classic paper which was written in the year 1971 by a woman psychologist Naomi Weisstein. Naomi addressed the scathing attacks on psychologist theories about women. She argued that women are portrayed as inconsistent, intuitive, emotionally rather than being intelligent. The general concept represented by Naomi is that there exists a typical minority group stereotype of inferiority. She holds that such theories are meant to keep women away from gaining education and another professional field. The women have caught captivity in other minor chores such as bedroom, kitchen, and nursery hence portrayed to be inferior in all aspects. Research examples can be deduced from the case of gender bias using male participants and women generalization resulting in women without questions. This research work leaves an ambiguous question on whether men and women are equal.

In case women behave differently from men, the former approach is always considered to be deficient, abnormal, pathologically (sexism). The conclusion is made because men behavior is taken to be implicit or explicit as the standard gauge to refer against women (masculine bias or androcentric-male centeredness).

The psychological definition of behavior seems to emphasize biological as well as other internal issues other than external causes and other external factors. Emphasis on biological factors is referred to as individualism. Internal purposes reinforce the impression that the psychological problems are unchangeable inevitable. In this particular situation, a high level of stereotype in women and men. It also emphasis on women oppression, which is an example of sexism. Most feminist psychologists propose that most scientific methods are gender bias. One of the most psychologist Nicolson identified two problems related to the main objective in 19953 (Gilligan, 1982). The issues addressed cultural, personal, and social contexts.

a) Experiment environs take the individual's "subject' behavior as opposed to the individual. The approach does not consider the behavior meaning such as cultural, personal, and social contexts (Gilligan, 1982). Experimental psychology is carried out in some specific scenarios, which typically refer to women disadvantages. In experimental psychology, women become anonymous. A woman is placed in a unique environment and expected to respond accordingly in response to a male experimenter in charge of the condition.

How Does Gender Bias Help

The question on sex differences and similarities are not just scientific issues but also political as addressed by (Gilligan, 1993) Answers to the problems arising about keeping the women off enrolling higher education or placing them in mental institutions. Other questions have been seen to address women on the importance of joining assertiveness training courses.

Arguing that women should possess all the rights just as men. In other words, sex differences concerning science are always referred to as political reasons. According to Gilligan (1993), the center of her psychology work about moral development in girls and women was based on the realization that within psychology that the data collected were proven facts. Psychologists have autonomy and responsibility to create implicit on the importance of political and social issues. Failing to make such considerations may result from t oppression, discrimination, and prejudice.

Alpha Bias

Travis, one of the famous psychologists, believing that a man is the norm and that women are the opposite, deficient or lesser (the problem) contribute to 3 alternative views in concern to women mismeasure. Alpha biasness underlines the vast self-help industry (Gilligan, 1982).. Women are presumed to absorb many articles concerning adverts on independence, beauty, and much more. Men, on the other side, feel that it's not essential to behave in the same manner.

Examples Of Alpha Bias In Research

Wilson (1994) holds that the main reason why men keep 95% of professors, bank managers, and other top positions in Britain. the notion is men are more "competitive" an idea that dominance is an inmate in a man. Wilson continues to argue that women in academic jobs are less productive than their opposites. Objectively, women may be over-promoted (Gilligan, 1982). Most women who finally attain the most competitive position is due to their mind masculinity. According to cited work by Wilson on supporting such claims comes from psychometric testing industries. Such points give scientific proofs of women inequality such as (with comparison to men) lack of spatial and mathematical abilities (Gilligan, 1982).. Even when women were considered to have the capabilities to do well in competitive jobs. Wilson believes that women have personal deficits, such as lack of assertiveness and low esteem, which lead to low performance.

Sexism in Research

Question formulation- an assumption is made that the topics relating to white male are considered as being more essential. And "more basic" in comparison to the relevant white females, or even other ethnic males and females. The latter is considered to be more marginal, specialism, or applied (for example, the psychological correlation on pregnancy on the menopause.

Research Methods and Design

Often, the race and sex of the participants, confederates, researchers, and other people who get involved are always hardly specific. Subsequently, potential interactions among the variables which are not accounted for. Men try to sound more helping behavior than the women in the studies in which young female confederates (Erickson, 1968).. This can serve as a function of either the interactions among the participants and the rebel as well as the confederate sex rather than the sex differences among the participants.

Beta bias

The outcomes-based on single-sex only are then applied to both men and female. This can be viewed to be included in the major theories within the development of psychological, as noted by the Erickson psychology theory in progress as well as Kohlberg's moral development theory (Erickson, 1968). The examples in this concept refer to the work of Hare-Mustin & Maracek (1988) beta bias. Erickson's opinion is considered as the sexist theory, according to Gilligan (1982) based on the male's study only. The women in this theory are portrayed as deviant (alpha bias). In one of the versions of Erickson's approach, he describes eight universal stages series. For example, both sexes in all culture result in a confliction in identity and confusion of roles (adolescence) which precedes isolation and intimacy (young adulthood).

(Erickson 1968) Gives an acknowledgment that the sequence is quite different for female in another version of his work. She hides her identity while preparing for men attraction on the name she intends to adopt, as well as defining her status. For cases of women intimacy, the structure goes hand on hand with identity, and they come to know themselves through having relationships with others (Gilligan, 1982). In spite of Erickson's observations concerning the diversity in sex, the views concerning the various stages of the psychological theory appear to be unchanged. Gilligan states, "identity continues to precede intimacy as male experience continues to define his life (Erickson)" (Erickson, 1968).

Similarly, Kohlberg's (1969) the six moral development stages were based on a longitudinal study on a sample of 84 boys. Kohlberg claims the conducted studies are universal, representing beta bias. When a comparison between a male and a female is performed, female seldom attains the third level (good boy - excellent girl orientation) in moral reasoning. The orientation expectations are expected for both adults and adolescents. The women are left looking deeply at moral deficiency (alpha bias). According to Gilligan views, the work of psychology is based on the male voice. The concern on describing the world from the male perspective and confusion with absolute truth (beta bias).

References

Brandt, D. E. (1977). Separation and identity in adolescence: Erikson and Mahler-some similarities. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 13(4), 507-518. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00107530.1977.10745512

Colby, A., Kohlberg, L., Gibbs, J., & Lieberman, M. (1983). A longitudinal study of moral judgment. Monographs of the society for research in child development. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1983-23133-001

Erikson, E. H. (1964). Inner and outer space: Reflections on womanhood. Daedalus, 582-606. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20026847

Gilligan, C. (1982). New maps of development: New visions of maturity. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52(2), 199. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-42249-004

Kohlberg, L., & Kramer, R. (1969). Continuities and discontinuities in childhood and adult moral development. Human development. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1969-15520-001