Deck 4: The Meanings of Difference

Question 1

In general,the cognitive abilities of males and females can be described as

A)similar.
B)very similar in a few areas,but quite dissimilar in others.
C)very dissimilar in most areas.
D)dissimilar.

Answer 1

similar.

Question 2

When meta-analysis practitioners decide which studies to include,

A)they rely on their own judgments.
B)they statistically analyze the effect size before deciding to include a study.
C)they include all studies.
D)they use a simple review technique.

Answer 2

they rely on their own judgments.

Question 3

The frequency distribution above suggests that

A)men are more variable than women.
B)there is more overlap than difference between the sexes.
C)mean differences are more important than average differences.
D)the concept of statistical significance is meaningless.

Answer 3

there is more overlap than difference between the sexes.

Question 4

Boys and men believe more strongly than girls and women,math is a male domain.This finding suggests

A)it is true.
B)male beliefs may be subtly influencing female achievement in math.
C)the feminist movement may subtly influence females' beliefs.
D)None of the above is correct.

Question 5

The similarities tradition in feminist theory and politics stems from

A)cultural feminism.
B)liberal feminism.
C)radical feminism.
D)socialist feminism.

Question 6

Meta-analysis is useful because it

A)compares studies without the difficulties involved in statistical analysis.
B)statistically analyzes the results of many studies.
C)is simpler to use than previous methods of analyzing aggregate data.
D)insures objective analysis of the results of multiple studies.

Question 7

Stereotype threat in terms of math performance means

A)women stereotype their own math abilities.
B)fear of confirming the stereotype women are bad at math may negatively impact women's math performance.
C)boys and men stereotype girls' and women more than girls and women do.
D)None of the above is correct.

Question 8

Experimental design in the field of psychology strongly emphasizes finding

A)errors.
B)differences.
C)similarities.
D)bias.

Question 9

The difference tradition in feminist theory and politics stems from

A)radical feminism.
B)liberal feminism.
C)cultural feminism.
D)socialist feminism.

Question 10

The differences in numerical scores on a test is called

A)the average difference.
B)statistical significance.
C)variability.
D)confounding.

Question 11

Meta-analysis analyzes results of multiple studies:

A)making qualitative judgments about the size of the differences found.
B)counting up how many studies found a difference and how many found no difference then comparing these.
C)quantitatively summarizing results of the studies,allowing statistical analyses.
D)All the above are correct.

Question 12

showed

A)gender differences in math performance may be partly due to stereotype- influenced beliefs and expectations.
B)women stereotype their own math abilities more than men.
C)when women are told nothing about gender differences,they tend to do as well.
D)women do better on math tests when they are tested in mixed-sex groups than when tested with only men.

Question 13

If a researcher tested both men and women on reasoning ability,but the men had college degrees and the women were high school graduates,level of education would be a

A)difference variable.
B)statistically significant variable.
C)confounding variable.
D)moderator variable.

Question 14

All of the following EXCEPT,indicate a sexist bias in the classroom?

A)Girls are praised for appearance while boys are praised for performance.
B)Girls are exposed to more sexual harassment than boys.
C)Girls are not exposed to as many math-enriched experiences as boys.
D)Girls are more likely to be punished for wrong answers than boys.

Question 15

Statistical significance can be defined as:

A)something important.
B)has greater than a 5% probability of having occurred by chance.
C)is evidence of a difference between the sexes.
D)results not likely due to random chance.

Question 16

Some feminist psychologists argue studying gender differences is not very useful because of which of the following issues?

A)Problems defining a true gender difference
B)Difficulties measuring gender differences
C)Problems with values and interpretation of the research results
D)All the above are correct.

Question 17

Meta-analysis is an improvement over simple reviews of studies because

A)it takes into account sample size.
B)it takes into account the magnitude and consistency of differences.
C)reviews fail to attend to moderator variables.
D)All the above are correct

Question 18

Rather than attributing their daughters' success in math to natural talent as they tend to do for sons,parents often attribute girls' successes in math to

A)good luck.
B)following directions carefully.
C)hard work.
D)the teachers' ability to teach.

Question 19

In the classroom,race and gender interact.Those getting the most attention are __________;those getting the least attention are ____________.

A)white boys;minority boys
B)white boys and minority boys;white girls
C)white boys;minority girls
D)white boys;white girls

Question 20

Compared to males,females receive,on average,

A)lower scores on the math section of the SAT and better math grades in college.
B)lower scores on the math section of the SAT and similar math grades in college.
C)higher scores on the math section on the SAT and similar math grades in college.
D)lower scores on the math section of the SAT and lower math grades in college.

Question 21

Despite popular stereotypes,there is _______________ in the emotionality of men and women.

A)a large gap
B)a moderate gap
C)much more overlap than difference
D)no difference

Question 22

Children learn what they are "supposed" to feel and act in various situations,which translates to "boys feel A and girls feel B" or "boys should show X emotion.: These rules are called

A)feeling rules.
B)display rules.
C)consciousness rules.
D)AB/XY rules.

Question 23

Men in American culture learn ________ is an effective way to control others,including the women in their lives.

A)envy
B)depression
C)anger
D)surprise

Question 24

The ability to recognize the emotions expressed by others is called

A)decoding ability.
B)the display rule.
C)the feeling rule.
D)relational theory.

Question 25

____________ report more emotions of powerlessness than ________.

A)Men;women
B)Women;men
C)Gay men;straight women
D)Gay men;lesbians

Question 26

The variability hypothesis suggested that

A)women were more biologically adaptable than men.
B)men were statistically more likely than women to be geniuses.
C)women were more likely than men to be mentally defective.
D)All the above are correct.

Question 27

The Japanese proverb "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down" means

A)people should not stand out or be different from everyone else.
B)the Japanese do not like sloppy workmanship.
C)those people who stand up for what they believe in will get what they need in life.
D)you might get hit if you disagree with someone.

Question 28

Given the research on gender-related differences in cognitive abilities,we can conclude all of the following EXCEPT

A)cognitive differences can easily be traced to biological dissimilarities.
B)social factors are powerful influences in cognitive development.
C)research methods focus on detecting differences more than detecting similarities.
D)future research should focus on causes of gender-related differences.

Question 29

Many cultures value interconnectedness over independence.In other words,people in collectivist cultures are expected to develop an

A)independent self.
B)interdependent self.
C)honorable self.
D)open self.

Question 30

Despite advances in equal rights,in the 1990s two all-male military colleges

A)denied admission to women.
B)required women to go through more rigorous training than the men.
C)required women to pass more rigorous tests of neatness and respect.
D)All the above are correct.

Question 31

When the Virginia Military Academy and the Citadel went to court to prove women should not be permitted admission,they claimed psychological research proved women are weaker,more emotional,and could not compete with men.Feminist psychologists protested

A)the witnesses were utilizing research nearly a century out of date.
B)although differences are true,women should still be given a chance at the taxpayer supported school.
C)witnesses had misrepresented and misused psychological research.
D)women should operate at the schools using a "handicap," as golfers do.

Question 32

__________ by men are often not labeled as emotionality.

A)Tears
B)Emotional displays
C)Narcissistic behaviors
D)All the above are correct.

Question 33

,the three emotions considered stereotypically "male" are

A)anger,contempt,and pride.
B)amusement,interest,and jealousy.
C)disgust,embarrassment,and sadness.
D)guilt,shame,and happiness.

Question 34

Researchers adhering to the differences tradition believe psychology and its theories have failed women by

A)focusing on the differences between men and women.
B)devaluing their strengths.
C)focusing too much on the similarities between men and women.
D)demonstrating how little autonomy most people really have.

Question 35

The cultural rules that tell us how and in what circumstances we may display emotions are called

A)sentiment rules.
B)display rules.
C)narcissist rules.
D)operational rules.

Question 36

Feminist critiques of the proposition males are biologically predisposed to be better in math than females include findings

A)items in standardized tests tend to appear in contexts more familiar to boys,such as sports.
B)performance on a standardized test has great relevance to most jobs and everyday thinking skills.
C)women get higher scores on the SAT than men,but lower grades in college.
D)the media have popularized the success of male engineers.

Question 37

Our society relies on standardized tests (i.e. ,SAT,GRE)to predict college performance.Women score lower than men on these tests AND get better grades in college.Women's educational achievement is misrepresented by the

A)decoding cue.
B)female underprediction effect.
C)SAT effect.
D)GRE effect.

Question 38

With regard to understanding the emotions expressed by others,

A)tests show that women no longer have better skills than men.
B)women are generally more skilled than men,which seems to reflect a biological sex difference.
C)women are generally more skilled than men.
D)both sexes have a harder time reading the men's nonverbal messages than women's.

Question 39

Which of the following impacts mathematical ability and performance?

A)sex discrimination in testing
B)gender differences in math experience
C)confidence and self-expectation issues
D)All the above are correct.

Question 40

The right to display anger,something men do more often than women,is a kind of

A)discrimination.
B)congruence.
C)social power.
D)oppression.

Question 41

Explain why women's "emotionality" is rooted in a sociocultural context.

Question 42

Briefly describe the process of meta-analysis and explain its advantages and disadvantages.Is meta-analysis a value-free methodology? Why or why not?

Question 43

What are some of the criticisms of standardized tests as evidence of gender differences in math ability? Discuss the negative effects SAT and other standardized tests on women.

Question 44

Describe the cycle that occurs when boys and girls define gender in relation to their primary caregivers,usually women.

Question 45

Describe the differences between cultures that value an independent self vs.those that value an interdependent self.

Question 46

Imagine yourself picking up tomorrow's morning newspaper and reading the following headline: "Reasoning Ability: New Research Shows Boys May Have Genetic Advantage." Using what you have learned from this chapter,how would you go about attempting to evaluate this claim?

Question 47

What are display rules? Provide examples in your discussion.

Question 48

Provide some explanations for why anger is a more acceptable emotion for men to display than almost any other.Include in your discussion the influences of social context and social power.

Question 49

The book says that "Gender is more than just sex." In what ways is this true? Explain your answer.

Question 50

It has been stated that women are better at decoding emotions than men are.What does it mean to say this is not merely a sex difference?

Question 51

Summarize the research regarding gender-related differences in mathematical abilities.Do the findings support the notion that there are large differences between males and females?

Question 52

Cite two flaws in the argument that male-female differences in primate behavior can be generalized to humans.

Question 53

Explain how women's supposed "emotionality" is actually strength rather than a weakness.

Question 54

Some feminist psychologists believe that the study of gender-related differences is not a useful or important line of research.Discuss conceptual,methodological,and historical reasons for this belief.Are there,on the other hand,any good reasons to continue researching gender-related differences?

Question 55

Describe three theories that have been used in the past to support the notion that females are cognitively inferior.Discuss the flaws in each theory.

Question 56

What approaches have feminist researchers suggested as alternatives to documenting gender-related differences?