Term Paper on "Altruism and Gender Differences"

Home > Topics > Ethics & Morality My Account

Term Paper 5 pages (1455 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Gender and Altruism

The question of whether altruism is gender influenced has plagued both ethics and psychology debates. The answer to this question has never been sufficient simply because it is an extremely hard standard to evaluate. Yet, an understanding of how gender impacts altruism would not only give us a greater understanding of how humans work, but greater insight into the difference in rationalization between men and women. In the below study, we attempt to look at the influence of gender upon altruistic decision making and validate whether or not a true and significant difference exists between the two genders.

Current research seems more confused than ever on the topic of gender impact on altruism. In one formative study by James Andreoni and Lise Versterlund, they found that although a difference exists in the altruistic decision making between men and women, it is profoundly different from what the expected results were. The study found that on the whole, men are more likely to be altruistic when the cost of altruism is low, but adverse to altruism when the cost is relatively high. Whereas women, are more likely to perform altruistically when the costs become higher but are relatively indifferent when costs are low. Consequently men are more likely to fall to either extremes, whether extremely selfless, or extremely selfish. Women on the other hand are shown to be "equilitarians" who fall within the middle ranges (Andreoni, 1). Despite their findings, the quest to provide a perfect explanation is still entirely lacking. The basis of the Andreoni study was ground breaking but had many flaws within its testing and analysis procedure. Much of the data was collecte

Continue scrolling to

download full paper ⤓

d through surveys which although effective, does not always reflect the absolute truth commiserate with actions. Other significant studies attack the problem from a different perspective by examining the rationale behind gender differences in altruistic behavior. Dr. Alessandro Innocenti conducted a study of gender and altruism relationships through relationship establishment and trust factors. His research shows that on a whole woman have greater trust and are in turn more trustworthy than men. Therefore, his conclusion argues that women tend to be more altruistic because they reciprocate much more than men and thus are more dependable in situations of personal altruism (Innocenti, npg). This study provides a sound rationale for the Andreoni study in that when the price of altruism is high, women tend to escalate in their altruism as a result of their deep trust and need for reciprocity, whereas men tend to be more reserved and as a result place less value in altruism when prices are high, but are not adverse to altruism when it costs them little. The prevailing "trust" theory has several weaknesses however, reciprocity among women is only observed within testing methodology, which means that altruism between women on personal levels have been observed, but altruism in cases where there is no close bond or reciprocity has never been validated nor tested in an accurate manner. Another prevailing research theory presented by Dr. Cialdini looks at the gender and altruism debate through the perspective of empathy. Her research suggests that women are more empathetic than men and as a result place themselves in the situation of others in need and by sympathizing with their situation creates a higher level of personal relationships that engenders altruistic behavior (Cialdini, 34). This theory approaches the gender gap from a differing perspective, however it still has the same fundamental problems attributed to Dr. Innocenti's trust research, primarily that it precludes events when the lack of any connection between individuals leads to altruistic behavior. Therefore the gap within prevalent research exists and the below test will examine such a gap.

The general confusion surrounding the gender and altruism relationship occurs because intent does not often translate to deeds. Previous studies conducted have never been fully "blind" and as a result have data severely skewed towards altruism. Thus, questions about the validity of these tests creates a void within this field. Prevailing theory within the field is that women are much more social than men and as a result are implicitly more willing to trust and share, which tends to lead to altruistic behavior (Innocenti, npg). The goal of this study is to create a "blind" test to determine if a noticeable and quantifiable difference actually exists between the two genders. The… READ MORE

Download Full Paper

Write a New Paper for Me

Quoted Instructions for "Altruism and Gender Differences" Assignment:

“

Research topic: altruism and gender differences

Here is some information for the Method section: using participates at a University in psychology research methods class. About 33 participates splite between two rooms. Will be giving same test to each room. A survey will be used, on it they will indicate which gender they are then using a present situation which involves different degree of helping. The participates will rate how likely they are to help on likert scale. T-test Two level independent variable (male and female).

A good resource to find articles is on PsycInfo. I need to be able to locate the articles. If you need further information and clearification please let me know.

Proposal Guidelines Requirements

Introduction/Literature Review

The primary function of the introduction is to justify the study described in the report and to help the reader understand why the particular study was conducted

1. An introduction to the topic under study. Establish the importance of the study.

2. A brief review of the research findings and theories related to the topic. Put this research topic in the context of what has been done previously. If nothing is available on your exact topic, be broad.

3. A statement of the problem to be addressed by the research (identifying an area in which knowledge is incomplete). While reviewing the literature, find a problem or gap in our current knowledge.

4. A statement of the purpose of the present research (to solve the problem identified, but perhaps only a specific part of it). Tell the reader what part of the problem you are going to solve.

5. A description of any predictions about the outcome and of the hypotheses used to generate those predictions. Write in complete sentences your working hypotheses, not null hypotheses.

Method section

The Method section tells the reader exactly how the study was conducted. In this section you describe the participants, materials, and procedures used. Be sure to use the appropriate subsection headings with APA format.

Participants

1. Specify the nature and size of the sample tested. Report the overall number of participants, gender, age, and other relevant demographics (at this time you have limited info).

2. Summarize how participants were selected.

Materials

1. Describe the materials you will use in your study. Did you borrow questions from other sources (this is OK, just give credit where credit is due)?

2. If you use measures, include them as appendices in your paper.

3. Include all other information you will measure and how you plan to record the info.

Procedure

1. Give a complete account of how you will conduct your study. Describe the conditions under which participants will be tested. How long will it take to complete your experiment? (Max. 5 min)

2. Include any special instructions and/or debriefing information.

3. Provide enough information so that another research could replicate your study.

APA Format

Focus on incorporating all APA details including a title page and reference section. Basic Formatting

1. One inch margins on all four sides of the page

2. 12 pt. Times New Roman throughout, no changes in font or font size

3. Running head and page number inside the top margin

4. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, noun-verb agreement all correctly followed

5. Formal writing style: write in complete sentences, no contractions, no abbreviations unless APA-approved

References

1. References cited correctly in text as paraphrases (no direct quotes).

2. Separate reference page

3. Reference page includes all references you cited in the paper (remember you have to have at least 6 references from peer-reviewed journal articles).

A good resource to find articles is on PsycInfo. I need to be able to locate the articles.

*****

How to Reference "Altruism and Gender Differences" Term Paper in a Bibliography

“Altruism and Gender Differences.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2006, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gender-altruism-question/617134. Accessed 29 Jun 2024.

Altruism and Gender Differences (2006). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gender-altruism-question/617134

A1-TermPaper.com. (2006). Altruism and Gender Differences. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gender-altruism-question/617134 [Accessed 29 Jun, 2024].

”Altruism and Gender Differences” 2006. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gender-altruism-question/617134.

”Altruism and Gender Differences” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gender-altruism-question/617134.

[1] ”Altruism and Gender Differences”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2006. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gender-altruism-question/617134. [Accessed: 29-Jun-2024].

1. Altruism and Gender Differences [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2006 [cited 29 June 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gender-altruism-question/617134

1. Altruism and Gender Differences. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gender-altruism-question/617134. Published 2006. Accessed June 29, 2024.

Related Term Papers: