8. Issues & Debates EQs Flashcards
Outline what is meant by cultural relativism. (2 marks)
The idea that a behaviour can only be properly understood (1) in the context of the norms and values of the culture in which it occurs. (1)
Suggest two ways in which researchers might reduce cultural bias in their research. (2 marks)
- do not attempt to extrapolate findings to cultures that are not
represented in the research sample - use researchers who are native to the culture
being investigated - carry out cross-cultural research rather than research with a sole culture
- do not assume universal norms across different cultures
- be sensitive to cultural norms when designing research
- taking a reflexive approach - constantly reflecting on own biases when
carrying out research
Explain how the newspaper headline might be an example of beta bias where sample was only males but headline included word ‘everyone’ (2 marks)
- The sample was all male, but the newspaper refers to ‘Everyone…’
suggesting that the effect would be the same for both males and
females - Possible differences between genders are being minimised.
Briefly suggest one way in which psychologists might address the problem of beta
bias in their research. (1 mark)
include participants of both genders
Briefly outline one problem associated with alpha bias in psychological research, and one
problem associated with beta bias in psychological research. (4 marks)
- In the case of alpha bias there is a misrepresentation of behaviour
- Researchers exaggerate gender differences
- In the case of beta bias there is a misrepresentation of behaviour
- Researchers minimise gender
differences
‘Depression often runs in families, but many depressed people have serious
social problems or have experienced traumatic events in the past. However,
many people find ways to cope. What we need is the will to overcome our problems.’
With reference to the item above, explain what is meant by ‘determinism’. Refer to three types of determinism in your answer. (6 marks)
- determinism – understanding that behaviour is controlled and we do not exercise free will over our own behaviour
- biological determinism – behaviour is controlled by aspects of biology eg
genes, chemicals etc – depression ‘runs in families’ implies biological
determinism - environmental determinism – behaviour is controlled by external influences eg parents, society etc – ‘serious social problems’ implies
environmental determinism - psychic determinism – behaviour is controlled by unconscious fears,
desires etc – ‘experienced traumatic events in the past’ implies psychic determinism
Joel has learned to get his own way at school by having fights with other children. His two
older brothers were both excluded from school for injuring other children. Recently, Joel has also been excluded from school for attacking another child.
Explain what is meant by determinism. Refer to Joel’s aggressive behaviour in your
answer. (4 marks)
- behaviour caused by the environment eg family, peers
- behaviour caused by biological factors eg genes, hormones, brain structure
- behaviour caused by unconscious forces eg instincts, repressed experiences,
fears, motives; displacement. - Biological – brothers were also aggressive
- Environmental – learned to get his way (desirable / positive consequences of aggression) / brothers as role models.
Jonny is 25 years old. He is a very anxious person. Colleagues tease him at work
because he chews his pen all the time and spends hours tidying his desk. He finds it
difficult to make friends and has never had a girlfriend.
Use your knowledge of psychic determinism to explain Jonny’s behaviour. (4 marks)
- psychic determinism suggests that adult behaviour, eg anxiety, pen-chewing, tidying, relationship problems, is determined by childhood and by innate, unconscious motives ie Jonny has no free will
- experiences that occurred during stages of psychosexual development have unconsciously influenced Jonny’s adult behaviour – his adult
behaviour has been caused by early experiences (this would be hard determinism) - Jonny is unaware of these early experiences as his memory has been repressed, but they manifest themselves in symbolic outward behaviours. Jonny is a slave to his unconscious
- eg penchewing related to oral fixation; tidying to anal retentiveness;
- relationship problems to difficulties arising in the genital stage.
Explain the distinction between hard determinism and soft
determinism. (2 marks)
- Hard determinism is the view that all behaviour is caused by forces outside a person’s control 2. whereas soft determinism
is the view that behaviour is still caused but not by external events but by their own conscious desires.
‘Dr Grant and Dr Austin both study people with depression. Dr Grant carries out experimental research to investigate the brain chemistry
of people with depression. Dr Austin carries out unstructured
interviews with people with depression to find out about their symptoms and various aspects of their lives, including their general behaviour and their relationships.’ Referring to the item above, explain what is meant by holism and reductionism. (4 marks)
- Holism – focus on the whole system or person
- Reductionism – focus on constituent elements or smaller, simpler aspects
- Dr Grant takes a reductionist approach focusing just on biological mechanism
- Dr Austin takes a more holistic approach focusing on broader experiences and
circumstances
Suggest one way in which Dr Austin might take account of ethical considerations
when carrying out the interviews. (1 mark)
- Keep information confidential
- Show respect for the patient eg listening, appreciating the patient’s perspective
- Ensure the patient is not harmed – does not feel worse after the interview than
before
A psychology student carried out a study of excitement at a theme park. She measured
the heart rate of people waiting in the queue for a roller coaster.
The student’s tutor said, ‘Using heart rate as a measure of excitement is an example of
biological reductionism.’ Explain why (2 marks)
- excitement is a complex behaviour with many aspects
- heart rate is a narrow, biological component
in overall excitement.
Outline two non-biological ways of measuring excitement that the student could also
use in this situation. (4 marks)
- questionnaire measuring attitude – questions assess how the participant feels
about going on the roller coaster - rating scale of own excitement – the participant could rate their perceived level of excitement on a scale of 1 – 10
- observation of non-verbal behaviour whilst waiting in the queue; e.g. tallying appropriate behavioural categories
- interviews before / after the participant has been on the ride asking questions about how they felt
Using an example of a research study you have learned about in psychology, outline
what is meant by a nomothetic approach to psychological investigation. (4 marks)
- a nomothetic approach involves studying a (large)
sample of participants - using the findings to generate general laws
- Ainsworth tested infants using the Strange Situation
- to propose three attachment types.
Referring to the example used in your answer to part (a), briefly explain how the
same behaviour might be studied using an idiographic approach to psychological
investigation. (2 marks)
- carrying out a case study
- of a mother and baby to study their unique attachment behaviours.
‘A prison psychologist used an idiographic approach to study offending. He asked two offenders to record their thoughts about their childhood and their offending behaviour in a journal over a period of four weeks. Qualitative analysis of the journals showed that the offenders often thought
about sad childhood events and believed that their childhood experiences had influenced their offending. Findings from idiographic research like the study described above are often used as a basis for other investigations.’
Explain how the researcher might develop the above investigation through taking a
nomothetic approach. (6 marks)
- taking a nomothetic approach would involve the researcher testing a larger sample of offenders
- random sampling of the prison population
- the researcher would probably use a testable hypothesis, eg violent offenders
have more negative thoughts about childhood than non-violent offenders - taking a nomothetic approach would involve collection of a large amount of data
- analysis would probably involve quantitative methods, eg statistical testing and
the drawing of conclusions in relation to a wider population
Bob and Mike each have a daughter. Both girls are talented swimmers.
Bob says his daughter was destined to be a good swimmer because her grandfather was
a great swimmer when he was young.
Mike says it was inevitable that his daughter would be a good swimmer because she was
given lots of praise in swimming lessons when she was little.
Use your knowledge of determinism to explain Bob’s and Mike’s comments. (4 marks)
- Both fathers’ comments could suggest a deterministic view.
- Bob suggests biological determinism, his daughter’s swimming ability is genetic, she has inherited her swimming talent from her grandfather who was a good swimmer.
- Mike suggests environmental determinism, his daughter’s early experience in swimming lessons has influenced her
swimming ability. - Both fathers’ comments suggest hard determinism as they imply the daughters had no free will – Bob refers to ‘destiny’ and therefore unavoidable (biology is destiny); Mike says it was ‘inevitable’ and therefore pre-determined.
