Debates Flashcards
Nature vs Nurture
The nature-nurture debate looks at the relative importance of genetics and other biological factors (nature) over experience (nurture) such as upbringing and the way we learn from interactions with the environment in the development of behaviour.
freewill vs determinism
The freewill argument is that human beings are entirely free to act as they choose and bear responsibility for the outcome of their behaviour. The determinism argument is that every event, including human thought and behaviour, is causally determined by our genes and past experiences, therefore we cannot be held responsible for our own behaviour.
Individual vs situational
Individual explanations look to the person themselves as the cause of behaviour, deeming behaviour to be unique to them due to a combination of innate/genetic and experiential factors such as DNA, personality or dispositions, cognitions and development. Situational explanations on the other hand draw on circumstances around individuals, focusing on environmental factors such as current events, social stimuli and learning experiences which may have influenced behaviour.
Usefulness of research
Research that is considered useful is that which can be applied to real-world situations. Research is assessed on three dimensions: moral – who is it useful for? Practical: does it have a practical application? Knowledge: does it give us new insights into behaviour and experience? On the other hand, research which is not considered useful may lack credibility or be difficult to apply outside of the research setting.
Ethics
Ethics are the rules and principles that distinguish between right and wrong and guide our behaviour. They are a moral framework that is applied to a narrow group of people such as doctors and psychologists. In order to ensure the safety of the people who come into contact with psychologists, guidelines of good practice have been developed which are commonly referred to as ethical guidelines.
Socially sensitive research
Psychologists should be aware that individuals or groups may experience feelings of shame and exclusion due to sensitive issues explored in research such as gender, culture or illness. In some circumstances the outcome of research may have implications for government policy and change the lives of people involved with, or affected by, the research. Some issues may be controversial as they are too private or cause distress (relates to protection from harm).
Psychology a science?
The reason why psychologists are concerned with their discipline being considered as a science is largely to do with status: if it is deemed to be a science, then it would be taken as seriously as subjects such as biology, chemistry and physics. The word ‘science’ refers to a whole range of subjects that share certain features about how they explain the world and how this can be investigated. The features they have in common include objectivity which refers to carefully measured and controlled observations without personal, subjective views; falsifiability i.e. it should be possible to disprove a theory so it needs to be testable and replicability which is concerned with the way in which data has been gathered and whether the methodology can be replicated
Ethnocentrism
This is the use of our own ethnic or cultural group as a basis for judgements about other groups. (Centred on one ethnic group). An ethnic group is a group of people who share beliefs, attitudes & behaviours.
Ethnocentrism can happen when one groups ideas are used to judge or study another group. Imposing one cultures ideas onto another culture is called an ‘imposed etic’.
Reductionism vs holism
Holism in psychology examines the human mind and behaviour as a whole rather than examining distinct parts. Reductionism in psychology examines the human mind and behaviour in parts rather than looking at human behaviour as a whole. A good example can be seen in visual illusions
Validity
The validity definition in psychology assumes that the test in question measures precisely what it aims to measure, meaning the data collected is accurate and represents some truth compared to others outside of the study.
Reliability
Reliability in psychology is the consistency of the findings or results of a psychology research study. If findings or results remain the same or similar over multiple attempts, a researcher often considers it reliable
Sampling
Sampling methods in psychology refer to strategies used to select a subset of individuals (a sample) from a larger population, to study and draw inferences about the entire population
