Individual Differences: Gould + Hancock et al Flashcards
What are the key assumptions of the individual differences approach
all individuals differ in their behaviour and personal qualities, so not everyone can be considered the average person
every individual is genetically unique and this is displayed through their behaviour
Explain the background for Goulds work
psychometric theory and the idea that intelligence consisted of a single underlying intellectual ability, saying that intelligence can be measured, is relatively consistent across time within individuals and varies between individuals who can be compared using test scores
the question if intelligence is nature or nurture
the first test was by simon-binet in 1904
Yerks wanted to show psych as objectifiable, using the test for military recruits
What is the aim of goulds work
to examine the early history of intelligence testing as conducted by yerks on army recruits in USA during WW1
What did gould aim to identify issues in psychology
-problematic nature of psychometric testing in general and measurement of intelligence
-the problem of theoretical bias influencing research in psychology
-the problem of political and ethical implications of research and baised data is spread
What is the research method of Goulds
it is not a piece of research it is an A REVIEW ARTICLE
so for the information and sample and proceddure we must know what Yerks did during ww1
What was the sample in goulds work
1,75 million army recruited in WW1 by yerka
Outline the procedure of yerks study
army alpha- written test designed for literate recruits with 8 sections of tasks related to american culture
army beta- pictoral test for illiterate recruits who failed army alpha, still culturally specific, instructions were written in English and parts had to be given in writing
individual exam- spoken test for those whofailed army beta and alppha
What were the findings of yerks test
average mental age of white american man was 13 years old, they decided that feeble minded people have been interbreeding and lowering the overall intelligence of the population
black americans scored 10.4 on average and the lighter the skin colour the higher the score
basically- differences in scores between racial and national groups
what happened as a result of yerks findings
The immigration restriction act 1924
people who scored poorly on army test were no longer welcome in the USA and has horrendous consequences
what are the conclusions of yerks study and goulds arguements
- intelligence is an innate quality with hereditary basis and can grade based on skin colour BUT IQ tests do not measure innate intelligence
-avergae man of nations are considered a moron BUT IQ tests are culturally baised
-mental testing of this kind is a valid scientific technique BUT IQ tests may not produce valid results
Inappropriate test can lead to tragic consequences
Give the strenghs and weakness of conducting a review
-challenges previous work
-highlights issues
-prevents future repeating
-objectiveness may be lost as evidence may only be to support their point
-internal validity questionable
Evaluate the ethics of yerks testing
-unable to widthdraw from study
-didnt know aim so deception
-results not anonymous so not protected p’s
-stressfull experience with harsh consequence
Evaluate the validity of yerks testing pointed out by gould
the testing was not accurately measuring what it set out to so low validity ( it measures more how much schooling, how long in country they been)
also low facy validity
Evaluate the reliability of yerks testing pointed out by gould
standerstandised questions everyone received same with detailed mark scheme to have consistency in assessing so mostly high
Evaluate the sample used by yerks in www1 reviewed by gould
large population validity wide range of men so not ethnocentric which increases generalisability
however only representative of army recruits
and limited to only young males
Assess the practical applications of yerks work
impact on psychometric testing, helping identify and support those with additional needs and academically gifted
awareness that mass assessment tools wont accurately measure intelligence
Acknowledging the negative impact testing has on populations
he found that yerks work produce legal measures to restrict immigrants
Link nature/ nurture to yerks
yerks had the idea thaat intelligence is related to innate ability, and is inherited due to nature and never affected by environment
gould contradicts this idea
How is goulds work socially sensitive
yerks did not take into account unequal opportunities of education so the testing had high cultural bias, he did not approach the question with care that it required
his test led to the passing of the immigration restriction act in 1924, destroying many lives
goulds review highlights that yerks was not free of bias and error
Define psychopath
people who show reduced capacity for moral responsibility with a lack of conscience,
What is a biological explination for psychopathy
brain imagine ctudies have shown key differences in brains particularly dysfunction in the amygdala and frontal cortex
What is the background for Hancocks work
partick found that psychopaths show no apparent deficits in intellect but research has revealed that their language is less coherant
What is the aim of hancocks study
to examine whether the language of psychopathic murders were different to language of non psychopathic- murderers
What was psychopathic speach analysed for
an instrumental or predatory world view
unique material and socio-ecanomic needs (linked to hierarchy of needs)
poverty affect (lack of emotions)
What was Hancocks research method
-self report / quasi
-face to face semistructured interviews
-step wise techniqu
- open ended questions
What is the step wise technique
free narrative phase
open ended questions
specific questions
What was Hancocks sample
52 male murders 14 psycho 38 non psycho in canadian jails
volunteered to study
Explain the procedure of Hancocks study
P’s underwent a psychological assessment
psychopathy measured using Hares checklist revised (PCL-R) looking at affective and impulsive traits, score of 40, 30+ is psycho=quantitative data
testing carreid out by trained prison psychologist or researcher trained in coding the PCL-R = standardised
inter rater reliability using graduate student to recode 10 random files, +ve correlation
p’s then interviewd wuth verbal breif (consent)
p’s asked to describe their offence in as much detail for 25 min
what were the two tect analysis tools used to analyse murders transcripts
Wmatrix- all 14 compared and analysed in comparison to all 38 tagging parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, semantics concepts
Dictionary of Affect in Language DAL- dictionary based tool assessing emotional properties of language. transcripts analysed individually, scoring out of pleasantness and intensity of emotional language in each statement
Explain Hancocks results
Instrumental language analysis- psycho more likely to describe homicide using subordinating conjunctions (words showing cause and effect)
Hierarchy of needs- psycho more likely to use twice as many words relating to basic psychological needs like food drink money in their crime. non psycho used more language about social needs like family, religion
Poverty of affect- psycho significantly less fluent but no significant differences in the emotional content of language between groups. further research says psyhco less emotionally intense and less positive
Explain Hancocks conclusions
Psychopaths are more likley to describe cause and effect in their crime
they are more likely to view their crime as a logical outcome
they are more likely to focus on basic physiological needs than social needs
they are more emotionally detached from the crime
they are less emotion and less positive in their speech
Evaluate the research method of Hancocks
self report allows p’s to describe entirely to produce insightful rich data that wouldn’t be obtained otherwise
but only reliably is p’s are truthful and willing to disclose fully
risk of social desirability (act worse or better)
Evaluate the reliability of Hancock’s study
high- consistent measuring and can be replicated due to qualitative data and high inter rater reliability by random checks by + researcher
Evaluate sampling in hancocks study
risk of bias since p’s were volunteering for the study
ethnocentric, androcentric
large num of prisoners so huge amount of data for analysis
Link hancocks study to practical application
information found on tendency to distance from crimes and motivs of basic needs can be used to develop appropriate ways to rehabilitate psychopathic offender in justice system
