Issues and Debates Flashcards
Universality
Any underlying characteristics of human beings that is capable of being applied to all despite differences of experience and upbringing.
Gender bias and culture bias threaten the universality of finding in psychology
Gender Bias
Bias is a tendency to treat one individual or group in a different way from others
The theory may offer a view that doesn’t represent the experience and behaviour of men or women.
Androcentrism
Male centred
Normal behaviour is judged according to a male standard
Female behaviour is therefore often judged as abnormal or deficient
Alpha bias
Psychological theories that suggest there are real and enduring differences between men and women.
These may enhance or undervalue members of either sex, typically undervalues female
Beta Bias
Theories that ignore or minimise differences between the sexes
Implications of gender bias
Can create misleading assumptions about female behaviour and validates discrimination
Provides scientific justification to deny women opportunities they deserve.
Affects the lives and prospects of women.
Reflexivity
Some researchers recognise this and have embraced it by commenting on how their own gender and experiences may influence how they view evidence.
Sexism within research process
Senior researchers are primarily male so are more likely to get their research published.
Studies that find gender differences are more likely to be published in journals.
Lab researchers may be sexist
Essentialism
Many psychologists believe that gender difference is fixed and inevitable
Such accounts are often politically motivated arguments disguised as biological facts
eg. If a women attends university, her ovaries will shrink
Double flipping standards
Feminist psychology
Worrel and Remer have made a criteria
- women should be ppts irl studies, not objects
- groups should have diversity
- more emphasis should be on collaborative research
Cultural bias
Refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the lens of one’s own culture
Ethnocentrism
Judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
In its extreme form it’s the belief that one’s own culture is superior.
Which may lead to prejudice and discrimination
Cultural relativism
The idea that norms and values as well as ethics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Etic
Looks at behaviour from outside the culture
Attempts the describe those behaviours that are universal.
Emic
Functions from within a given culture and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
Individualism and Collectivism
Individualist - value freedom and independence eg. US
Collectivist - emphasis on the group eg, China
Critics suggest that such a simple distinction no longer applies
Cultural relativism versus Universality
Imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work
Not all human behaviour is universal, such as facial expressions but some are such as imitation.
Full understanding require studying universals and variation.
Unfamiliarity with research tradition
Demand characteristic may be exaggerated when working with local population who are used to scientific studies
Free will
The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces.
Determinism
The view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather then an individual’s will to do something
Hard Determinism
Implies that free will is not possible as our behaviour is always caused by internal or external events beyond our control
Soft Determinism
All events including human behaviour, have causes but behaviour can also be determined by our conscious choices in the absence of coercion.
In contrast with hard determinism
Biological Determinism
The belief that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences that we cannot control
Environmental determinism
The belief that behaviour is cause by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and punishment) that we cannot control
Psychic determinism
The belief that behaviour is cause by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control
Scientific emphasis on causal explanations
Knowledge of causes and formulation of laws
Lab experiments enables researchers to stimulate the conditions of the test tube and remove all other extraneous variables
Case for Determinism
Consistent with aims of science
Useful for prediction of behaviour and developing treatments
Case against Determinism
Not consistent with our legal system
Unfalsifiable,
The case for Free Will
It’s common sense, has face validity
Locus of control research support - internals have a high degree of influence over events and their own behaviour
Thinking we have free will has a positive impact on our mind and behaviour
Case against Free Will
Not very scientific
Brain scan evidence doesn’t support it
Nature-Nurture Debate
Concerned with the extent to which aspects of behaviours are a product of inherited or acquired characteristics
Heredity
The genetic transmission of both mental and physical characteristics from one generation to another
Environment
Any influence on human behaviour that is non-genetic
