issues and debates Flashcards
define gender bias
a theory that doesn’t represent the behaviour and experience of both men and women, usually women
define androcentrism
male centered, behaviour is judged by the male standard so female behaviour is often described as abnormal
define cultural bias
to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the lens of a singular culture
define ethnocentrism
judging other cultures by the norms and values of your own culture. In an extreme form, the belief in the superiority of your own culture which may lead to prejudice and discriminatory behaviour
define free will
the notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by external forces
define determinism
the view that an individuals behaviour is shared and controlled by external or internal forces rather that the persons will to do something
define hard determinism
also referred to as fatalism,
all behaviour has a cause and it is possible to identify this cause, making it compatible with science
implies free will is not possible, as our behaviour is cause by external or internal forces beyond our control
why is hard determinism compatible with sciences
it uncovers casual laws that govern our thoughts
define soft determinism
proposed by philosopher William James 1890, a feature which later became prevalent in the cognitive approach.
whilst it acknowledges all behaviour has a cause, but behaviour can also be determined by our conscious choices in the absence of coercion
define biological determinism
- the biological approach emphasises the importance of biological determinism in behaviour.
- this is supported by processes that aren’t under conscious control, such as the autonomic nervous system during periods of stress and anxiety
- the belief that behaviour is controlled by biological influences that we cannot control
define environmental decision
- BF Skinner argued free will was an illusion and behaviour is learnt through conditioning. our experience of choice is merely the sum total of reinforcement contingencies that have acted upon us throughout our lives. Although we may think we are acting independently, our behaviour has been shared by environmental events as well as agents of socialisation - parent teachers etc.
- the belief that behaviour is caused by the environment that we cannot control
define psychic determinism
Freud agreed that free will was an illusion but placed more emphasis on biological drives and instincts.
Behaviour is determined and directed by unconscious conflicts, there is no such thing as an accident and something seemingly random is explained by the underlying authority of the unconscious mind
the scientific emphasis on casual explanations - free will v determinism
basic scientific principle is that every event in the universe has a cause and that cause can be explained using general laws
The knowledge of causes and the foundation of laws are important as they help scientists to predict and control events in the future
In psychology lab experiments are using to stimulate the conditions of a test tube and removing all extraneous variables in an attempt to precisely control and predict human behaviour
the positive of determinism
it is consistent with the aims of science.
the notion human behaviour is orderly and obeys the laws places psychology on equal footing to more established sciences.
The value of the predictions of human behaviour has led to the development of treatments therapies and behavioural interventions. e.g. the psychotherapeutic drug for Schizophrenia. Mental disorders similar to this where individuals experience a complete loss of control. over thoughts and behaviours cast doubts on the concept of free will
an example of an approach supporting free will
the humanistic approach, we have free will to advance up the hierarchy of needs etc
the negatives of determinism
the hard determinist stance is not consistent with the with how our legal system operates. In a court of law, offenders are held morally accountable for their actions.
Moreover, despite its scientific credentials, it is unfalsifiable. It is based on the fact behaviour has a cause which has not yet been discovered which is impossible to disprove or approve.
positives of free will
everyday experience gives the impression that we are constantly exercising free will through the choices we make every day. This gives face validity to the concept of free will.
People that have a high locus control are said to have a high degree of influence over their behaviour
Robert et al 2000 discovered that adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism had a significantly greater risk of developing depression
the negatives of free will
neurological studies such as Chung Sion Soon et al 2008 have demonstrated that the brain activity of making a decision even on a simple choice may predate our conscious knowledge of even making the devision. Brain activity related to pressing a button with either your left hand or right hand occurs up to 10 seconds before the participant is consciously aware they have made the decision - our decision are determined by internal forces before we are aware of them
define the nature nature interactionist theory
nature and nature are linked to an extent that they should not be considered as separate, so researchers study how they interact and influence each other.
define nurture
our environment around us shapes our behaviour
define nature
our biology- our genetic makeup determines our behaviour
define hereditary
genetic transfer of mental and physical characteristics from parent to offspring
define holism
only makes sense to study an individisble system rather than its constituent parts
define reductionism
human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into its constituent parts
define biological reductionism
social and psychological phenomena are explained at a lower level biological level
define environmental reductionism
to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus-response links that have been learned through experience
define social sensitive in therms of ethical implications
some areas of research are more likely to be controversial than others. Studies where there are potential implications either directly for the participant in the research or for the class of individuals represented in the findings
define ethical implication - implications
some studies may be seen to give scientific credence to prejudice and discrimination such as studies studying racial bias and intelligence
who defined ethical implications
Sieber and Stanley 1998
define ethical implication - public policy/use
what is the research likely to be used for and could it be used for the wrong purposes
findings may be shaped by the government for political reasons
define ethical implication - the validity of the research
some findings were portrayed as objective but have later found to be highly suspect and sometimes fraudulent
the benefits of socially sensitive research
Sandra Scarr 1988 argues studies of underrepresented groups and issues may promote greater sensitivity and understanding. Similarly, research into the unreliability of eyewitness testimony has helped to prevent miscarriages of justice
framing the question - ethical implication evaluation
Sieber and Stanley 1988 warn the way questions are phrased may influence how the questions are interpreted. therefore researchers must keep an open mind and be prepared to have their preconceptions challenged
who gains - ethical implications evaluation
socially sensitive information has been used by the government without full consideration of the potential implications. For example in the 1950s research was conducted into subliminal messages and was discovered if images of products were flashed on the screen too quickly for people to see them, sales increased. it was later discovered Vane Packard 1957 made it up
define the idiographic approach
an approach that focuses more on an individual case, each with their own subjective experiences rather than the aim to formulate general laws of behaviour
what data is collected from idiographic research
generally associated with qualitative data such as case studies and unstructured interviews
define the nomothetic approach
the aim is to produce general laws of behaviour to provide a benchmark where people can be compared to classified and measured
what data is collected form nomothetic research
quantitive
examples of idiographic approach in psychology
-humanist Maslow’s idea of self, wanting to study unique experience rather than creating laws of behaviours.
examples of nomothetic approach in psychology
skinner’s rats, determine how everyone learns behaviour through association, not individual experiences
positives of idiographic
in-depth qualitative measure allow for a complete global account of an individual
negatives of idiographic
has a narrow and restricted area of work.
much criticism at freud was for his research based on a case study on Little Hans, no way of forming generalisations therefore no baseline to compare behaviours
this makes it less scientific as it often relies on subjective opinion
positives of nomothetic
tends to be more scientific using standardised procedures and statistical analysis have enabled psychologists to establish ‘norms’ of behaviour arguably giving psychology greater scientific credibility
negatives of nomothetic
loses the whole person. participants are treated as a series of scores rather than as a person.
