Issues and debates Flashcards
To what extent do social psychology and cognitive psychology consider human behaviour to be determined by nature
AO1
Nature relates to innate characteristics such as genes,
hormones, and the brain.
Nurture relates to environmental factors such as drugs,
disease, and diet.
Psychologists are interested in the nature-nurture debate to
find the source of behavioural traits in individuals.
If we know if behaviour is caused by nature or nurture, we can
establish suitable strategies for modifying behaviours.
Social psychology explains human behaviour through the
influence of groups and personality.
Cognitive psychology attempts to explain how memory works
using models such as the multi store model which emphasises
nurture in the need for attention and rehearsal.
To what extent do social psychology and cognitive psychology consider human behaviour to be determined by nature
AO3
The case of HM supports the existence of nature affecting the
memory as he was unable to remember new factual
information after surgery.
Clive Wearing (Blakemore, 1988) supports nurture to a certain
extent because an illness prevented new memories being
stored.
Blass (2012) found little difference between obedience cross-
culturally which suggests that a nature explanation underpins
obedience to a certain extent.
Milgram’s variations show differences in obedience and
conformity as a result of proximity and status which can, to an
extent, be used to reduce situations result in blind obedience.
Social Impact Theory suggests the number of sources and
targets can influence obedience in group situations, therefore
the environment can play a significant role.
Peterson & Peterson (1959) showed the influence of rehearsal
on short term memory which is a nurture factor that can be
applied to some extent to improving student learning.
cognitive data that can be analysed statistically
The study conducted by Baddeley et al is an example in which psychology was
scientific. They used the empirical method by manipulating the word lists that groups
were exposed to, each group was only exposed to one word list (being semantically
similar/dissimilar, or acoustically similar/dissimilar). The data collected also
empirical, was the DV in this study was how many words the participants were able
to recall in order. This was a direct observation made by the researchers. The data
collected was also quantitative, allowing researchers to use statistics to analyse the
data to see that the differences between the groups were significant. (What controls
were used?: Prevalence of the words were similar, the way the words were
displayed was also kept consistent (3 seconds per word))
To what extent is biological psychology scientific
AO1
To be scientific psychology should have a high degree of control which
should minimise extraneous variables as far as possible
Hypothesis testing is used to enable concepts to be falsified.
Science uses a hypothetico-deductive model for experimental research.
A scientific approach will look for cause and effect relationships.
In order to be defined as a science an approach should conduct
research in a controlled, artificial setting to aid replication.
Scientific concepts tend to be studied independent of their context so
are reductionist.
To what extent is biological psychology scientific
Raine et al. (1997) used the same continuous performance task and
ensured medication did not affect the brain scans, so studies such as
this are scientific.
When testing the effects of recreational drugs, such as alcohol,
biological psychologists hypothesise the impact that it will have, for
example to increase serotonin and elevate mood, which contributes to
it being scientific.
The role of hormones such as testosterone could be assessed using the
hypothetico-deductive model where data is collected on those with
high or low testosterone to see how this influences behaviour, which
suggests biological psychology is scientific.
Brain scans are used in biological psychology which can be replicated
using different participants in a controlled, artificial setting in a
laboratory so this approach is scientific.
Biological psychology uses correlation which does not explain the
underlying causes behind relationships so to some extent it is not
scientific.
Evolution and natural selection takes into account the environment,
socialisation, and the interrelationships between them so is not a fully
reductionist concept so this is not wholly scientific.
Nature Vs Nurture Introduction
Nature is what we think of as prewiring it is influenced by genetic inherit
Nature vs Nature AO1
Nature refers to behaviours which occur due to innate factors such as genetic inheritance, hormones and other biological factors therefore all our behaviour is pre disposed or hard wired. Nurture refers to behaviour which has occurred due to the environment such as upbringing, learning and experiences. As
a result it is the belief we are born with a blank slate and all behaviour is determined by experience. An interactionist view
suggests our behaviour is a combination of the two.
Rank the topics on the nature to nurture scale
Nature: Biological Cognitive Social Behavioural Nurture
Social psychology (AO1)+(AO3) 12 marker nature vs nurture plan
A01
- Social psychology looks at prejudice
which derives from competition for resources
A03 - Sheriff found that prejudice increased
when resources in the environment are
scarce. This suggests that these behaviours
are more nurture than nature.
A01- Obedience could be due to authoritarian
personality
A03 - strict upbringing is associated with A-
personality therefore highlighting the role of
nurture over nature.
Cognitive (12marker) nature vs nurture
A01 - cognitive psychology looks at our
memory functioning using memory stores to
explain how memory works.
A03 - The working memory model is likely to be
more nature than nurture as it is the same for all
people. Those who have brain damage lose
memory capability suggesting it is an innate
mechanism
A01 - schemas are pockets of information
stored from experiences
A03 - Bartlett found we all have different
schemas, and therefore our memory can be
effected by our own experiences, suggesting an
interaction between nature and nurture
Ethics introduction (if cog add animals issues)
Researchers need to consider the potential physical or psychological risks to participants and are
responsible for ensuring that the level of risk is minimised and that participants are fully aware of any risk before they agree to participate. With regards to animals, being in captivity can lead to poor health and stress. The 3 Rs need to be considered. Reduction, Replacement, Refinement
Ethics intro pt 2
Ethics are a key part of human and animal psychological research;
researchers have a responsibility to ensure their practice is morally
correct. There are several important ethical issues that researchers
need to consider when conducting a study ie regarding selection and
treatment of their participants. The BPS guidelines focuses on four
primary ethical principles: respect, competence, responsibility, and
integrity which assists psychologists in their day-to-day professional
conduct.
Ethics intro pt3
CONSENT -Researchers should obtain informed consent
from participants prior to the study
DECEPTION - A participant should not be deliberately
deceived unless it is essential to the successful completion
of the study if deceit is necessary then a full debrief is
essential
RIGHT TO WITHDRAW - Participants should be made
aware of their right to withdraw and the opportunity to do so
DEBRIEF - Participants should be debriefed at end of
procedure and ensure they leave in same emotional state
as when they arrived
Ethics issues animals
•3Rs - reduce, refine and replace.
- Researchers must ensure animals are not harmed unnecessarily
•Animals must be kept in conditions appropriate for that species in terms of
space/food/social requirements
•The minimum number of animals necessary to gain valid results should be
used/ea;
•The benefit of likely findings should be weighed against any potential harm or
distress to the animals.
Ethical issues in social (AO1)
research which involves looking at social interactions between people must balance the need to study undesirable behaviours such as obedience or prejudice with the risk of deception to the participants
