issues and debates Flashcards
strengths of free will
- face validity as free will fits with everyday life as we feel we make our own decisions. reinforced by our legal system as law assumes we are responsible for our behaviour
- psychological benefits. roberts found people with high internal locus of control who believe in free will and control over their actions, tend to be more mentally healthy than those with high external LofC who believe their fate is pre determined
weaknesses of free will
- culturally relative, suited to individualistic cultures where independence is valued. in collectivistic cultures there may be greater dependence on behaviour determined by the group so it may be seen as ethnocentric
- libet recorded activity in motor cortex before someone had conscious awareness to move their finger. activity in the pre frontal cortex occurs 10 secs before awareness of the decision to act
strength of determinism
- mental illness suggests behaviour is determined as symptoms are unlikely to be by choice. also medication can remove the symptoms suggesting there are biological factors determining behaviour
- interventions can be put in place if behaviour is predetermined if we know what causes certain behaviour. e.g if we know certain genes or brain activity is related to murderers these people can recieve support to avoid this behaviour
weaknesses of determinism
- behaviour is unlikely to be influenced solely be determinism e.g concordance rates for mz twins are never 100%
- socially sensitive as ethical considerations in society if we are not seen as responsible for our actions. problems with law and order system
strengths of idiographic approach
- can make predictions after researcher has built up detailed observations of a few individuals to formulate theories as freud did. gathers insight as to why behaviour occurred
- can help develop nomothetic approach. millon and davis suggest they complement each other and research should start with nomothetic and once laws have been made, focus on idiographic understanding e.g drug treatments
weaknesses of idiographic
- hard to make practical applications as focuses on individual and does not make comparisons so data is unique to the individual
- lacks scientific rigor as it focusses on qualitative methods. huge element of subjectivity and reliance on self report methids which are subject to memory and social deriability bias
strengths of nomothetic
- scientific methods used e.g controlled methodology, standardised measurements and statistical analysis. cause and effect can be established providing credibility
- enables prediction of behaviour as creates laws/theories, useful for treating mental illness as allows treatment such as drugs to be developed
weaknesses of nomothetic
- does not tell us why a behaviour has occurred, only focusses on statistics and averages, does not give full picture of human behaviour
- humans are complex as laws and theories no not apply to all individuals. behaviour influenced by many factors e.g medication only works for 2/3 of patients so may be more appropriate to view nomothetic and idiographic as complementary
what are ethical implications
impact findings of research may have on society. such as the way findings are communicated, how they may affect perception of a particular group and how the findings are used
what is socially sensitive research
potential social implications for the pp in the research or the population they are representing. can attract attention from the media amplifying the socially sensitive nature
e.g child rearing practices, cultural differences, causes of aggression
ethical issues in socially sensitive research (seiber and stanley) research process 1
-interpretation and application of findings: findings can be used for purposes other than intended e.g IQ tests demonstrating inferiority in groups
researchers need to consider
- validity: if a study has poor methodology the public are likely to be unaware of this which may lead to invalid findings at the detriment of certain social groups
- public policy: researcher should consider what findings may be used for and what would happen if used for the wrong purpose
ethical issues in socially sensitive research (seiber and stanley) research process 2
-the research question: can be potentially damaging e.g are there racial differences in IQ
researchers need to consider
- implications: wider effects need to be considered as research may give scientific credibility to prejudice. risk benefit ratio
- scientific freedom: researchers have a duty to research but also have an obligation not to harm pp, social groups
strengths of socially sensitive research
- necessary, should not be avoided, researching underrepresented groups can reduce prejudice and promote sensitivity and understanding
- practical applications as can make changes in society. e.g research into attachment types supports parents to encourage secure attachment types which can have positive economical implications on society
weaknesses of socially sensitive research
- BPS guidelines may be inadequate. protect the pp in research but do not consider ways research may negatively effect a group in society or how findings can be misused. ethical guidelines should be reconsidered as misinterpreted findings can go viral
- evidence is difficult to change even if its a small amount. can fit with the current zeitgeist (mood) in society reinforcing stereotypes. e.g herrnstein and murray argued it was a waste of resources to improve educational opportunities for disadvantaged children as they are genetically destined to be low achievers. this can have long term wide reaching consequences and encourage prejudice- links to ideas of social control
