Issues and Debates Flashcards
What is Universality
there are a range of psychological characteristics of human beings that can be applied to all
despite differences of experiences, gender or cultural background.
What is gender bias
misrepresentation of gender differences and/ or similarities
What is Androcentrism
Male- centred, when behaviour of all is judged according to the male standard
What is Beta bias
Minimisation of gender differences
What is Alpha bias
Exaggeration of gender differences
What is an example of Alpha bias in psychological research
Freud (psychosexual stages)
-Superego is weaker than males as they don’t experience the intense emotion of castration anxiety
he said penis envy was failed masculinity
What is an example of Beta bias in psychological research
research on fight or flight
-Female behaviour is affected by regular hormonal changes
What is an example of Androcentrism in psychological research
Zimbardos study all were male and white (obedience)
Give 2 evaluations of gender bias
-Psychology is changing, with the increased prominence of female psychology researchers such as Loftus and Ainsworth
-A significant amount of influential historical studies such as Asch and Milgram and Zimbardo only contained male participants.
What is Ethnocentrism?
Studying behaviour of others using their own cultural beliefs
What is Cultural relativism
In order to understand a behaviour you must study it in the context it originated in
What is Imposed etic
using theories and measurements designed in one culture
and applying it to other cultures
What is an example of Ethnocentrism in psychological research
Ainsworth - assumed all cultures had secure
attachment as their majority.
What is an example of Imposed etic in psychological research
Ainsworth - assumed all cultures had secure
attachment as their majority.
Give 2 evaluations of cultural bias
-Some researchers are attempting to represent cultural differences in behaviour such as Ijzendoorn and kroonenberg There is also an increase in indigenous psychology, with researchers from varying cultures investigating their own cultures.
The majority of Influential research is culturally bias e.g. Asch and Milgram studies
What is Free will?
Humans can make choices and their behaviours are not determined by other forces
What are the 5 types of determinism
Soft
Hard
Biological
Environmental
Psychic
What is Soft determinism
Behaviour may be caused by internal or external factors but there is also room for personal choice
What is an example of Soft determinism
Cognitive approach - Although it may be the job of scientists to explain what determines behaviour, we still make rational conscious choices
What is Hard determinism
All behaviour is caused by external or internal forces we cant control
What is Biological determinism
The belief all behaviour is caused by biological influences we cant control
What is environmental determinism
All behaviour is caused by features of the environmental we cant control
e.g. conditioning
What is psychic determinism
All behaviour is caused by unconscious psychodynamic forces we cant control
Give 3 evaluations of free will and determinism
-Free will has face validity, personal experience suggests we make our decisions and act after conscious thought.
-However determinists argue this is an illusion and decisions are made before we are consciously aware of them.
-Deterministic arguments for behaviour such as aggression has important implications for the justice system.
-Deterministic theories also have implications for our understanding of correct child-rearing, provision of education, and blame for addiction.
What is Nature
All human characteristics psychological & Physical are innate and determined by genes
What is Nurture
All Behaviour is from the influence of experience and environment e.g. behaviourist approach
(Tabula Rasa)
What is the interactionist approach?
The combination of both nature and nurture,
e.g. the diathesis stress model in schizophrenia
What are Epigenetics?
A change in genetic activity without the change of genes themselves caused by interaction with the environment
e.g. change in diet can switch genes on or off
Give 2 strengths of Nature and nuture
Studies show evidence for a biological (nature) origin of behaviour include genetic evidence for disorders like schizophrenia (Grossman)
Studies that show evidence for an environmental (nurture) origin of behaviour are social leaning theory experiments such as banduras bobo-doll
Give 2 limitations of Nature and nurture
- Both nature and nurture perspectives are deterministic
biological determinism for nature, environmental determinism for nurture - Concordance rates for biological explanations are never 100% meaning there are other influences
What is Holism
Looks at something as a Whole instead of subdividing behaviour or experiences into smaller units
What is Reductionism
Human behaviour is best understood by studying the smaller subdivided parts
What are the two types of Reductionism
Biological reductionism (All behaviour is from genes, hormones etc)
Environmental reductionism (All behaviour is from experience and interactions)
What is a strength of reductionist approaches that’s also a limitation of holism
They often form the basis of a scientific approach
- in order to conduct a well controlled research we need to operationalise the variables studied
What are 2 limitations of reductionism
Oversimplifying complex topics leads to reduced validity
as it doesn’t acknowledge there are other factors
-Reductionist explanations can only ever form a small part of an explanations
What is one limitation of Holism
lacks practical value - When we acknowledge there are many factors to an explanation how do we know which is the most influential
-its then hard to prioritise tackles for improvement e.g. therapy and depression
What is the Idiographic approach
Suggests psychology should be a study of the individual
-By gaining lots of detailed information this individual or group we can understand human behaviour better
What is the Nomothetic approach
Psychology should be a study of large and varied groups
-so generalisations can be made and general theories of behaviour are identified
What are the key concepts of an Idiographic approach
Qualitative research - Based on first hand accounts from a small number of people (e,g Case study or interviews)
-Data is analysed and themes are identified
-An example the psychodynamic approach, little Hans (castration anxiety)
What are the key concepts of a Nomothetic approach
Quantitative research - A more scientific method
- e.g. Laboratory experiments
- An example is skinners rats
What are 1 strength and 1 limitation of Nomothetic approaches
Nomothetic techniques with clear procedures are replicable, due to the standardised controlled tests making it more reliable
Superficial - Do not give a full picture of the individual.
Two people with an OCD diagnosis are likely to have very different personal experiences even if they have the same gene in common.
What are 2 limitations of Idiographic approaches
due to the small sample its hard to generalise
Subjectivity- Idiographic researcher’s intensive data collection techniques can result in researcher bias
What are ethical implications?
The consequences that psychological research may have on individual participants or the wider society
What is social sensitivity?
Sieber & Stanley defines social sensitivity as - studies in which there are potential consequences either directly for the participants or the class of individuals represented by the research
What are the stages of conducting a socially sensitive research
Sieber & Stanley
Research question - warn participants the way in which its phrased and investigated may influence the way findings are interpreted
-Making sure all the ethical guidelines are followed
-Researcher should consider in advance how research findings may be used
e.g. some may use it as evidence to existing prejudices
What are 2 strengths of Ethical implications
Real world application - Sieber and Stanley give baseline methodology of how socially sensitive research should be approached
-Researchers carefully considering their own role, responsibilities and influential position.
-The government look to socially sensitive research when developing social policies e.g. child care, education
-This means psychologist have an important role in providing quality research on socially sensitive topics
What are 1 limitation of Ethical implications
Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment suggests that children form one special attachment bond, usually with their mother, which must take place within a critical period.
-has led to negative patriarchal stereotypes
