issues and debates Flashcards
What is alpha bias?
differences between men and women are exaggerated (are seen as fixed and inevitable)
e.g. Freud with girl’s having weaker identification
What is Beta bias?
ignoring or underestimating the differences between men and women often occurs when female participants are not included in the research process but it is assumed that research findings apply equally to all sexes
e.g. taylor et al. (20000 female exhibit a tend and befriend response governed by the hormone Oxytocin and reduces the fight or flight response
what is androcentrism?
when research is male-centred
what is universality?
the theory or research findings apply to all, regardless of differences
evaluation of gender bias
- gender differences are given as fixed and enduring
- gender bias promotes sexism in the research process
- research challenging bias may not be published
what does WEIRD stand for
Westernised
Educated people from
Industrialised
Rich
Democracies
what does ethnocentrism mean?
the view that your own culture is superior
e.g. Ainsworth’s strange situation
what does cultural relativism mean?
being able to recognise that research may only make sense in their culture
Differences between an Emic and Etic approach?
Etic approach:
- looks at behaviour from outside a given culture and identifies behaviours that are universal
Emic Approach:
- functions from inside a culture and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture
Evaluation of culture bias
- (lim) many classic studies are culturally-biased
- (str) the emergence of cultural psychology
- (lim) ethnic stereotyping
what is free-will?
suggests that humans are free to make choices, rejecting external and internal influences on behaviour
What is determinism?
Hard determinism:
- suggests that all human action has a cause, and it should be possible to identify these causes
Soft Determinism
- suggests that all human action has a cause but people have freedom to make choices within a restricted range of options
what are the three types of determinism?
- biological
- Environmental: all behaviour is the result of conditioning
- Psychic: influence of biological drives and unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood
evaluation of free will vs determinism
- (str) free will has practical value
- (lim) evidence doesn’t support free will, it supports determinism
- (lim) of determinism is the role of responsibility in law
what is the diathesis-stress model?
behaviour is caused by a biological/environmental vulnerability which is only expressed when coupled with a biological/environmental trigger
what is epigenetics?
- a change in genetic activity without changing the genetic code
- lifestyle and events we encounter leave ‘marks’ on our DNA - switching genes on and off
- this has a lifelong influence and can be passed on to future generations
What is the nature debate?
- early nativists argued that human characteristics are innate - the result of our genes
- psychological factors are determined by biological factors
What is the nurture debate?
empiricists argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth, and is shaped by interaction with the environment
Evaluation of Nature vs nurture debate
- (str) adoption studies
- (str) support for epigenetics
- (str) RWA
what is Holism?
- only makes sense to study a whole system
- the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Gestalt psychology)
what is reductionism?
- based on the scientific principle of parsimony
- all phenomena should be explained using the simplest (lowest level) principles
what are the three types of reductionism
- biological reductionism: suggests all behaviour can be explained through neurochemical, physiological, evolutionary and/or genetic influences
- environmental reductionism: proposes that all behaviour is acquired through interactions with he environment
- machine reductionism: reducing human personality and behaviour to the level of a computer, neglecting the role of emotion on actions
Holism vs Reductionism evaluation
- (lim) of holism is that it may lack practical value
- (str) of reductionism is its scientific status
- (lim) of reductionism is the need for higher level explanations
idiographic vs Nomothetic evaluation
- (str) idiographic and nomothetic approaches work together Counter: idiographic on its own is unscientific and subjective
- (str) - both approaches fit with the aims of science
- (lim) of the nomothetic approach is the individual experience is lost
how do ethical issues arise?
- arise because of conflict between the need for valid research findings and preserving the rights of participants
- ethical guidelines protect participants and guide researchers
Gender bias AO1
- Universality and Bias
- What is alpha bias
- example - psychosexual stages
- what is Beta Bias
- example - fight or flight response difference
- Androcentrism
Culture Bias AO1
- Americans being over-represented in research
- WEIRD people set the standard
- what is ethnocentrism
- example - the strange situation
- cultural relativism helps to avoid cultural bias
- universality vs cultural relativism
Free will vs determinism AO1
- outline the debate
- what is free will
- what is determinism
- types of determinism
- science seeks to find causal explanations where one thing is determined by the other
Nature-Nurture AO1
- outline interactionist approach
- outline diathesis-stress model
- outline epigenetics
- what is nature
- what is nurture
- measuring nature and nurture
