Issues And Debates Flashcards
Universality
Characteristics of humans that apply to all of us despite differences in biology or environment.
Gender bias
3 components to gender bias.
Androcentrism - science being mainly conducted by men. Therefore this could influence research and interpretation.
Alpha bias- misinterpretation of behaviour bc gender differences are misinterpreted/ exaggerated. (Ken Barbie cindy.)
Beta bias- misinterpretation of behaviour because researchers minimise difference. Ash /milgram/ zimbardo male only yet apply to everybody.
+ improved prominence of female researchers. (Ainsworth/ loftus)
+ most studies now control for gender.
Culture bias
Culture bias- all behaviour is interpreted from perspective of one culture. 2 components:
Ethnocentrism- researcher takes their own culture as normal and anything that deviates as abnormal.
Cultural relativism- behaviours can only be understood from the perspective of the culture. (Nudity in African tribes/ fully covered in Muslim)
68% of world research in sample came from US. 96% from western.
- Research likely to continue over representing. American college students are cost effective and easy sampling.
+ research is adapting. Buss. 37 cultures in his study of mate preferences.
+ increase in indigenous psychology.
Free will and determinism a01 + a03
Causal explanations- leads to the debate as psychology likes to establish a cause and affect to behaviour.
Free will- the idea that we have full ability to choose behaviour without causal factors
Determinism- behaviour is controlled by factors and we don’t have free will. 2 types:
Hard determinism- no room for free will at all. Behaviour is totally predictable and due to factors.
Soft determinism- causal factors strongly influence how ever some room for free will to make choices.
3 sections to determinism:
Biological - determined by your biology such as genes.
Environmental- behaviour is controlled by external influences such as parents , society.
Psychic- behaviour is controlled by unconscious.
A03
Case for free will:
+Needed in the legal system to hold people accountable.
+it is the foundation of the humanistic approach.
Case against free will:
+concordance rates in twins suggest deterministic factors to affect. Not 100% so soft determ.
+EEG scans by libert. Brain regions act before consciousness. However only based on basic tasks.
Nature vs nurture a01 + a03
The debate: to what extent is behaviour determined by hereditary factors (genes) or environmental factors (experiences) and the importance of the combination of both.
Nature- nativists e.g Descartes. Assumes biological and hereditary are more important in determining behaviour and believe that knowledge is innate.
Studies that show evidence for bio origins: genetic evidence for SZ or testosterone evidence for aggression.
Nurture- empiricists such as John Locke. Knowledge comes from interaction with the world and learning is the most important in determining behaviour. The mind starts as a blank slate.
Study of bandura bobo doll shows how behaviour is learnt through experiences.
+supporting research for nature. Twin studies. MZ often have high concordance for disorders and behaviours than DZ despite both MZ and DZ sharing same environment. Must be genetic effect.
+ Diathesis stress model supports both. Need to be predisposed to a gene but also have an environmental trigger. (SZ)
- both nature and nurture are deterministic. Just suggest different factors control behaviour, but that it is controlled.
Holism and reductionism.
Reductionist approach suggests Levels of explanation- lowest level looks at biological explanations and focuses on basic components compared to a higher and more holistic level where culture and social factors are considered.
Reductionism- human behaviour can be broken down into simple parts. Based on the assumption of parsimony: complex phenomena should be explained in the simplest form.
Two forms or reductionism:
Biological - simplifies human behaviour to genes/ chemicals.
Environmental- simplifies human behaviour to stimulus and response through learning theorists.
- misses context and complexity of behaviour
+ is a scientific approach
+ as it focuses on biological it allows for testability.
Holism- understand behaviour by considering broader experiences.
Considered by humanistic approach which suggest humans can’t be reduced to simple bio mechanics
+ appreciates the complexity of human behaviour
- so complex that it is untestable
Reduction applies to psych:
SZ explanation and relationships.
Bio psych lateralisation.
Holism link:
Interactionist approach in SZ
Idiographic and nomothetic a01 + a03
Nomothetic- suggests there are general rules that apply to all and explain behaviour.
3 types of nomothetic law:
Classifying into groups: (DSM) mental health
Establishing principles of behaviour: (schaffers stages of development)
Establishing dimensions:
(locus of control)
Experimental techniques : large scale. Highly controlled conditions. Structured observations. (Asch)
This approach collects quantitive data which is summarised and compared. Generalisations are made from this that create laws of human behaviour. Therefore seen as scientific.
Idiographic- belief that every individual is unique and complex.
Uses non experimental techniques: high quality data specific to individual (interview / case study)
Qualitative data collected which is difficult to analyse.
Therefore can’t generalise findings and makes it less scientific approach.
Nomo a03 :
+ research w nomo technique is high in generalisability. Easier to replicate and predict future behaviour.
- can classify people to set criteria but doesn’t look in to them so they may be very different. (Two ppl are depressed but very different reasons and response)
Idio a03:
+Hypothesis generation- unusual cases can create new interesting areas of research.
- data collection is high in bias as researcher interprets and isn’t controlled.
Ethical implications of research studies. (Social sensitivity)
Bowlbys maternal dep- mothers feel they can’t go back to work or they are damaging child.
