issues and debates Flashcards
(46 cards)
alpha bias
a tendency to exaggerate differences between men and women
beta bias
occurs when the differences between men and women are ignored or we assume that they are the same
andocentrism
mental process of viewing the world from a male Pov
evaluation of gender bias
- may validate discriminatory practices
- may provide scientific justification to deny opportunities within the workplace to women for reasons such as providing care to children (e.g bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory)
- a problem because gender bias in research is not just a methodological problem, but may have damaging consequences which affect the lives and prospects of women
evaluation of gender bias
- can promote sexism in research process
- a lack of women at senior level in research means that female concerns/issues may not be reflected in the research questions asked
- male researchers are more likely to have work published
- female ppts in lab studies are in an unequal power relationship with the male researcher who may label them as irrational/inferior/weak etc
– psychology may be guilty of supporting a form of institutional sexism that creates bias in theory and research
feminists have suggested that gender bias can be reduced by following certain steps
- women should be included in all research samples
- women should be studied within real life contexts, not just experimental conditions (e.g shaffer and emerson vs ainsworth)
- diversity across groups of women should be studies, rather than only making comparisons between women and men
culture bias
if the ‘norm’ for a particular behaviour is judged only from the standpoint of one particular culture, then any cultural differences in behaviour that deviate from this norm will be seen as ‘abnormal’ or inferior
ethnocentrism
a bias or focus on one ethnic group or culture, viewing other cultures as abnormal or inferior e.g aisnworth
etics
constructs that are universal to all people. research from a specific culture which is then applied to other cultures to find universal laws.
- example of imposed etic: DSM gives a western classification of abnormality which may not apply to all cultures
emics
emic constructs are specific to particular cultures, so they vary from place to place. study behaviour within the culture to avoid bias
cultural relativism
idea that a person beliefs and practices should be understood based on that persons own culture
- proponents of cultural relativism argue that the norms and values of one culture should not be evaluated using the norms and values of another
evaluation of cultural bias
- theoretical issues
- some concepts seem to be universal - culture doesn’t always matter for certain behaviour or traits e.g biological or traits
- cultural differences may be exaggerated - individualist/collectivist is too simplistic. takano found that 14/15 studies that compared the usa and japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between collectivism and individualism
— process of globalisation might be creating a more homogenous experience of humanity and reducing cultural differences
evaluation of cultural bias
- methodological issues
- difficult to ensure reliability during cross cultural research. ensuring variables are kept controlled and consistent while research is conducted between cultures is problematic. may be due to language barriers or cultural differences. always the risk of EVs affecting the results
- conducting research in non-western cultures may be affected by investigator bias- cultures unfamiliar with scientific research may be suspicious of researchers and behave in an unnatural way
- alternatively they may exhibit demand characteristics as they attempt to ‘help’ the researchers
free will
the principle that as humans we are free to choose our thoughts and actions - we are self determining
- we are able to reject the internal and external forces that act on us
determinism
principle that all human behaviour comes from either internal or external causes
hard determinism
assumes everything we do is dictated by internal and external forces that we cannot control
soft determinism
there is room for manoeuvre in that people have conscious mental control over the way they behave
biological determinism
behaviour that is determined by biological factors inside ourselves e.g inherited behaviour, neural mechanisms, hormones etc
environmental determinism
behaviour is shaped by environmental events as well as agents of socialisation
- behaviourism
environmental determinism
behaviour is shaped by environmental events as well as agents of socialisation
- behaviourism
psychic determinism
behaviour is shaped by unconscious forces we cannot control. for freud these were created by biological drives and childhood experiences
case against determinism
hard determinism contradicts the way our legal system works - its assumed that offenders are morally responsible for their behaviour as they acted of their own free will
- if it was accepted that no one was responsible for their own actions the legal consequences would be very damaging to society
case for free will
- everyday experience gives us the impression that we have free will through the choices we make everyday- gives face validity to the concept
- research suggests that people who have an internal locus of control are more mentally healthy than those with an external LOC
- suggests that even if we don’t have free will the fact that we think we do had a positive impact on our mind and behaviour
case against free will
- neurological studies have revealed evidence against free will
- research has shown that the activity related to whether to press a button with the left or right hand occurs in the brain 10 seconds before ppts report being consciously aware of having made the decision
- this shows that our most basic experiences of free will are decided and determined by our brain before we become aware of them