issues and debates Flashcards

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1
Q

alpha bias

A

when differences between males and females are overstated

for example, Fred’s theory of psychoanalysis which viewed femininity as a form of failed masculinity. Freuds theory exaggerated the differences between males and females, an example of alpha bias

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2
Q

androcentrism

A

a bias towards a male-centred point of view.

In psychology, many subjects of important studies were male, resulting in general psychology paradigms being more male-centred

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3
Q

beta bias

A

when differences between males and females are understated

For example the general consensus that the fight or flight response was equally by male and female animals, whereas under scrutiny it was discovered females could also adopt the ‘tend and befriend’ response

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4
Q

biological determinism

A

the idea that all human behaviour is determined by biological processes (genetics, hormones and physiological processes). biology is destiny

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5
Q

biological reductionism

A

the idea that behaviour can be reduced to simple physical components such as nerves and ions

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6
Q

cultural relativism

A

behaviour can only be properly understood if the cultural context is considered so any study drawing its sample from one cultural context and attempting to apply to another culture is suspect

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7
Q

determinism

A

the rejection of free will, human behaviours are caused by physical processes (predetermined) and that these physical processes can’t be overruled

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8
Q

environmental determinism

A

the view that behaviours are determined by conditioning (e.g. reinforcement and punishment) from our environment i.e. upbringing and school

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9
Q

environmental reductionism

A

the idea that behaviour can be reduced to simple responses to stimuli

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10
Q

ethnocentrism

A

a bias towards your own culture, and judging other cultured by that subjective standard

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11
Q

hard determinism

A

the idea that free will is non existent, behaviour is entirely caused by physical processes that are beyond our control

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12
Q

holism

A

an approach that suggests to understand human behaviour we must look at the human as a whole.

Advocates believe that human behaviour is too complex to be explained from one level of explanation and that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’

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13
Q

idiographic approach

A

a type of learning that suggests we should focus on the unique experiences of each individual to understand human behaviour and (contra to the nomothetic approach) it is impossible to identify general laws that apply across populations

emphasis on qualitative data, prefers individual case studies and self report methods over large scale experiments, associated with humanistic approach, more subjective

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14
Q

interactionist approach

A

our genetic nature predisposes us towards some behaviours more than others but how these genes are expressed is dependent on the environment

e.g. OCD has a strong genetic component (around 67%) but not everyone with these genes go onto develop OCD i.e. drugs, CBT or never experience events that trigger OCD

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15
Q

nomothetic approach

A

a type of learning approach that suggests we should establish general laws of behaviour that can be applied to all people to understand similarities of human behaviour

emphasis on qualitative, prefers large sample sizes rather than individual case studies, behaviourist, cognitive and biological approach, more objective

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16
Q

psychic determinism

A

the idea that all human behaviour is governed by unresolved and unconscious mental processes (desires and conflicts)

e.g. unresolved oedipus complex in childhood can cause aggressive behaviour as an adult

17
Q

reductionism

A

an approach that suggests that to understand human behaviour we must reduce it to its simplest parts
e.g depression is caused by low serotonin
e.g. biological reductionism that argues behaviour can be explained entirely in physical causes without reference to higher levels of explanation such as a person’s upbringing or cognitions

18
Q

social sensitivity

A

research that has ethical implications for people beyond the researchers and ppts directly involved
e.g. social groups, friends and family, research institutions

19
Q

soft determinism

A

human behaviour is largely determined by physical processes (e.g. biology and upbringing) but humans are able to overrule these processes and exert their free will in some circumstances

20
Q

nurture

A

empricits believe that we are born blank slates with no innate nature so any behaviour must be learned from the environment

e.g. the learning approach explains behaviours as a result of operant conditioning

21
Q

nature

A

nativists believe that our behaviour is predetermined by nature and can be explained by heredity (inherited biological characteristics such as genetics)

22
Q

the heritability coefficient

A

a way to quantify the extent to which a characteristic is determined by genetics
(1 means the characteristic is completely genetic whereas 0 means the characteristic has nothing to do with genetics)

23
Q

emic research

A

Berry
researching a culture from within to understand that culture specifically (and not applying the findings to other cultures)

24
Q

etic research

A

Berry
Conducting research from an outside perspective to discover universal truths about human psychology (applying the findings to people in all culture)

can lead to ethnocentrism