issues and debates Flashcards
what is gender bias
different treatment of males and females based on stereotypes
what is universality
believing some behaviours are the same for everyone, no differences in different cultures
what is androcentrism
theories that are focused on males
what is an alpha bias
exaggerated differences between males and females
what is beta bias
minimises the differences betweeen male and females
what is idiographic
- studying individual cases, not groups
- not generalised to others as we are all uniquw
- behaviour must be understood in terms of subjective experiences
examples of idiographic approaches
humanistic
- pure idiographic
- emphasises unique human experiences
- get info from person themselves e.g. questionnaires
- direct info from one person
psychodynamic
- used little hans to explain the oedipus complex
- applies it universally, so uses idiogrpahic research then applies it to explain everyones behaviour
strengths and limitations if the idiographic approach
strengths:
- gain detailed info and descriptions of behaviour
- can uncover causes for behviour not identified using nomathetic methods
- develop a holistic understanding of the individual
- can provide hypothesis for future scientific study
what is nomothetic research
identifying similarities between people and laws governing behaviour, by studying large groups in order to generalise
- uses scientific method and quantitative data
- objective info
- can be falsified
- replicable
- use findings to generate laws
- makes inferences about the wider population
- experiments
- correlational research
- psychodynamic testing
examples of nomathetic approaches
biological
- developed universal laws on why we develop OCD, depression etc
- develop universal laws for treatments such as SSRI, CBT
behaviourist
cognitive
strengths and limitations of the nomathetic approach
strengths
- generate to wider population
- objective, measurable and can be verified
- easily replicable
limitations
- generalised laws and principles may not apply to individuals
- understanding is often superficial
what is determinism
view that behaviour has a direct cause, means it is outside of our control
- being shaped internally or externally
- behaviour is predictable
what is psychic determinism
suggests behaviour e.g. ocd, depression, anxiety, relationship problems etc are determined by our childhood experiences nad by innate and unconscious drives
- no FREE WILL
what is biological determinism
internal forces: hormones, genes, neurotransmitters, nervous system, structure of the brain
- behaviour is determines, no free will, we cannot overide our body
what is environmental determinism
traits and behaviours are governed by external forces such as experiences, upbringing, surroundings, learning, schools, parents, peers
–> behabiourism- blank slate (upbringing)
what is a causal explanation
based on scientific notion that behaviour is caused/determined by internal/external factors- cause and effect relationship
what is causality/causation
the IV has an effect on the DV
every event has a cause and every cause has an effect
what is hard determinism
- lives governed by forces that are out of our control
- doesn’t accept there are any other forces that determine behaviour
- each approach rejects the other one
what is soft determinism
- idea that behaviour are to an extent dictated by internal/external forces
- despite this we still have some element of control over some free will to control our behaviour
what is free will
belief that we are self governing; we choose what we do, how we behave, what we think
not being directed by anyone or anything else
examples of free will
humanistic approach
maslows hierarchy of needs
- free to choose behaviour in order to self actualise
- doesn’t mean we arent influenced by biology and culture, we just choose to reject them
what is holism
looking at something as a whole
what is reductionism
looking at someones behaviour in terms of their constituent parts
- one aspect
- isolate role of one particular thing- allows treatment to be used and developed
- hpwever u may miss something else that is important
what is environmental reductionism
idea we operate under the stimulus-response bond
- phobias- learning through principles of classical conditioning and maintaing through operant conditioning
what is biological reductionism
the way psychologists try to reduce behaviour to a physical level and try to explain it in terms of neurons, neurotransmitters, hormones, brain structure etc
- ocd caused by high levels of dopamine and lower levels of serotonin
strengths and limitations of biological reductionism
strengths:
- developmetn of drug therapies beacem possible with a reductionist approach. looking at behaviours as a result of small components
- more humane/ethical approach for treating mental disorders as it does not blame the patient
- greater acceptance of mental disorders in society
limitations
- drug therapies based on the lowest level of explaining behaviour; they treat symptoms, not the cause
- no appreciation of the social or psychological concept
strengths and limitations of environmental redcutionism
strengths
limitations
- behaviourist stimulus respinse approaches were based on animal studies e.g. skinners box
- humans are much more complex than animals and environmental reductionism reduces human behaviour to stimulus response while ignoreing potential influencing factors
what is the lowest level of explanation in psychology
biological explanations e.g. how biological aspects like genes, hormones affect our behaviour (reductionism)
what is the middle level of explanation in psychology
psychological explanations of behaviour (cognitive, SLT)
what is the highest level of explanation in psychology
cultural and social explanations of how our social group affects our behaviour (holism)
what is a holistic approach
humanistic
- hierarchy of needs- we can only reach our potential (self actualise) if we have all of the layers underneath
- lack of ‘wholeness’ leads to mental disorders
- emphasis on ‘free will’ and self actualisation
what are ethical implications
impact or consequences that psychological research has on the rights of other people, not just participants in the research
how can research have ethical implications
effects of publication on wider public
potential use of findings
potential bias against people of certain cultures etc
economic implications
what is socially sensitive research
research that might have direct social consequences for the participants in the research
e.g. leading to descrimination and prejudice
what needs to be considered when conducting research
the research question- make sure its not damaging to research group
the methodology used- consider treatment of participants and their rights to confidentiality and anonymity
the institutional context- be mindful of how the data is going to be used
interpretation and application of findings- consider how their findings might be interpreted and applied in the real world
why socially snsitive research is important examples
bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation- child needs continuous relationship with a mother figure in the first 5 years in order to develop normally, disruption to this bond can have a negative effect later on
- people wouldnt have recognised the negative effects of hospitalisation on childs emotional well being; today parents stay in hospital with their child
milgrams study of obedience- under certain circustances people will obey orders to cause someone else harm if instructed by an authority figure
- people wouldnt have recognised how mindlessny obedient people can be
bobo doll study- found children exposed to roll models being aggressive to a bobo doll became aggressive themselves
- age ratings, restrictions
- negative: people less likely to take responsibility to thwir own actions, blame role models
