Issues and debates Flashcards
Two sides of a coin...
Define Alpha Bias
This occurs when the differences between men and women are exaggerated. Therefore, stereotypically male and female characteristics may be emphasized.
Define Beta Bias
This occurs when the differences between men and women are minimized. This often happens when findings obtained from men are applied to women without additional validation.
Define Androcentrism
This occurs when the differences between men and women are minimized. This often happens when findings obtained from men are applied to women without additional validation.
Define Culture Bias.
Cultures may differ from one another in many ways, so the findings of psychological research conducted in one culture may not apply directly to another.
What is an etic?
An etic construct is a theoretical idea that is assumed to apply in all cultural groups. Therefore, etic constructs are considered universal to all people and are factors that hold across all cultures (similarities between cultures).
What is an Emic?
An emic construct is one that is applied only to one cultural group, so they vary from place to place (differences between cultures).
Define Ethnocentrism.
Ethnocentrism occurs when a researcher assumes that their own culturally specific practices or ideas are ‘natural’ or ‘right’.
What is cultural relativism and how could it be seen as an issue?
Cultural relativism is the principle of regarding the beliefs, values, and practices of a culture from the viewpoint of that culture itself.
It could be an issue as it assumes that your culture is right and could lead to incorrect assumptions about people from other cultures.
Define free will.
Free Will suggests that we all have a choice and can control and choose our own behaviour.
Define determinism.
The determinist approach proposes that all behavior is determined and thus predictable. Some approaches in psychology see the source of this determinism as being outside the individual, a position known as environmental determinism.
What are the three main types of determininsm?
Environmental
Biological
Psychic
What is the difference between hard and soft determinism?
Hard Determinism sees free will as an illusion and believes that every event and action has a cause.
Soft Determinism represents a middle ground. People do have a choice, but that choice is constrained by external factors
Define nature in psychology ?
Nature is the view that all our behaviour is determined by our biology and our genes.
Define Nurture in psychology?
Nurture is the view that that all behaviour is learned and influenced by external factors such as the environment etc
Compare reductionism and holism?
Holism takes into account all parts (the whole as the sum of all the individual factors)
Reductionism is the belief that human behaviour can be explained by breaking it down into smaller component parts.
