issues and debates Flashcards
nature vs nurture AO1
wether behaviour is more determined by innate, biological/genetic factors (nature) or environmental influences (nurture)
concerns relative contributions of each to behaviour
Nature example- bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment- infants attachment to primary caregiver is innate
nurture example- banduras social learning theory- behaviour learnt through social interactions and modelling
nature vs nurture AO3
(+/-) for ocd and schizphrenia- concordance rates higher in monozygotic than dizygotic twins suggesting genetic role however not 100% so environmental factors must also play a role
(+/-) accepting behaviour as primarily influenced by nature or nurture has significant implications- e.g. reduced sentences for criminals with certain genetic markers under the argument they arent fully responsible
(+/-) nature and nurture interact through epigenetic modification- DNA has chemical marks that influence how the DNA is expressed and environmentl experiences can alter the epigenome
what is bias
when a psychologists preexisting beliefs and viewpoints influence their theories and data interpretation- comes from personal experiences, cultural background, education, political beliefs and gender related experiences
what is universality
the claim observed behvaiours apply to all humans regardless of differences in gender, biology or culture
if a hypothesis isnt texted on a diver sample- the claim is an assumption and not generalisable
gender bias AO1
happens when researchrs stereotypical views about male and female behaviour affect the theoretical assumptions- leads to misrepresentations of actual male and female behaviour
ALPHA BIAS- assumption there is significant differences between genders often leading to an overemphasis or exaggeration of these differences between males and females e.g. bowlbys monotropic theory
BETA BIAS- the assumption there are no significant differences in the behaviour of males and fmales, often leading to underestimating or minimising actual behavioural differences e.g. asch and milgrams research
ANDOCENTRISM- psychologists and theories that tend to reflect and support a male-centric view of the world- bias is due to the fact most psychologists who developed these theories were male
culture bias AO1
refers to interpreting and judging human behaviour based on cultural norms and experiences
ETHNOCENTRISM- when researchers conside their own culture or ethnic group to be superior/the norm and use it as the standard for evaluatng other cultures e.g. ainsworths strange situation
CULTURAL RELATIVISM- the principle that human behaviour should be understood within the context of the culture where it occurs, taking into account that cultures norms, values and beliefs
culture and gender bias AO3
(-) findings are argued to be universal but are culturally biased-68% research subjects in a sample of hundreds of studies in leading psychology journals came from the US- 96% were from western industrialised nations
(+/-) bias can be reduced through greater diversity an equal representation representation- includes encouraging more female researchers to reduce andocentrism and ethnocentrism
(+/-) can be reduced through reflexive approach- involves researchers actively reflecting ontheir beliefs, values and experiences- self awareness helps the researcher recognise how these personal factor may influence the research process e.g. helping to identify stereotypes that could affect interpretation of ppt behaviour
free will and determinism AO1
psychology relies on deterministic cause and effect relationships toexplain phenomena and make precise predictions- causal explanations are validated using scientifc method- testing hypothesis in controlled condition
HARD DETERMINISM- behaviour set by forces outside our control w no role of free will
SOFT DETERMINISM- traits and behaviours dictated by internal and external forcd but we have a leve of control through free will (cognitive psychology)
FREE WILL- consciously decide behaviour through conscious thought (humanistic)
BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM- behaviour set by genetics and biological processes e.g. hormones and neurotransmitters
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM- experience in worl shape our behaviour- learnt to behave certain ways based on factors like reinforcement
PSYCHIC ETERMINISM- innate drives shaped by childhood experience from unconscious thoughts that determine behaviour
free will and determinism AO3
(+/-) free will has face validity- ppl have conscious experience of agency, feeling like they have the ability to choose their actions- determinists would argue this is illusion
(+/-) assuming scientific principle of cause and effect applies to humans- psychology have successfully predicted and influenced behaviour e.g. development of drug treatments
(+/-) arguing behaviour is due to a single determining factor is likely an oversimplification- more accurate to consider behaviour as coming from interplay of multiple factors
holism and reductionism AO1
REDUCTIONISM- studying complex phenomena by breaking them down into their simplist components and testing the individual elements empirically- based on scientific principle of parisom
BIOLIGICAL REDUCTIONISM- reduces complex behaviour down to basic biological elements such as presence/absences of neurotransmitter related genes
ENVIRONMENTAL REDUCTIONISM- explains behaviour through simple stimulus-response mechanisms
HOLISM- argues a truly valid explanation needs to include the whole person- biological and environmental but also complex socio-cultural experiences and how they interact
LEVELS OF EXPLANATION- low level- biological, midlevel- psychological, high level- socio-cultural
holism and reductionism AO3
(+/-) reductionism is scientific approach- enables objecive testing of variables in controlled experiments helping to establish causation- holistic is unscientific as cant isolate individual variables for empirical testing
(+/-) practically, reductionism supports the development and empirical testing of treatments like drug therapys. holism has reulted in client centred therapy- adresses multiple aspects of an individuals life
(+/-) reductionism is overly simplistic- overlooks complex interactions between multiple behavioural causes whereas holistic approach might overlook significance of individual elements by focusing too broadly on the whole
idiographic and nomothetic AO1
NOMOTHETIC- research uses large and representative sample of ppts and findings generate new laws of behaviour or supporting theories- inferences made about the broader pop based on behaviour of sample allowing predictions to be made- highly controlled experiments and structured observations, quantitative data collected, scientific, include behaviourism, social learning theory, biological and cognitive psychology
IDIOGRAPHIC- studies individuals subjective experiences, behaviours and personalities- also an attempt to understand cultural social and environmental context that influences an individual- no attempt to find general laws, in depth case studies, content ananlyss and unstructured interviews, qualitative data, unscientific, include humanistic psychology
ideographic and nomothetic AO3
(+/-) nomothetic- data easier to replicate, gather precisely and analyse using statistics- enables generalisation of findings and predictions- but general trends may not accurately represent every individual in a group and fixed criteria used as measuremnts dont give a complete picture of the individual
(+/-) ideographic- rich and detailed info collected more vaild perspective on human behaviour- unusual cases arent generalisabe but can generate new areas of research or overturn incorrect theories- but is time consuming and intensive data collection can result in researcher losing objevctivity
(+/-) taking integrative approach by using both methods allows researchers to combine strengths of each providing a more holistic understanding of behaviour
ethical implications AO1
implications- consequences of constructing theories and conducting research for the ppts and the groups they represent-groups can be small communities or entire social groups
possible implications- ppts suffering due to lackof protection from harm, the public forming stereotypes, groups studied suffering discrimination and governments using psychological findings to develop harmful policies
socially sensitive reearch- potential consequences or implications either directly for the ppts in the research or the class of individuals represented by the research
ethical implications- dealing w socially sensitive research AO1
reflexivity- researchers should be carefully consider their own personal biases, beliefs, the influential position they hold and the responsibility theyhave to be objective and conduct research ethically
care in forming questions is important so the group studied is not misrepresented/stereotyped
ethics comittees decide if the study should go ahead and use a cost benefit analysis, considering the potential harms and benefits the research may have on the ppts and wider society
researchers need to present their findings in a value-free way and make clear limitations of their methods
peer review has a role in ensurng potentially harmful or misleading research isnt published
