Issues and debates

Question 1

What is universality?

Answer 1

A characteristic of human beings that is capable of being applied to everyone despite differences of experiences and cultures.

Question 2

What is gender bias?

Answer 2

A tendency to treat one individual or group in a different way than others. E.G Not representing women or men.

Question 3

What is androcentrism?

Answer 3

Male-centred. The “norm” behaviour is judged according to a male standard.

Question 4

What is alpha bias?

Answer 4

Research that focuses on differences between males and females and therefore tend to exaggerate the differences.

Question 5

What is beta bias?

Answer 5

Research that focuses on similarities between men and women and therefore minimises the differences.

Question 6

What is cultural bias?

Answer 6

Interpreting all phenomena through the lens of ones own culture, ignoring the effects that cultural differences might have on behaviour.

Question 7

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 7

Believing one’s own cultures standard and norms are superior. May lead to prejudice and discrimination.

Question 8

What is cultural relativism?

Answer 8

Idea that norms and values as well as ethics and moral standards can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.

Question 9

What is free will?

Answer 9

The notion that humans can make choices and their behaviour/thoughts are not determined by either internal or external factors.

Question 10

What is determinism?

Answer 10

The view that an individuals behaviour is controlled by internal or external factors rather than their own will

Question 11

What is hard determinism?

Answer 11

The view that all behaviour is caused by something so free will is an illusion

Question 12

What is soft determinism?

Answer 12

The view behaviour may be predictable but there is also room for personal choice from a limited range of possibilities.

Question 13

What is biological determinism?

Answer 13

The belief that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic/hormonal/evolutionary) influences we cannot control

Question 14

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 14

The belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment (e.g rewards and punishment).

Question 15

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 15

Belief behaviour is caused by unconscious psychodynamic conflicts that we cannot control.

Question 16

What is the nature nurture debate?

Answer 16

The extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of inherited or acquired characteristics.

Question 17

What does heredity mean?

Answer 17

The genetic transmission of both mental and physical characteristics from one generation to another.

Question 18

How does the environment link to the nature/nurture debate?

Answer 18

Any environmental influences e.g prenatal, foods you may eat, your upbringing etc.

Question 19

What would an interactionist approach believe?

Answer 19

A way to explain behaviour in terms of both biological and psychological factors.
E.G Both heredity and the environment may impact behaviour.

Question 20

What is holism?

Answer 20

An argument that proposes it only makes sense to study the whole person rather than its constituent parts.

Question 21

What is reductionism?

Answer 21

The belief that human behaviour is best understood by studying the smaller constituent parts.

Question 22

What are levels of explanation?

Answer 22

The idea there are several levels that can be used to explain behaviour.

Question 23

What are the levels of explanation from highest to lowest?

Answer 23

Social & Cultural explanations.
(influence of social groups)
Psychological explanations
cognitive/behavioural/environmental)
Biological explanations
neurochemical, genetic etc

Question 24

What is biological reductionism?

Answer 24

A form of reductionism which attempts to explain behaviour at the lowest biological level. E.G Genes/hormones.

Question 25

What is environmental reductionism?

Answer 25

Attempt to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus-response links that have been learned through experience.

Question 26

What does idiographic mean?

Answer 26

An approach to research that focuses more on the individual case as a means of understanding behaviour, rather than trying to formulate general laws.

Question 27

What does nomothetic mean?

Answer 27

Aims to study human behaviour through development of general principles and universal laws.

Question 28

What approach may lend itself to being more idiographic?

Answer 28

Humanism.

Question 29

What approach may lend itself to being more nomothetic?

Answer 29

Biological/behaviourism etc.

Question 30

What are ethical implications?

Answer 30

Consequence of any research in terms of the effects on individual participants or the way in which certain groups of people are regarded.

Question 31

What is social sensitivity?

Answer 31

Studies in which there are potential consequences or implications, either directly for participant in research or for class of individuals represented by the research.