Issues and debates Flashcards
what is gender bias
the differences between genders are misrepresented
what is alpha bias + examples
researcher exagerates the difference between men + women e.g. psychodynamic approach (Freud)
studies are gender biased if
- exagerate/ignore differences between men + women
- observe behaviour in 1 gender and ignore the other
- define behavioural categories in an incomplete way
what is beta bias + examples
researcher minimises/ignores differences between men + women e.g Asch, Zimbardo, Milgram
What is andocentrism
research focuses on male pps
Androcentric bias
research lacks validity + reliability as it focuses on male pps
why does Freud’s theory suffer from androcentric alpha bias
says that there are enormous permanent psychological differences between men + women, female traits are abnormal + inferior
what is gynocentrism
research focuses on female pps
what is gynocentric bias e.g
research makes invalid conclusions by using mainly female pps but drawing conclusions about everyone (generalising) e.g. Moscovici + Ainsworth
what is cultural bias
researchers misrepresent differences between cultures
what is ethnocentrism
when someone focuses on their own cultural perspective, assuming their own cultural perspective is correct/more important +other cultures as abnormal and inferior.
what is universality
theory of behaviour that applies to everyone/generalise findings to everyone
Name 3 studies that has ethnocentric bias
Mary Ainsworth + Asch + Milgram
consequences of ethnocentric bias
-lead to harmful stereotypes (diff=worse), cultures being devalued
-decrease/lack external validity +reliability
-misdiagnosis, eyecontact = normal in US, if reduced =autism. eyecontact not normal in cultures (abnormal)
what is ethnocentric bias
research lacks reliability/validity due to researchers ignoring other cultures completely/studying other cultures without understanding their cultural perspective
How is Asch + Milgram ethnocentrically bias
only involved American pps but claimed universality by assuming all ppl from other cultures behave like Americans
How is Ainsworths research ethnocentrically bias
- All pps middle class american mothers
-additional research shows babies from collectivist cultures are more likely to have insecure resistant attachment
-judging babies from other cultures by standards of Western social norms
What is cultural relativism
Person’s behaviour must be understood from their own culture’s persepctive
What is cross cultural research
research being carried out in different cultures to see if theories generalise/cultural variations. -> minimise risk of ethnocentric bias
What is free will
full control over behaviour, Internal LOC
What is determinism
never have control over our behaviour, External LOC
3 types of determinism
~biological determinism (biology)
~psychic determinism (unconscious mind)
~environmental determinism (environment)
what is falsifiability
idea that we are able to disprove a prediction about our behaviour
is free will falsifiable
no as we cant make predictions, no way to know how ppl will act, cannot study cause + effect
is determinism falsifiable
no, can only falsify claims about specific causes for behaviour
pg 3,4,5
NATURE vs NURTURE
relative contributions of hereditary + environment contribute in determining behaviour
what is reductionism
understanding things by breaking them down to simpler parts
what is holism
to understand smth we must look at it as a whole
3 levels of explanations from most reductionist → most holistic
biological → psychological→ social +cultural
order the 6 approaches from most reductionist →more holistic
- biological reductionism
- environmental reductionism (behaviour in terms of stimulus + response)
- cognitive approach
- SLT
- Psychodynamic (breaks personality down to 3 parts)
- Humanistic
are reductionist explanations scientific
YES, can be tested using scientific methods as they reduce behaviour down to cause + effect relationships, empirically testable + falsifiable
are holistic explanations scientific
NO, they insist behaviour shouldn’t be broken down into cause +effect relationships
what is the principle of parisomy
if there are several diff explanations that completely explain smth we should choose the simplest explanation
strengths/weaknesses of reductionism
+ supported by principle of parsimony
+ scientific and falsifiable
+ can be used to treat symptoms of mental disorders
- can be more effective to consider more holistic explanations
strengths/weaknesses of holism
+ more effective to treat psychological disorders with holistic approach
- breaks principle of parsimony
-less scientific than reductionism
strengths/weaknesses of interactionism
- violates principle of parsimony, introduces higher levels of explanation
- involves more holistic levels of explanation, difficult to test scientifically
+ fits the evidence we have about the causes of conditions of depression
what is nomothetic
- establish general laws for everyone
*lab experiments
*quantitative data
*correlational study (establish general conclusions about whether 2 variable are associated)
what is idiographic
- focus on individual differences
*case studies/detailed studies
*qualitative data - unstructured interviews/open questions
is nomothetic scientific
is idiographic scientific
~YES, aim to establish general laws about an entire population
~NO, dont try to establish general laws
weakness for idiographic methods
- conducting interviews + interpreting qualitative data takes a long time, involves fewer pps
- It isn’t possible to generalise findings from idiographic research to general populations due to restricted sample size, unique +subjective nature of idiographic studies, limiting overall usefulness of research
strengths for idiographic methods
+ more feasable, involves fewer pps + less money
+ comprehensive, global understanding of the individual this level of detail leads to better insight into complex + multi-layered nature of
individual experience e.g. insight informs therapies designed to suit individual needs e.g. psychotherapy or Roger’s client-centred approach
strengths of nomothetic methods
+ uses the features of science in methodology, studies are controlled, objective, standardised, has good reliability
+
weaknesses of nomothetic
- Samples in psychological research aren’t always large enough to generate laws of behaviour e.g. Milgram’s (1963) obedience study used only 40 (male) pps, sample + study findings aren’t generalisable
