Issues And Debates Flashcards
What’s gender bias , it’s split into 2 categories
Androcentrism ,alpha and beta bias
Gender when psychological research doesn’t represent the beh of either men and women
What’s androcentrism give an example of a study
Research based on males , its used as the standard or expected norm for both sexes
If our understanding of what ‘normal’ beh is comes from males only, then beh that deviates from this is seen as abnormal
Leads to female beh being misunderstood or pathologised
Asch and zimbardo
Androcentric research leads to..and what is it
Beta bias - refers to the tendency to ignore or minimize differences between groups in research, occurs when psychologists assume that findings from one group (like men) apply equally to other groups (like women).
TOPIC = during the fight of flight response women produce oxytocin and are more likely to show a tend and befriend response when looking after others
What’s alpha bias
Research/theories misrepresent beh as it maximises differences between males and females , serving to reinforce gender stereotypes and usually devalue women as women aren’t seen as the norm
Topic. = For example, during the phallic stage of psychosexual development, both
boys and girls develop a desire for their opposite sex parent. In a boy this
creates castration anxiety, this anxiety is resolved when the boy identifies with
his father. A girl’s identification with her same gender parent is weaker (due to a
lack of castration anxiety) and, according to the theory, means her Superego is
therefore weaker, meaning girls are morally inferior to men.
Gender bias AO3
:( gender bias promotes sexism in the research process , wonder are underrepresented in university departments , most undergraduates are women but the men are the lecturers , meaning research is more likely to be conducted by men and could disadv female pptp, a male researcher may expect a women to act irrational and unable to complete a complex task so they’d underperform in studies . Social sensitivity as it leads to wider implications for females like negative stereotypes and may validate any discrimination
:) practical applications, by having gender bias in research it can help identify biological differences between males and females eg research has showed females to be less effective leaders than men and this has allowed the development of training programmes aimed at increasing the lvls of female leaders in the real word, important part of applied pysch . Good economic implications like reduction in gender pay gap
What’s universality
The idea that conclusions drawn from research can be applied to everyone regardless of the time period gender or culture
How do researchers reduce gender bias within research
Carrying out research with equal numbers of male and female pptps
Involve female and male researchers
What’s culture bias
When psychological studies or theories ignore cultural difference assuming that
their findings can be generalised globally.
Ethnocentrism
Judging other cultures according to the norms of one’s own culture. At the extreme, this
involves believing in the superiority of one’s own culture.
Dis- Ethnocentrism can lead to prejudice against other ethnic groups
Dis- Ethnocentric research has led to the adoption of a ‘Western norm’ which then devalues
other cultures (as outlined above)
Cultural Relativism
The idea that a behaviour can only be properly understood in the context of the norms and values
of the society in which it occurs.
Culture Bias AO3
D- Culturally biased research can have significant real-world effects by, for example, amplifying
and validating damaging stereotypes. The US Army used an IQ test before WWI, which was
culturally biased toward the dominant white majority. Unsurprisingly, the test showed that
African-Americans were at the bottom of the IQ scale and this had a negative effect on the
attitudes of Americans toward this group of people, fueling prejudice and discrimination in
immigration policy, highlighting the negative impact that culturally biased research can have.
However, critics are quick to point out that culture may also be an outdated concept. This is
because viewing cultures as individualistic/western or collectivist/non-western is a lazy
generalisation as there are many similarities between cultures due to increased
interconnectedness (globalisation) and the effect of shared media influences. Indeed Van
ijzerndoorn and Kroonenberg’s research into cross-cultural variation in attachment have shown
that there is greater variation/diversity within cultures than between cultures. Therefore
suggesting that the concept of culture itself may lack validity.
What’s an ethical IMPLICATION
Different to ethical issues
Ethical implications consider the impact or consequences that psychological research (theory or
study) has on the rights of other people in a wider context not just the people taking part in the
study.
What are 2 examples of ethical implications
1. Prejudice / discrimination
2. Political consequences
Prejudice or discrimination against the wider group represented by those taking part in
the study . Eg ) IQ testing by the US army resulted in discrimination against non white citizens
Political consequences e.g. a change in social policy in a country eg) Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation meant that mothers were encouraged to
stay at home and look after their children CONTRIBUTING TO GENDER PAY GAP
AO3 to ethical implications
In further support of the negative consequences of conducting research with ethical
implications, historical research conducted studies on IQ and found that African-Caribbean
participants scored on average 15 points lower on IQ tests than Caucasian participants. This
research has negative ethical implications and was socially sensitive because the findings could be
misused in society as it gives a scientific justification for discrimination and prejudice (for
example, between 1907 and 1963, over 64,000 individuals were forcibly sterilised under eugenic
legislation in the United States). Clearly this research could be used as ammunition for racists,
which could lead to social unrest and could put greater pressure on the emergency services such
as the Police service, negatively impacting the economy.
Socially sensitive definition
Socially sensitive research is research which is more likely to have ethical implications because of
its controversial nature. Such research may lead to a change in attitude towards a particular group
in the form of prejudice, or discrimination.
What are some ways ethical implications are dealt with in socially sensitive research
- The research question
- The methodology used
- Interpretation and application of findings
- The Research Question: The researcher must consider their research question carefully. It
should not add to any prevailing prejudice or stereotype. For example, asking questions
like ‘Are there racial differences in IQ?’ Or if it’s a skl ppl will create negative stereotypes - The Methodology Used: E.g. the researcher needs to consider the treatment of the
participants and their right to confidentiality and anonymity, e.g. if a P admits to
committing crime, should the researcher maintain confidentiality? - Interpretation and Application of Findings: Finally, the researcher needs to consider how
their findings might be interpreted and applied in the real-world. For example, data or
results be used to inform social policy.
An example of research which is socially sensitive and has ethical implications
THIS IS A THEORY!!
Cyril
Burt used studies of identical twins to support his view that intelligence is largely genetic. His
views greatly influenced the Hadow Report (1926) which led to the creation of the 11+ which was
used from 1944-1976. This meant that generations of children were affected by the 11+ exam,
even though there has been huge controversy regarding whether Burt had falsified his research
data.
Bowlbys reearch is what for ethical implications
A STUDY
What’s hard determinism and example
All human behaviour is a result of external
and/or internal factors that we cannot control
as individuals.
Indivs vulnerability
to developing OCD is caused by internal factors eg genetics
- a genetic predisposition that is inherited via
several maladaptive genes.
Soft determinism
Controlled by external and internal factors but as individuals we
also have an element of control / free will to
control our behaviour.
Eg slt we choose which model to imitate
Biological determinism
Environmental determinism
Human beh controlled by internal biological factors eg inherticance of genes
Behaviour is controlled by
external factors within
individual’s surrounding eg) behaviourist approach
Psychic Determinism - human beh controlled by unconscious mind conflict within the mind , eg) deviant superego from forensics
The scientific emphasis on causal explanations
A causal explanation is based on the scientific notion that behaviour is caused by internal / external
factors. There is a cause and effect explanation.
In a controlled experiment, the only thing changed is the IV, all other variables (potential
extraneous variables) can be controlled to measure the effect on the DV.
Determinism can therefore provide us with a causal explanation as it shows cause and effect
between two factors, the IV and the DV.
If there was no manipulation of an iv…
Cause and effect cannot be inferred because an untested variable may be causing any relationship seen
Free will vs determinism ao3
☺ free will can be seen as
more positive stance than determinism. This is because it allows people to believe that they have
choice over their behaviour, which may have a positive effect on mental health. Eg depressed ppl can change their negative schemas and attend cbt , CAN LINK TO ECONOMY
Determinism leads to practical applications, because if
we know the cause of abnormal behaviour in society i.e. low levels of serotonin contributing to
OCD, then it will be easier for us to develop treatments. Using a deterministic stance has led to
drugs being developed to help increase serotonin activity in the brain and thus reduce the anxiety
experienced in those with OCD.
Nature
the idea that human
characteristics/behaviours (mental and physical) are innate and passed on from one generation to
the next via genes.
Being heredity
Topic : Bowlby’s monotropic theory states that babies come into the world biologically pre-
programmed to form attachments through behaviours such as social releasers because this will help
them to survive. Therefore attachment is innate.
Nurture
In contrast, empiricists (such as Skinner) argue that the mind is a ‘blank slate’ at birth and our
behaviour is shaped by our environment, learning and experience.
Family dsfunction and sz mother
What is meant by the nature-nurture debate in Psychology?
The nature-nurture debate discusses whether human behaviour is due to nature (genes) or nurture
(environment, experiences
Nature
believe in the importance of heredity (nature) – the idea that human
characteristics/behaviours (mental and physical) are innate and passed on from one generation to
the next via genes. Eg ) bowlbys monotropic theory states how babies are inate and beh is biological
Nuture
that the mind is a ‘blank slate’ at birth and our
behaviour is shaped by our environment, learning and experience
Topic For example, it is often very difficult to tell whether high concordance
rates in MZ twins (OCD 87%, SZ 47%) are the result of shared genetics or shared upbringing
The interactionist approach
takes a stance between the extreme nature and extreme nurture
debate. It argues that both genetics and the environment play a part in human behavior (diathesis-
stress model).
Ao3 to nature vs nurture
The nature side of the debate cannot be a full explanation of human
behaviour; this is because if genes were 100% the sole cause of a behaviour,
MZ twins who share 100% of their genes should have 100% concordance rates.
However, this is not the case for example in the biological explanation of OCD
concordance rates for MZ twins are only 87%. Therefore, there must be other
factors that affect human behaviour such as the environment and our
experiences (nurture debate)
A more appropriate view when explaining human behaviour may be the
interactionist approach. This would argue that genetics give us a
predisposition to certain behaviours and that our genetics are then
influenced by our environment and experiences. For example, Tienari (2004)
found that in a group of Finnish adoptees those most likely to develop
schizophrenia (sz) had biological relatives with sz (diathesis) and had
dysfunctional relationships with their adoptive families (stressor).
When looking at the topic of offending, the idea of genetic vulnerability, such as the
inheritance of a candidate gene, e.g. MAOA gene which is linked to violent behaviour, supports the
nativist viewpoint that our behaviours are inherited from our biological parents, however other
explanations of offending behaviour such as being raised in a dysfunctional environment with pro-
criminal attitudes, or having a criminal role model are also argued to contribute. It therefore seems
that an interactionist approach which takes into account both nature and nurture would be more
appropriate to explain offending behavior.
