Issues And Debates

Question 1

How do researchers consider ethical implications in research ?

Answer 1

1) The research question
2) The methodology used
3) The institutional context
4) interpretation and application

Question 2

Define social sensitivity ?

Answer 2

There are potential consequences for the group of people represented by the research

Question 4

How do we deal with ethical issues ?

Answer 4

Submit research to the ethical committee for peer review
Does the end justify the means ?
Take steps to avoid prejudice

Question 5

Define gender bias ?

Answer 5

The differential treatment and/or representation of males and females based on stereotypes

Question 6

Define alpha bias ?

Answer 6

Theories or research that exaggerates the differences between males and females

Question 7

Define beta bias ?

Answer 7

Theories or research that minimise or ignores the differences between males and theories

Question 8

Define androcentrism ?

Answer 8

Theories which are centred or focused on males

Question 9

Define universality ?

Answer 9

When a theory is universal it can be applied to all genders and cultures

Question 10

How do we stop research from being gender bias ?

Answer 10

Use all genders in the research
Make sure participants are randomly allocated
If it is gender specific make it clear

Question 11

Evaluation research - AO3 points

Answer 11

Cornwell - females are better at learning than males as they are more attentive and organised.
Formanwicz - research on gender bias is not well funded and is published in less prestigious journals

Question 12

Define culture bias ?

Answer 12

Judging or interpreting things based on your own cultures standards rather than cultural context

Question 13

Define ethnocentrism ?

Answer 13

Believing that your own culture is superior or/and using it as the standard to judge others

Question 14

What’s the difference between Emic and Etic approaches ?

Answer 14

Emic - studying one behaviour
Etic - studying all behaviour

Question 15

Evaluation research - AO3

Answer 15

Increased understanding of the issues is helping to reduce ethnocentrism in psychology. Today psychologists are well traveled - academics hold international conferences.

Stereotypes - can have severe implications through validating damaging stereotypes

Question 16

Define determinism ?

Answer 16

All events are caused by previous events

Question 17

Define hard determinism ?

Answer 17

Free will does not exist as everything is determined .

Question 18

Define soft determinism?

Answer 18

People still have some level of free will as they can make choices

Question 19

Define biological determinism ?

Answer 19

Genetics and biology determine one’s behaviour

Question 20

Define environmental determinism ?

Answer 20

A person’s environment determines there behaviour

Question 21

Define psychic determinism?

Answer 21

Unconscious forces influences behaviour

Question 22

Apply the approaches?

Answer 22

Biological - behaviour is controlled by internal biological factors
Behaviourist - behaviour is controlled by stimulus (response to conditioning)
Social leaning theory - behaviour is controlled by environmental forces (we have personal choice)
Cognitive - behaviour is controlled by meditational processes (we can choose)
Psychodynamic - behaviour is determined by unconscious drives
Humanist - humans control their environment

Question 23

Define nature ?

Answer 23

The view that behaviour is a product of genetic or innate biological factors

Question 24

Define nurture ?

Answer 24

The view that behaviour is a product of environmental influences

Question 25

Evaluation research ?

Answer 25

Reductionism - each side of the debate is reductionism and can be considered deterministic

Question 26

Define reductionism ?

Answer 26

The scientific view that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into similar components parts.

Question 27

Define holism ?

Answer 27

Argument that human behaviour is too complex to be broken down into similar parts viewed as a whole.

Question 28

Evaluation points for reductionism ?

Answer 28

Strength - More objective Inquiry by breaking down behaviour into manageable variables Weaknesses - Loss of the sight of behaviour in content Lack validity

Question 29

Evaluation points for holism ?

Answer 29

Strengths - Provides more comprehensive insights into conditions and therefore could be argued to be more valid Weaknesses - More complex then the more difficult it is to target therapy or treatment

Question 30

Define idiographic ?

Answer 30

Study individuals using qualitative data

Question 31

Define nomothetic ?

Answer 31

Study of groups of people using quantitative

Question 32

Evaluation points for idiographic ?

Answer 32

Strengths - In depth analysis increases the validity of findings Able to generate new ideas and hypothesis Weaknesses - Methods are time consuming and quite subjective

Question 33

Evaluation points for nomothetic ?

Answer 33

Strengths - Considered scientific Identifying trends predicting and controlling behaviour Weaknesses - More person centred approach Can lead to misinterpretation