Issues And Debates Flashcards
What is gender bias
The difference in representation of men and women which is based on stereotypes not real differences
What is alpha bias in relation to gender bias
When differences between men and women are exaggerated which results in theories that devalue one gender in comparison to the other
Psychodynamic approach
What is beta bias in relation to gender and give an example
Theories that ignore or minimise gender differences which leads to misrepresentation of a gender
Ie fight or flight as male only samples were used believed that women were the same
Shelly Taylor contradicts this women do fight or flight
What ie universality
This is the aim to develop theories that can be applied to all people and it may include real differences
What is androcentrism
Theories focused on men alone and it often leads to neglect and exclusion of women which may result in alpha and beta bias
Give 4 evaluation points for gender bias ins psychology
Feminist psychology
Bias in research methods
Reverse alpha bias
Avoiding beta bias
Describe and explain feminist psychology as an evualtion point for gender bias
By taking a Feminist perspective androcentrism can be countered
They state that biological explanations are the cause of differences in psychology,the social constructionist approach aims to under behaviour in terms of social processes in an aim to find a way to greater equality
They are argue that socially determinesd stereotypes are the greatest cause of differences associated with men and women and only when these stereotypes change equality will follow
They are showing that equality wil occur when changes in our though processes to do with what men and women do change
Describe and explain” bias in research methods “as an evaluation point of gender bias
Psychologists believe that methods of testing and observation in gender are users which causes males and females to be views as different
Rosenthal found an issue in methods is the researchers gender they found That male researchers were more pleasant and encouraging towards females than to males participants
It resulted in male participants not doing as well
Shows how bias in methods of tease have Can cause false negatives in comparing female and male ability
Describe and explain reverse alpha bias as an evaluation point of gender bias
A way to counter attack gender bias especially alpha bias is to develop theories that emphasise the value of women while showing differences in men and women
This is is seen in resarch ie cornwell et al which shows women are better at learning as they are more flexible,attentive and organised
It shows that by showing women in a more positive light than men we can’t prevent gender biased and challenge any stereotypes
Describe and explain avoiding beta bias as an evaluation point of gender bias
This is that although it allowed for greater equality it overlooks women special needs and
Differences in power between men and women
Ie if men and women had equal parental leave it would ignore the biological demands of pregnancy,child birth
It shows although beta bias sees men and women we equal their some mitigating circumstances that men they should be treated differently
What is culture bias
This is the tendency to judge all people in terms of your own cultural assumptions which can distort or biases your judgement
What is culture
These are rules,customs morals and ways of communicating that bring members of a society together
What is alpha bias in relation to culture and give examples
These are theories that assume that there are large difference between culture groups
Ie large difference made between collectivist and individualistic groups
Ie takano and Osaka reviews 15 studies that compared US and Japan in terms of individualism and collectivism,14/15 didn’t share the common view about the differences between the two groups (showing the view isn’t valid
What is beta bias in relation to culture
These are theories that minimise/ignore cultural differences they assume all cultures are the same and they share the same beliefs
This is seen in IQ test that are based on western ideals and cultures that are used in non western people as they make them seem less intelligent
What is ethnocentrism
This is when we use our own ethinic or cultural group as a basis for judgements about other groups
What is alpha bias in terms of ethnocentrism
It can lead to people believing their culture is better and it leads to devaluing other culture and their practices
Ie people from individualistic culture may believe independence is better than dependence
What is beta bias in relation to ethnocentrism
It can lead to people/psychologists believing their world view is the only view
Ie IQ tests,the American IQ tests ere used all over the world as it assumed American standards are universal
What is meant by cultural relativism
This is the the idea that all culture are worthy of respect and we can’t judge behaviour unless we view it in the context of the culture
Ie arranged marriages
What’s alpha bias in terms of cultural relativism
It can lead to psychologist overlooking universal due to assuming their are real differences
Ie Margert and mead research in PNG she concluded initially that due to culture their were significant gender differences only to later find universals that in all culture men were more aggressive than women
What is beta bias in terms in cultural relativism
It’s discussed in terms of mental disorder
As some behaviours common in one culture and can be statically infrequent in another ie hearing voices
Name some evaluation points for culture bias
Indigenous psychologies
Emic and etic approach
Consequences of cultural bias
World wide psychology community
Describe the evaluation point of indigenous psychologies for cultural bias
This is used to counter ethnocentrism in psychology. It’s the development of different groups of theories in different countries
Ie Afrocentrism the movement is that all black people have their roots in Africa and so the psychological theories must be African centred and express African values,it disputes European values as they aren’t relevant to African people
Describe and explain the emic and etic approach as an evaluation point for culture bias
Emic- they emphasise that every culture is unique and it focuses on culturally specfic phenomena
Etic approach-they seek universals of behaviour,the way to achieve this is use indigenous researches in each cultural setting
So both approaches aim to find similarities and differences in cultures without being disrespectful and devaluing another culture
Describe and explain the evaluation point consequences of cultural bias
IQ tests done by the us army which was based in American values
The tests showed that European immigrants fell below white Americans in terms of IQ and African Americans were bottom of the scale with the lowest mental age ,
This resulted in stereotypes concerning ethnic groups and IQ and concentration thus they were devalued
Describe and explain the evaluation point the worldwide psychology community of culture bias
This is that Academics hold international conferences where researchers many different countries and cultures discuss and exchange ideas,as a result it reduces ethnocentrism in psychology enables an understanding of cultural relativism
Enables them to have an increased understanding of other cultures which aids in diminishing culture bias
What is determinism
The view that either external or internal forces are responsible for controlling someone behaviour
What is free will
That each individual has power to control and to make choices over their behaviour
State the 3 types of determinism
Psychic
Biological
Environmental
What is biological determinism and give some examples of studies that show this
This argues that our genes are responsible in controlling our behaviour
Research by Hill et al
They found people with high IQ contain a certain gene IG F2R
Neurotransmitters with OCD and depression
What is environmental determinism (external)
That our behaviour is caused by our pas experience along with classical and operant conditioning
Ie phobias developing,negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement
What is psychic determinism
That innate drives(internal and early experiences(external) are what determine adult behaviour
According to psychic determinism what drives our behaviour
Libido drives our behaviour
What is scientific determinism
It based on the belief that all events have a cause and that an Iv is manipulated to see the causal effect on the DV
Ie Harlow monkeys
What does the humanistic approach state about importance of free will and the cause of our behaviour
It states that self determinism is an important part of human behaviour as it’s needed for self development and actualisation
And that as along as we are controlled by others they cannot take responsibility for their behaviour
What is meant by moral responsibility
That an individual is in charge of their own actions so must be held accountable
Ie kids and mentally ill
Give some evaluation points for free will and determinism
Concordance results show that 100% determination can be found in either genetic or environmental determinism
Scientific determinism oversimplifies our behaviour
Illusion of free will-BF skinner
Culturally relativism
What is meant by hard and soft determinism
Hard determinism is the view that there’s no free will and all behaviour can be predicted
Soft determinism- this version states theirs so element of free will
Describe and explain the evaluation point that genetic and environmental determinism isn’t 100%
Research in studies of twins has found that it’s doubtful to find result that’s find either 100% environmental or genetic determinism
Ie studies comparing twins found 80% similarity in intelligence and 40% in depression
Results support the fact that genetic determinism and environmental determinism rather than being separate work in tandem with each and as a result both impact on behaviour together
Describe and explain the evaluation point that scientific determinism oversimplifies human behaviour
This is that they aren’t appropriate for investigating human behaviour as it’s less rigid and has several influences ie cognitive factors
Meaning finding a simple determinst formula for psychological research is unrealistic
Describe and evaluate the evaluation of point of illusion of free will
BF skinner stated that just because we can decide between different courses of action that this isn’t free will and that the choices we make are determined by previous reinforcement experiences
Ie a person may choose to buy a certain car or see a certain film but these choices are determined by previous reinforcement experiences
Limitation shows free will doesn’t really exist
