Issues And Debates Flashcards
Describe and evaluate gender bias - A01
Universality - all findings in psychology can be applies to all humans world wide
Alpha bias - differences between the sexes are presented as fixed and inevitable, devaluing females compared to males.
Beta bias - ignoring or underestimating differences between the sexes, usually due to females not being included as participants, so research is falsely applied to both sexes.
Androcentrism - if understanding of normal behaviour comes from male participants, leads to female behaviour see as abnormal and taken for signs of illness.
Describe and evaluate gender bias - AO3
LIMITATION - grossman, role of the farther, example of alpha bias
LIMITATION - Aschs participants all male
STRENGTH - stratified sampling erases participants being all one gender
LIMITATION - gender bias can lead to sexism in research process
Describe and evaluate cultural bias - AO1
Cultural bias - a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomenal/ investigation findings through the lens of your own culture
Universality- all findings in psychology can be applies to all humans world wide.
Enthnocentrism- belief in the superiority of your own cultural group and judging other cultures by the standards of your own cultures
Cultural relativism - norms and values as well as ethics can only be understood within the culture.
Emic - observing behaviour within a given culture and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
Etic- observing behaviour outside a given culture and attempting to describe the behaviours that are universal.
Describe and evaluate cultural bias - AO3
STRENGTH- Metltzoff and Moore - interactional synchrony, adults display one of 3 facial expressions, facial expressions are universal imposed Etic isn’t real.
LIMITATION - Takahashi- japenese babies are rarely separated from their mothers, strange situations
LIMITATION - van ijenzendoorn- collectivist cultures,
STRENGTH - cross cultural research promotes greater sensitivity and leads to more valid conclusions
Describe and evaluate the debate between free will and determinism - AO1
Free will - humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces.
Links to humanistic approach
Determinism- behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individual’s will to do something.
Hard determinism - there is a cause for behaviour which can be identified, internal and external forces cause behaviour to be out of our control.
Soft determinism - behaviour has causes but also can be determined by our conscious choices
Types of influences - biological, environmental, psychic conflicts.
Describe and evaluate the debate between free will and determinism - AO3
Free will
STRENGTH- promotes internal locus of control and responsibility
LIMITATION - liberty and soon, the brain made the decision to push the button with their left or right hand even before they were consciously aware.
DETERMINISM
STRENGTH - no one one to be mentally ill
LIMITATION - not consistent with our legal system, gives individuals an alibi
Describe and evaluate the nature nurture debate - AO1
Nature - innate and genetic influences, supported by nativists
Hereditary - genetic transmission of mental and physical characteristics from one generation to the next
Nurture - environmental influences.
Interactionist approach - the idea that nature and nurture are linked so much that it doesn’t make sense to separate them, so researchers study how they interact and influence eachother.
Diathesis stress model - mental disorders are caused by biological vulnerability which is only expressed when coupled with an environmental trigger.
Describe and evaluate holism and reductionism - AO1
Holism - the belief that people and behaviour should be studied as a whole system
Person cantered therapy
Reductionism - breaking down the behaviour into smaller units
Bio reductionism - behaviour that can be explained at neurochemical, neurophysical, evolutionary and genetic levels.
Environmental reductionism - linked to behaviourist approach, studying stimulus response on the physical level
Describe and evaluate holism and reductionism - AO3
Holism
STRENGTH - zimbardos research, learn about group behaviour
LIMITATION - less scientific
Reductionism
STRENGTH- Pavlov can establish cause and effect
LIMITATION- over simplifies OCD
Describe and evaluate idiographic and normothetic approaches - AO1
Idiographic approach - focuses on the nature of the individual and studies people as unique entities.
Links to humanistic and psychodynamic
Qualitive data
NORMOTHETIC APPROACH- produces general laws of human behaviour and provides a benchmark against which people be compared.
Linked to cognitive and biological
Lab studies
Describe and evaluate idiographic and normothetic approaches - AO3
Idiographic
STRENGTH - HM we can get case studies to stem other research
LIMITATION - case studies lack generalisability
Normothetic
STRENGTH - scientific method
LIMITATION - individual differences
Discuss the ethical implications of research studies in psychology - AO1
The impact that psychological research may have in terms of the rights of those who take part in research, and the way the findings have been communicated to the public and how they are used.
Socially sensitive - potential social implications either directly for participants involved or the individuals represented.
Seiber and Stanley identified concerns:
Validity - may be fraud
Implications - may give scientific status to prejudice or discrimination
Public use - go to the wrong person
Discuss the ethical implications of research studies in psychology - AO3
STRENGTH- scarr, research of underrepresented groups may promote understanding
LIMITATION - sieber and Stanley, warn about phrasing of questions, researchers must be open minded and give non directional hypothesis
LIMITATION - popcorn and coca-cola images were flashed on the screen, too quickly for the audience to notice but to increase sales, it was used to manipulate but found untrue
LIMITATION - may be used to validate discriminatory practices by the government.
