Issues and debates

Question 1

Universality and bias

Answer 1

The aim to develop theories that apply to all people, despite differences to experience and upbringing.
Bias, lack of validity & issues w/ reliability reduce universality of findings

Question 2

Androcentrism

Answer 2

Psycho v much male-centred and therefore theories produced tend to represent a male world view. ‘Normal’ behaviour is judged according to a male standard, so any behave that deviates from this standard likely to be judged as ‘abnormal’

Question 3

Alpha bias

Answer 3

Exaggerates the differences betw men and women. Consequence is that theories then devalue one gender in comparison to the other

Question 4

Beta bias

Answer 4

A tendency to ignore or minimise differences betw men and women. Such theories tend to either ignore Qs about the lives of women, or assume that insights derived form studies of men apply equally well to women

Question 5

Cultural bias

Answer 5

The tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret things in terms of your own cultural assumptions. So if norm for a certain behave deviated from your culture, seen as abnormal/inferior

Question 6

Ethnocentrism

Answer 6

Refers to use of our own cultural group as a basis for judgements about other groups. In its extreme form, it’s the belie in the superiority of one’s own culture which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures

Question 7

Cultural relativism

Answer 7

The idea that behave can only be meaningful and understood within social and cultural contexts in which it originates

Question 8

Free will

Answer 8

The notion that human are self-determining and so are free to choose our own thoughts and actions and make choces and that these aren’t determined by internal (biological) or external forces

Question 9

Determinism

Answer 9

The view that an indivs behav is shaped or controlled by internal/external forces rather than an indivs will to do something

Question 10

Hard determinism

Answer 10

Implies that free will is not possible as our behave is always caused by internal/external events beyond our control. Suggests all human behave has a cause and it should be possible to identify and describe these causes and thus all behav can predicted

Question 11

Soft determinism

Answer 11

Human behav has causes, but behav can also be determines by our conscious choices, by our free will in the absence of coercion

Question 12

Biological determinism

Answer 12

The belief that behav is caused by biological influences that we can’t control. Eg, genes which influence brain structure, NT’s and hormones

Question 13

Psychic determinism

Answer 13

Freud’s psychoanalytic theory suggests that human behav is determines by unconscious conflicts, repressed in childhood. Behav is driven by biological drives and instincts, like libido and slip of tongue can be explained by the unconscious

Question 14

Environmental determinism

Answer 14

The belief that behav is caused by features of the environment that we can’t control, like experiences or CC/OC

Question 15

Holism

Answer 15

A theory that proposes studying systems as a whole rather than its constituent parts and suggests we can’t predict how whole system will behave just form a knowledge of individual components

Question 16

Reductionism

Answer 16

A theory that breaks down complex phenomena into more simple components

Question 17

Biological reductionism

Answer 17

Reducing behav to biology, which attempts to explain social and psychological phenomena at a lower biological level, in terms of neurones, NT, hormones

Question 18

Environmental (stimulus-response) reductionism

Answer 18

A form of reductionism which attempts to explain all behav in terms of simple stimulus response links

Question 19

Idiographic approach

Answer 19

A method of studying behav which focuses on indivs and emphasises their uniqueness as a means of understanding behav, w/o the aim of developing general principles. Qualitative data

Question 20

Nomothetic approach

Answer 20

Involves the study of a large number of ppl and involves making generalisations or develop laws about their behav. Allows for future behav to be predicted. Quantitative methods.

Question 21

Socially sensitive research

Answer 21

Any research that might have direct social consequences for the ppts in the research or the group they represent

Question 22

Ethical implications

Answer 22

How research findings are represented in the media, impact of their work on public policy, on ppl and how it may influence our perception of certain groups in society. (-ve impact)

Question 23

Dealing w/ social sensitivity

Answer 23

• Debriefing of ppts, parents, teachers…
• Care in relation to publication
• Disclosure of results
• Confidentiality/anonymity
• Informed consent- may not understand what’s going on

Question 24

Nature-nurture debate

Answer 24

The argument as to whether a person’s development and behaviour is mainly due to their genes or to environmental influences ( experiences). The debate is about the relative contribution of each of these influences

Question 25

Heredity

Answer 25

Process by which traits are passed down form parents to their offspring via genetic inheritance

Question 26

Environment

Answer 26

Any influence on human behav that is non-genetic. Eg, pre-natal influences in womb (mum smokes) to cultural experiences

Question 27

Nature

Answer 27

Any influence on behav which is genetic or innate, eg, the action of genes, NT, runs in families

Question 28

Nurture

Answer 28

Behav is a product of environmental . Eg, pre-natal or post-natal: social conditions kids grow up in, cultural context, traumatic event in past

Question 29

Interactionist approach

Answer 29

The view that the processes of nature and nurture work together rather than in opposition