Issues and Debates

Question 1

Andocentrism

Answer 1

Theories that are centred or focused on males.

Question 2

Beta Bias

Answer 2

Theories that ignore or minimise sex differences, i.e. Bandura’s 1980’s Bobo Doll assuming males studies can be applied to females.

Question 3

Biological Determinism

Answer 3

All human behaviour is innate and heredity determined by genes.

Question 4

Biological Reductionism

Answer 4

Biological psychologists try to reduce behaviour to a physical level: neurons, neurotransmitter, hormones, brain structure etc.

Question 5

Causal Explanations

Answer 5

Science has the weakness of heavy determinism in causal relationships. E.g it’s wants to find out if X causes Y, if the IV changes the DV.

Question 6

Cultural Relativism

Answer 6

Insists behaviour can only be properly understood if cultural context is considered.

Question 7

Cultural Bias

Answer 7

Judging other people biased on your own cultural assumptions.

Question 8

Determinism

Answer 8

Free will is an illusion, behaviour is controlled by internal and external factors we have no control over ie behaviourism.

Question 9

Environmental Determinism

Answer 9

Behaviour is controlled by external forces by previous experience through operant or classical conditioning (behaviourism).

Question 10

Environmental Reductionism

Answer 10

Behaviourists assume all behaviour is due to stimulus-response associations and complex behaviours are a chain of these.

Question 11

Ethical Implications

Answer 11

The impact of psychological research on the participants: protection from harm, deception, privacy and confidentiality and informed consent.

Question 12

Endnocentrism

Answer 12

Only seeing the world through your own cultural perception, and believing this is right and correct.

Question 13

Free Will

Answer 13

We can play an active role and have choice in how we behave.

Question 14

Gender Bias

Answer 14

Differential treatment and/or representation of males and females due to stereotypes over fact.

Question 15

Hard Determinism

Answer 15

The total view that outside forces shape behaviour, incompatible with free will. For example, behaviourism, the biological approach and psychodynamic approach.

Question 16

Heredity

Answer 16

Traits and genes are passed down genetically generation by generation.

Question 17

Holism

Answer 17

Human behaviour should be viewed as an whole integrated experience not separate parts.

Question 18

Idiographic Approach

Answer 18

Focus on individuals and emphasise personal unique experience of human nature.

Question 19

Interactionist Approach

Answer 19

Several layers of explanation is necessary to explain human behaviour, from lower (biological) to higher (social and cultural) levels.

Question 20

Nature vs Nurture Debate

Answer 20

Whether genetic inheritance or environmental factors have the biggest impact on the development of human behaviour.

Question 21

Nomothetic Approach

Answer 21

Concerned by establishing general laws, based on studying large groups of people, and the use of statistical (quantitative) techniques to analyse data.

Question 22

Psychic Determinism

Answer 22

Human behaviour results from childhood experiences(nurture) and innate drives (nature), in psychodynamic approach its interactionist.

Question 23

Reductionism

Answer 23

Human behaviour can be simplified into smaller components.

Question 24

Soft Determinism

Answer 24

Behaviour is due to environmental or biological factors only to a certain extent, ie cognitive approach.

Question 25

Reciprocal Determinism

Answer 25

Behaviour is controlled through cognitive processes but also by the environment, suggests we have free will.