Issues and debates Flashcards
What is the first issue and debate
Gender and culture
What is universality?
to develop theories that apply to all peopple
what is alpha bias?
research that exaggerates differences between men and women
what is beta bias?
researh that ignores differences between men and women.
what is androcentrism?
centred on men
what is ethnocentrism?
judging others by the standards of your own culture.
what is cutural relativism?
behaviour cannot be properly judged unless it is viewed in the context of the culture in which it orignates.
Evaluation of gender bias
Misleading assumptions
As science leads to real world applications, it may provide scientific justification for denying women opportunites.
Evalution of gender bias
Sexism in research process
male researchers are more likely to have their work published than females.
Evaluation of gender bias
Feminist commentator views
women should be studied in meaningful, real life contexts.
diversity within groups of women should also be examined.
Collaborative research methods that collect qualitative data.
Evaluation of culture bias
Individualism-Collectivism
Western cultures place emphasis on independence, whereas collective cultures emphasise interconnectedness.
Research has suggested that culture bias is less of an issue than it once was, 14/15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of traditional distinction.
Evaluation of culture bias
Cultrual relativism vs universality
it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal behaviour.
basic facial expressions are the same all around the world.
Evalution of culture bias
Unfamiliarity with research tradition
In western culture, aims and objectives of scientific enquiry is assumed, however, may not extend to cultures without a history of research.
What is the second issue and debate?
Free will and determinism
What is determinism?
behaviour is controlled by either internal or external forces acting upon the individual.
what is hard determinism?
all human behaviour has a cause and in principle it should be possible to identify all these cuases.
What is soft determinism?
there is some room for manoeuvre, in that peole have some conscious control over the way they behave.
What is biological determinism?
behaviour is determined by biological factors outside of out control.
What is environmental determinism?
Behaviour is determined by environmental factors outside of our control.
What is psychic determinism?
Behaviour is determined by unconscious conflicts outside of our control.
For determinism
consistent with the aims of science.
notion that human behaviour follows laws places psychology on an equal footing to other sciences.
the prediction and control of behaviour has led to the development of therapies and treatments.
Against determinism
not consistent with the way our legal system operates- offenders held morally acountable.
unfalsifiable.
For free will
face valisity as everyday expereicne gives the impression we are constantly exercising free will.
research suggests peopple with an internal locus of control tend to be more mentally healthy.
the fact we think we have free will may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.
Against free will
our most basic experiences of free will are decided by our brain before we are aware of them.
What is the third issue and debate?
nature vs nurture
what is nature
when behaviour is seen to be a product of innate genetic factors
what is nurture
when behaviour is seen to be a product of environmental factors
what is the contribution of nature and nurture called?
the relative importance of heredity and environment in determining behaviour
what is the interactionist approach ?
behaviour is a product of genetic and environmental influences working together
what is the diathesis- stress model?
when behaviour is a product of genetic and environmental influences working together
implications of taking a nature/ nurture stance
led to controversy such as that which attempted to link race, genetics and intelligence - socially sensitive
the nurture perspective would suggest that any behaviour can be changed by altering environmental conditions
difficult to test (nature nurture)
research such as twin studies is complicated by the fact that even siblings raised in the same family may not have experienced the exact same environment
constructivism (nature nurture)
the notion that genes and environment interact is elaborated
people actively seek environments that are appropriate for their nature
issue and debate 4
holism and reductionism
what is holism?
analysis of the person or behaviour as a whole and breaking down behaviour is inappropriate
what is reductionism
analysing behaviour by breaking down into its constituent parts and explaining it at the simplest level
what are levels of explanation
there are different ways of explaining the same phenomenon in psychology
what is biological reductionism
analysis of behaviour by breaking it down into its constituent parts and explaining it at the simplest physiological level
what is environmental reductionism
breaking complex learning down into simple stimulus- response links
the case for holism
often there are aspects of social behaviour that only emerge in a group context and cannot be understood at the level of the individual group members
provides a more complete abs global understanding of behaviour
against holism
no scientific testing
vague and speculative
for reductionism
forms the basis of scientific research
makes it possible to conduct experiments in a way that is meaningful and reliable
greater credibility
against reductionism
oversimplification of complex phenomena leading to loss of validity
do not include analysis of the social context of behaviours
What is the fifth issue and debate?
idiographic and nomothetic
what is idiographic
focuses on an individual case as a means of understanding behaviour rather than aiming to formulate general laws
what is the nomothetic approach?
attempts to study human behaviour through the development of general principles and universal laws
what are examples of the idiographic approach
humanistic psychology- investigating unique experiences
psychodynamic approach- freud’s reliance on case studies
what are examples of the nomothetic approach?
research conducted by cognitive. behaviourist and biological psychologists
what are idiographic examples in memory topic?
clive wearing
HM
KF
EVR
what are nomothetic examples for memory?
peterson and peterson
baddley
godden and baddley
bahrik
FOR the idiographic approach
in depth qualitative- provides a global account of the individual
a single case may generate a hypothesis for further study
AGAINST idiographic approach
restricted nature
meaningful generalisations cannot be made from a single case
not scientific and subjective
FOR nomothetic approach
more scientific
standardised conditions , control
aim to establish norms of typical behaviour
AGAINST nomothetic approach
losing the whole person
subjective experience of participants is ignored
What is the sixth issue and debate
ethical implications
what does ethical implications mean?
the way that research impacts on those who take part and also the way findings are communicated to the public and how they are used
what does socially sensitive mean?
studies in which there are potential consequences or implications either directly from the participants or the class of individual representatives by research
