Issues and Debates AO1 and AO3 Flashcards
How does Universality link to Psychology and Gender Bias?
The conclusions drawn from research must be able to link to people across different times and cultures but psychologists are usually influenced by their environment so this may be difficult to achieve
Give an example of Alpha bias in psychology
- The sociobiological theory of relationship formation which suggests that males have to pass on their genes so it is in their best interest to impregnate as many women as possible but females can only pass on their genes by nurturing the offspring they have
Give an example of Beta bias in psychology
- The fight or flight response was based on male animals because their hormones were less likely to fluctuate and the findings were then assumed to be universal.
- It was recently found that the fight or flight response has evolved in females and they will now befriend other females to protect their offspring
Outline how implications of gender bias may be a limitation of gender bias (AO3)
Implications of gender bias may include the failure to challenge negative stereotypes which is a disadvantage as it offers ‘scientific justification’ for discrimination against women
Outline the sexism that may be occurring in the institution of psychology as a limitation of gender bias(AO3)
Males and more likely to be
Females are less likely to reach research level in Psychology as well as less likely to have their work published but males are.
This proves that work that has gender bias is having an influence on people in real life
Oultine one strength of gender bias known as reflexivity(AO3)
Gender bias in research allows for reflexitivty which is where researchers look back at their work and try to fix mistakes they’ve made. This means that we can have more solid research without bias
Outline essentialism as a limitation for gender bias (AO3)
This is where politically motivated arguments are presented as facts to people and suggest that we should follow, them. For instance, the idea that women going to university causes the ovaries to shrink which creates a double standard for males and females
Outline feminist psychologists as a strength of gender bias (AO3)
Worrel (1992) and other feminist psychologists have put forward a criteria that research should meet in order to avoid gender bias such as studying women in real life contexts to investigate their behaviours
What type of people are suggested to dominate the field of psychology?
White American Males
Outline Androcentrism
A type of beta bias that states that conclusions from research conducted on males is normal and if behaviour of females deviates from this they are abnormal
What is free will?
The notion that humans are able to choose our own thoughts and actions. There may be other factors but we are able to reject these.
What is determinism?
This is the idea that our behaviour is pre-determined by factors out of our control
What are 3 examples of determinism
- Biological determinism
- Environmental determinism
- Psychic determinism
What is biological determinism?
Physiological and neurological processes that aren’t under our control determine our behaviour
What is environmental determinism?
Our ‘choice’ is due to reinforcement which occurs through life
What is psychic determinism?
Behaviour is due to unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood
What is soft determinism?
All human action has a cause and but people also have conscious mental control
What is hard determinism?
All behaviour has a cause and it should be possible to identify these causes
What is the case for determinism?
It is consistent with the aims of science as it suggests it is possible to control and predict human behaviour using lab experiments
What is the case against determinism?
It is not consistent with the legal system in the UK as people are always held morally accountable for their actions.
What is the case for free will?
There is evidence which suggests that people with an internal LOC have better mental health which suggests that having free will has a positive impact on us
What is the evidence against free will?
There is evidence that suggests that brain activity may determine the outcome of our behaviours which suggests that our basic experiences are decided for us by our brains
What is the interactionist approach for the free will/determinism debate?
This occurs in social learning theory and Bandura suggested that although environmental factors are key in learning, we are free to choose what to attend to
What is holism?
The idea that any attempt to break up behaviour is inappropriate
What is reductionism?
Breaking it down into different parts and it should all be explained using basic principles
What are the levels of explanation?
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
What is biological reductionism?
Organisms are made from physiological structures and processed and all behaviour can be explained through neuro-chemical, evolutionary and genetic influences
What is environmental reductionism?
Breaking complex behaviour into stimulus-response factors that are measurable in a lab
What i the case for holism?
There are many aspects of behaviour that only occur in group contexts and cannot be understood by looking at individual members For instance, conformity looks at the group and the people in it so it gives a complete understanding
What is the case against holism?
They don’t offer much scientific testing and can be vague as they become more complex. Holism has lack of empirical evidence which is a problem to finding real life solutions
What is the case for reductionism?
These offer basis for scientific research as it is important to break down behaviours into smaller parts so they can be tested. This gives psychology greater credibility
What is the case against reductionism?
It may oversimplify behaviours and this can lead to loss of validity. For instance, only looking at the genes don’t look into the social context. This approach can only form part of the explanation
What is the interactionist approach to the holism/reductionism debate?
This considers different levels of explanations and the diathesis-stress model suggests that mental disorders may occur through having a disposition and being triggered by the environment which has led to treatments including CBT and drug therapy
What is the idiographic approach?
Aims to look into the behaviour of the individual and their subjective experiences
What research methods is the idiographic approach associated with?
Case studies, unstructured, qualitative data
