Issues and Debates definitions

Question 1

Alpha Bias

Answer 1

When differences between males and females are overstated. For example, the difference in mating behaviours between males and females is exaggerated, suggesting males are more promiscuous by nature.

Question 2

Androcentrism

Answer 2

A bias towards a male centred view. In psychology, many subjects of important studies were male, resulting in general psychology paradigms being more male centred

Question 3

Beta bias

Answer 3

when differences between males and females are understated. E.g the general consensus was that the fight or flight response was equally adopted by male and female animals, whereas it was discovered females could also adopt the tend and befriend response

Question 4

Biological Determinism

Answer 4

The idea that all human behaviour stems from your genetic code in some way

Question 5

Biological reductionism

Answer 5

The idea that behaviour can be reduced to simple physical components such as nerves and ions

Question 6

Cultural relativism

Answer 6

To view a person’s culture from the perspective of someone within that culture rather than your own

Question 7

Determinism

Answer 7

The idea that things are predetermined and everything has a cause

Question 8

Environmental Determinism

Answer 8

The idea that all human behaviour is a direct result of the environment and outside forces

Question 9

Environmental reductionism

Answer 9

The idea that behaviour can be reduced to simple responses to stimuli

Question 10

Ethnocentrism

Answer 10

A bias towards your own culture, and judging other cultures by that subjective standard

Question 11

Hard Determinism

Answer 11

The idea that free will is non existent, all choices and behaviour arise due to pre existent causes

Question 12

Holism

Answer 12

A type of learning approach that suggests that to understand human behaviour we must look at the human as a whole

Question 13

Idiographic Approach

Answer 13

A type of learning approach that suggests we should focus on the unique experiences of each individual to understand human behaviour

Question 14

Interactionist Approach

Answer 14

The idea that all human behaviour has multiple causes that stem from the simplest causes (genes) all the way to complex causes (social and cultural systems)

Question 15

Nomothetic Approach

Answer 15

A type of learning approach that suggests we should establish general laws of behaviour that can be applied to all people to understand human behaviour

Question 16

Psychic determinism

Answer 16

The idea that all human behaviour is a result of unconscious mental processes

Question 17

Reductionism

Answer 17

A type of learning approach that suggests that, to understand human behaviour, we must reduce it to its simplest parts

Question 18

Social sensitivity

Answer 18

The possibility for studies to have results that could negatively impact some groups of people

Question 19

Soft Determinism

Answer 19

The idea that although the choices we pick from are limited and predetermined, humans still have the free will to pick within these predetermined choices