Issues and debates lessons 1-7 Flashcards
What is gender bias
when psychological research may offer a view that doesn’t justifiably represent the experience of men or women
what is alpha bias
when there is a misrepresentation of behaviour because researchers overestimate the differences between genders and it often devalues women
what is beta bias
when misrepresentation of behaviour because researchers underestimate gender differences. This often happens when female participants are not included in a research study but is assumed that the research can be applied to both genders and it
what is a consequence of beta bias
Androcentrism which is a male based view of the world. male behaviour is seen as acceptable and female behaviour is seen as less acceptable
what is universality
it means the conclusions can be applied to everyone regardless of time culture or gender. psychologists claim they discover facts about humans which are objective and not influenced by their own values.
evaluation of gender bias
ADV: male researchers more likely to have their work published than female researchers. this is a form of institutional sexism.
DIS: gender bias can be avoided: researchers shouldn’t generalise findings from males to females and should use both genders for pps. Researchers should also reflect on their own gender biases when conducting research
what is cultural bias
the tendency to judge people based on their own cultural assumptions
what is ethnocentrism
Emphasising the importance of the behaviour of one’s own culture the practice of judging other cultures according to your own culture’s norms. can lead to prejudice and discrimination against other ethnic groups
what is cultural relativism
Appreciating that behaviour varies between cultures the idea that the behaviour can only be fully understood within the context of the norms of the culture in which it occurs
evaluation of cultural bias
ADV: psychologists found that african caribbean immigrants in the uk were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness than the normal population. Some mental illnesses exist in certain cultures but not others.
DIS: there is evidence that some human behaviours are universal such as happiness and disgust emotions
how can you minimise cultural bias
Avoid generalising findings or theories to cultures not represented in their research samples and conduct cross cultural research rather than focusing on a single culture
what is free will
humans are self determining and can choose our thoughts and actions
what is soft determinism
behaviour and traits are determined by certain factors but you still have some level of control
what is hard determinism
belief that behaviours and traits are entirely out of persons control
what are the types of hard determinism
Biological - behaviour governed by internal factors such as genetics and brain structure
Environmental- behaviour shaped by external influences such as upbringing
Psychic - behaviour driven by unconscious motives and desires
evaluation of determinism
ADV - empirical evidence supports determinism as a psychologist found that when pps were asked to choose whether to press a button with their left or right hand, brain imaging revealed that their decision was made up to 10 seconds before they reported conscious awareness of their choice.
DIS - free will has strong face validity as the idea that we consciously make choices aligns with common sense and everyday experiences. research has found that people with a high internal locus of control so they believe they have control over their actions are more mentally healthy.
What is nature
nature is rooted in nativist theory which suggests knowledge and abilities are innate
biological approach to support nature
SZ concordance rates are 40% in monozygotic twins and 7% in dizygotic twins
What is nurture
based on theory which argues knowledge comes from learning and experience
behaviourist approach to support nurture
all behaviour is learnt through experience for example babies associating mothers with food as classical conditioning
evaluation of nature vs nurture debate
DIS: nurture can influence nature as found by maguire as he found hippocampus’s were larger than control group from increased use of navigational skills. Interactionist approach has found that biology and environment work together e.g. IQ heritability is around 0.5 so both play a role
what is reductionism
The concept of explaining behaviour by breaking it down into smaller more fundamental components.
what are the three levels of reductionism
Highest: Sociological level - Cultural and social explanations of behaviour
Middle: Psychological level - behavioural and cognitive explanations
Lowest: Biological level - physiological explanations and is the most extreme form
what are the types of reductionism
Biological (most extreme) - reduces behaviour to activity of neurones and genes
Machine (mid level) - treats organisms as machine like systems where behaviour is broken down into distinct cognitive processes
Environmental (less extreme) - reduces behaviour to activity stimulus-response relationship, ignoring internal processes.
What is holism
the highest level of explanation of behaviour, taking account of all aspects of a persons behaviour/experience
evaluation of reductionism
ADV: both biological and environmental reductionism are viewed as scientific as breaking down complex behaviours are easier to test scientifically over time. Biological reductionism has also led to the development of biological therapies.
DIS: Most research to support environmental determinism is from non human animals (pavlov and skinner) so it can’t necessarily be generalised to humans. Biological determinism can lead to errors of understanding because it is simplistic and ignores complex interaction of many factors in determining behaviour
what is ideographic
focusing on unique insights rather than generalising to the population
what is nomothetic
the study of a large representative sample ideally using random sampling
what are methods of research in idiographic
case studies
unstructured interviews
what are methods of research for nomothetic
structured interviews and lab studies
which approaches are idiographic
psychodynamic
humanistic
which approaches are nomothetic
Biological
Behavioural
Cognitive
evaluation of idiographic approach
ADV: provides rich in depth information of unique cases and are highly scientific and objective
DIS: Can’t be generalised or wider population due to the uniqueness of cases and is more time consuming and costly
what is socially sensitive research
research where the topic area can have implications on society and could lead to change in the way these groups are treated or perceived
what are the four aspects in scientific research that raise ethical implications in socially sensitive research
1) The research question:
2) The methodology used:
3) The institutional context:
4) Interpretation and application of findings:
evaluation of socially sensitive research
ADV: psychologists should conduct socially sensitive research because many groups in society have suffered the consequences of being excluded from research such as people with disabilities, women and elderly people.
DIS: although there are some social consequences from psychological research there is increased potential for a more indirect impact on the group that the participant represents.
