issues and debates paper 3

Question 1

what is meant by reductionism

Answer 1

reducing things to their simplest form/basic units

Question 2

what are the 2 types of reductionism

Answer 2

biological and environmental

Question 3

what are levels of explanation

Answer 3

the notion that there are different ways to explain the same phenomena

Question 4

what is biological reductionism

Answer 4

human behaviour can be explained through through genetics

Question 5

what is environmental reductionism

Answer 5

a stimulus-response - our behaviour can be explained through what we observe

Question 6

evaluation of reductionism

Answer 6

1. STRENGTH: biological explanations of OCD

2. LIMITATION: misses complexity of human behaviour

Question 7

what does holism refer to

Answer 7

looking at behaviour as a whole

Question 8

evaluation of holism

Answer 8

1. STRENGTH: humanistic approach

2. LIMITATION: not scientific enough

Question 9

compromise to holism and reductionism

Answer 9

start by looking at behaviour through reductionism then build to holism

Question 10

what is meant by free will

Answer 10

that we have the power to make/choose our own behaviours

Question 11

evaluation of free will

Answer 11

1. STRENGTH: locus of control

2. LIMITATION: not scientific enough

Question 12

what is meant by determinism

Answer 12

the belief that our behaviours are already preprogrammed and we have no control over them

Question 13

what are the 5 types of determinism

Answer 13

hard, soft, psychic, biological and environmental

Question 14

what is hard determinism

Answer 14

belief that free will is impossible as internal and external factors control our behaviour

Question 15

what is soft determinism

Answer 15

behaviour can be determined by our conscious choices

Question 16

what is biological determinism

Answer 16

behaviour is caused by biological influences that we cannot control

Question 17

what is environmental determinism

Answer 17

behaviour is caused by rewards and punishments that we cannot control

Question 18

what is psychic determinism

Answer 18

behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control

Question 19

what does causal explanation mean in terms of determinism

Answer 19

every behaviour has a a cause and that causes can be explained by general laws

Question 20

what are the psychologist’s names who believe in the nature argument

Answer 20

nativists

Question 21

what do nativists believe about behaviour

Answer 21

that all behaviour is innate

Question 22

what does innate mean

Answer 22

pre-programmed since birth

Question 23

evaluation of the nature argument

Answer 23

1. STRENGTH: neural and hormonal explanations of aggression

2. LIMITATION: twin studies - confounding variables

Question 24

what are the psychologist’s names who believe in the nurture argument

Answer 24

empiricists

Question 25

what do empiricists believe about behaviour

Answer 25

that we are born knowing no behaviours and that we learn behaviour through experience

Question 26

evaluation of the nurture argument

Answer 26

1. STRENGTH: behaviourist approach | 2. LIMITATION: twin studies are less scientific

Question 27

what does idiographic mean

Answer 27

a case study that is distinct from general laws

Question 28

what type of data does idiographic research create

Answer 28

qualitive

Question 29

how is idiographic research collected

Answer 29

self-report techniques

Question 30

evaluation of idiographic research

Answer 30

1. STRENGTH: HM - memory | 2. LIMITATION: individual differences - lacks population validity

Question 31

what does nomothetic mean

Answer 31

general laws that can apply to a study or theory

Question 32

what type of data does nomothetic research give

Answer 32

quantitive

Question 33

what does nomothetic research allow us to do

Answer 33

create general laws of behaviour

Question 34

evaluation of nomothetic research

Answer 34

1. STRENGTH: a meta-analysis - van izendorn | 2. LIMITATION: cannot explain everyone

Question 35

what is the compromise to nomothetic and idiographic

Answer 35

start nomothetic then go idiographic

Question 36

what is a cultural bias

Answer 36

judging people based off of the expectations of your own culture

Question 37

what is ethnocentrism

Answer 37

judging other cultures from your culture and seeing your expectations as the norm

Question 38

what is cultural relativism

Answer 38

the belief that all cultures have different beliefs and that no cultures are superior

Question 39

what is universality

Answer 39

where a theory can apply to all, regardless of culture or gender

Question 40

strength of cultural bias

Answer 40

1. STRENGTH: strange situation

Question 41

why is cultural bias a problem

Answer 41

creates discrimintation in the strange situation

Question 42

why is cultural bias not a problem

Answer 42

universal features - social releases

Question 43

compromise to cultural bias

Answer 43

use all cultures in studies

Question 44

what is alpha bias

Answer 44

when differences between males and females are exaggerated

Question 45

what is beta bias

Answer 45

when differences between males and females are minimised

Question 46

what is androcentrism

Answer 46

when behaviours are judged from a male standard

Question 47

what is a strength of alpha bias

Answer 47

monotropic theory

Question 48

what is a strength of beta bias

Answer 48

kholberg theory

Question 49

what is a strength of androcentrism

Answer 49

asch

Question 50

why is gender bias an issue

Answer 50

creates discrimination against females

Question 51

why is gender bias not a problem

Answer 51

there are universal features

Question 52

what is the compromise to gender bias

Answer 52

use both sexes in experiments

Question 53

what does ethical implications mean

Answer 53

when publishing research can cause problems for specific groups of people

Question 54

strength of ethical implications

Answer 54

role of the father

Question 55

why are ethical implications a problem

Answer 55

discrimination - IQ test led to steralisation

Question 56

why are ethical implications not a problem

Answer 56

tries to reduce stigma around minority groups

Question 57

compromise to ethical implications

Answer 57

make participants anonymous