Paper 3 : Issues And Debates Flashcards
Alpha gender bias
Exaggerating differences between genders and favouring one over the other
Beta bias
Ignoring differences between genders, assuming both are the same
Androcentrism
Male centred, seeing males as the norm
Gynocentrism
Female centred, seeing females as the norm
Examples of alpha gender bias
Grossman role of the father
Example of beta gender bias
Zimbardo (androcentric)
Ainsworth (gynocentric)
Causes of gender bias
Social inequality - most studies were carried out 50 years ago when most researchers were men
Inequality in research - rosenthal found that men researchers treated women differently when participants
Consequences of gender bias
Prejudice - could leads to discrimination
Wrongly applied findings
Solutions to gender bias
Feminist psychology - include representation for each gender in sample and research team
Universality - different but equal
Alpha culture bias
Exaggerating differences between cultures and favouring one over the other
Beta culture bias
Ignoring difference between cultures and assuming they are both the same
Ethnocentrism
Viewing other cultures from the perspective of your own
Imposed etic
Using culturally specific method in another culture
Cultural relativism
Seeing each culture as separate and judging it on its own norms and values
Example of alpha culture bias
Van Ijzendoorn
Example of beta culture bias
Most studies
Zimbardo
Example of imposed etic and ethnocentrism
Strange situation method
Causes of culture bias
Ethnocentrism in education - most studies you learn about in school are US or UK based research and written in English
Social inequality - most funding for research goes to affluent middle class
Consequences for cultural bias
Prejudice
Wrongly applied findings
Solutions to culture bias
Indigenous psychologies - employ psychologists who are from each culture to translate the method into something that is more relevant to that culture
Globalisation - development of technology and trnasport mean we know more about cultures than before
Free will
We are in control of our actions and behaviours regardless of external or internal influences
Free will evaluation
Important for moral responsibility
Most people believe we have free will
Determinism
Free will does not exist and all of our actions are caused by external and internal influences
Types of determinism
Hard, soft, biological, environmental, psychic
Determinism evaluation
More scientific
More useful
Research - libet found there was brain activity fractions of a second before the participant felt the conscious urge to press a button
Nature
The belief that our characteristics are given to us innately through genetic inheritance
Evaluation for nature
Family studies
Twin studies
Adoption studies
Candidate gene research
Nurture
Idea that we are born as blank slates and our characteristics are the product of our upbringing and experiences
Nurture debates
Family studies and twin studies, siblings or twins share the same enviorment
Corcordajce rates are never 100%
Hard to control all variables in adoption studies
Candidate genes - epigenetics can change genes
Interactionist approach
Belief that both nature and nurture are involved
Diathesis stress
Assumes we have genetic predisposition but life events cause genes to express themselves
Holism
Explaining a behaviour by looking at all of the different aspects and the interactions between them
Holism evaluation
More valid
Necessary for understanding complex phenomena like consciousness
Reductionist
Breaking down phenomena to its constituent parts and ignoring the connection between parts.
Types of reductionism
Biological, environmental, machine, experimental
Reductionist evaluation
Easier to carry out
More useful for application like treatments
Allows for specialism
Nomothetic
Large samples, quantitative methods, hypothesis testing, creates general laws
Idiographic
Sees individual experiences as most important
Small samples, qualitative methods eg case studies unstructured interviews, does not use hypothesis, find exceptions to general laws
Idiographic evaluation
More internal validity
More useful for specific people
Required to find exceptions
Nomothetic emulation
More reliable
More applications
Ethical implications
Effect a study can have on society
Socially sensitive research
Any research that could have a negative effect on a specific group
Sieber and Stanley
Identified 4 problematic areas for socially sensitive research
Research question
Asking certain questions gives them scientific credibility and the researchers intentions are in question
Treatment of participants
Must ensure anonymity
Institutional context
Researchers may manipulate data or not publish findings they don’t like (publication bias)
Interpretation and application of findings
Media or general public can interpret them in damaging ways
Solutions for ethical implications
Avoid all socially sensitive research
All research should be pre registered
Stricter rules about how the media report on science
