PSYCH 230 Flashcards
What advantage does the evolution of language provide humans?
It allows us to learn and teach, facilitating the development of a legal system.
How does social coordination contribute to the legal system?
It enables humans to work together to establish and maintain laws.
What capacity do humans have regarding well-being?
We can prioritize our well-being and consider it before others.
How do humans typically behave in social contexts?
We maximize prosocial cooperation and minimize antisocial competition.
What are the three systems that comprise the legal framework?
Laws, enforcement, and sanctions.
What must we understand to effectively navigate the legal system?
How people think, feel, behave, and how we relate to each other.
What disciplines contribute to our understanding of the legal system?
Various disciplines, particularly psychology, along with its subdisciplines.
What are the major divisions in psychology related to the legal system?
- Understanding +gathering information= (basic research)
- intervention+gathering informtion= (testing and assessment)
- understanding+promte change= (applied research)
- intervention+promote change=(treatment)
How does the legal system rely on precedent?
It relies on past cases for consistency in decision-making.
What is the main focus of research psychology compared to the legal system?
Research psychology emphasizes innovation and creativity, while the legal system is authoritative and hierarchical.
What method does the legal system use to arrive at “truth”?
An adversarial method.
What is the approach of research psychology in determining “truth”?
An experimental method.
What type of evidence does the legal system often rely on?
Evidence based on the appearance of certainty.
How do goals differ between the legal system and psychology?
The legal system aims for consistency in specific situations, while psychology aims to understand before acting.
What is the principle of respect for human dignity?
Acknowledging the inherent worth of individuals, including understanding the risks involved in certain contexts.
What does free and informed consent entail?
Participants should feel they want to participate and must know and agree to the conditions of the study.
Why is it important to respect vulnerable persons in research?
Vulnerability varies by situation, and special care must be taken to protect these individuals.
What does respect for privacy and confidentiality mean in research?
Protecting participants’ personal information and ensuring their data is kept confidential.
How do researchers balance harms and benefits?
By evaluating if the discomfort caused to participants is worth the potential knowledge gained.
What assumption underlies scientific inquiry?
The belief that the world is orderly and that we can determine cause-and-effect relationships.
What is the goal of scientific research?
To understand phenomena in order to predict or control them.
What is internal validity?
The degree to which an experiment accurately reflects the true relationship between variables.
What are threats to internal validity?
Bias introduced by researchers or participants that can affect results.
What constitutes researcher bias?
Leading questions, selective data collection, and vested interests in confirming hypotheses.
What is participant bias?
Bias arising from participants’ motivations or memory issues, often due to self-selection.
What is external validity?
The extent to which research results can be generalized to other populations, environments, or conditions.
What are some threats to external validity?
Inappropriate generalizations, reverse causation, and ignoring multiple causality.
What is one threat to validity related to chance?
The possibility that results may be due to random luck rather than actual effects.
How do researchers deal with chance in results?
By using statistics to evaluate the likelihood that results are due to chance and emphasizing replication.
What is Schwartz’s (1992) values theory?
A framework for identifying core motives that drive human behavior.
How are values defined in Schwartz’s theory?
Values are trans-situational goals that vary in importance and serve as guiding principles.
Are values stable or changeable?
Values are not stable; they can change over time.
What process is used to develop values according to Schwartz?
A bottom-up process, starting with known concepts and expanding outward.
What are the categories of values identified by Schwartz?
Open to change, self-transcendent, self-enhancing, and conservation.
How does conservation relate to the law?
It emphasizes openness to change while seeking justice and relying on legal precedents.
What legal system does Canada use?
Canada employs a common law system, interpreting statutes according to precedent.
What is the traditional focus of the law in relation to society?
The law traditionally focuses on the well-being of the group, or society as a whole.
What document supports individual rights in Canada?
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
How do values like self-enhancement and self-transcendence interact in the legal system?
They reflect the tension between individual interests and the greater good in legal decision-making.
What does the sociological theory of offending focus on?
It emphasizes structural influences, including the impact of deprived culturally valued rules and sub-cultures.
What is a key concept in control theories within sociology?
People tend to act in self-serving and entitled ways.
How is IQ related to crime in biological theories?
Certain IQ levels may be associated with criminal behavior, though it doesn’t predict offending.
What hormonal factor is considered in biological theories of offending?
High testosterone levels may be linked to aggressive behavior.
How does low serotonin affect behavior according to neurological theories?
Low serotonin can lead to negative moods and an increased likelihood of engaging in bad behaviors.
Q: What does psychological theory suggest about behavior?
Behavior is learned through conditioning and modeling, influenced by various personality factors.
What is the significance of empathy in psychological theories of offending?
Low empathy can lead to a lack of understanding of the consequences of one’s actions.
What are physiological precursors in the integrative model of offending?
Factors like temperament, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and empathic deficiency that influence behavior.
What environmental factors influence offending behavior?
Family environment, peer relationships, achievement failures, and social labeling can all play a role.
What psychological dispositions are related to offending?
Insecure attachment, impulsivity, lower empathy, and deficient problem-solving abilities.
What types of proximal emotions can increase offending?
Excitatory emotions like anger, envy, and greed can enhance self-prioritizing behavior.
What emotions inhibit offending behavior?
Emotions like guilt and fear can reduce self-prioritizing and enhance empathy.
What beliefs about self are associated with offending behavior?
Feelings of entitlement, superiority, and relative deprivation.
What proximal motivations lead to criminal behavior?
Defensive goals to eliminate threats and appetitive goals to maximize personal gains.
How do goals related to criminal behavior typically manifest?
They are often self-enhancing rather than self-transcendent.
