psychological debates Flashcards
1
Q
nature
A
the idea that our behaviour is due to biological processes such as:
- genetic inheritance
- brain processes
- biochemistry
2
Q
strengths of nature debate
A
- could be useful if it helps us to develop biological solutions to psychological issues (e.g drug therapies)
- resistant to ethnocentric bias, as biological factors affect everyone in the same way
- deterministic as it suggests that biological processes cause behaviour which gives us a usefulness cause and effect
3
Q
weaknesses of nature debate
A
- limited usefulness as it may be impossible to change a person’s nature
- may be socially sensitive, as it may lead to ideas of genetic superiority
- may be socially sensitive, as it is deterministic, so people stop taking responsibility for their behaviour
e.g eugenics movement
4
Q
nurture
A
our behaviour is due to how we have been brought up and the influences of others over our lifetime
5
Q
strengths of the nurture debate
A
- can be useful as it may help to change a child’s behaviour by changing the way they are brought up
- deterministic as it suggests upbringing causes behaviour which gives us a useful cause and effect
6
Q
weakness of nurture debate
A
- reductionist as it misses out the role of nature
- ethnocentric as cultures vary in how children are brought up
- socially sensitive = leads to parents being blamed for societies problems
7
Q
free will
A
the idea we have control over how we behave
8
Q
strengths of the free will debate
A
- accounts for individual differences and values human behaviour
- good face validity as it appears to match with our everyday experience of living as we experience making free choices every day
- lacks social sensitivity as it fits with the idea of personal responsibility for our actions
9
Q
weaknesses of the free will debate
A
- lacks usefulness, as ideas cannot be studied in a scientific, systematic way
- socially sensitive, if people are blamed for actions beyond their control
10
Q
determinism
A
our behaviour is due to either internal or external forces that we have no control over
11
Q
strengths of determinism
A
- deterministic principles can be studied using a scientific, systematic way
- predictable, ‘cause and effect’ relationships allow scientists to develop practical applications
e.g developing drug therapies
12
Q
weaknesses of determinism
A
- lacks usefulness, as it prevents people from taking responsibility for their own actions, may be seen as an excuse from personal responsibility e.g in the legal system
- lacks face validity as we experience making choices every day
13
Q
holism
A
our behaviour is due to several factors interacting together
14
Q
strengths of holism
A
- increases the validity, the influence of many factors is more reflective of real life compared to consuming there is one cause for behaviour
- considers cultural differences, therefore decreases ethnocentrism and increases the validity
15
Q
weakness of holism
A
- reduces usefulness in the real world, as it fails to identify any single cause for human behaviour
- lacks usefulness, it is often difficult to study lots of explanations at once, meaning you gather little data on lots of explanations = lacks in depth explanations (lacks validity)
