Psychology in a socio-political context Flashcards
1
Q
Societal Changes Affect Psychological Research?
A
- Industrialization and immigration
- Material basis for natural phenomena
- The Cold War and computers
- Mothers in the work force
- Influence of statistics
- Influence of Physics and universal laws
2
Q
What happened with Industrialization and immigration ?
A
- High population cities of poor and working class families
- Natural selection to make claims about biologically fitness
- Assumption: intelligence and aggression were innate
- All about evolution
3
Q
What are Eugenics?
A
- Applied a lot of Darwin’s theories to humans
- “Eugenics is the study of the agencies under social control that may improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally.” –Galton (1904)
- Played a major role in political, social and intellectual history of many nations
- The idea: if we could “breed man”, social woes would be lessened.
- Started the idea of twin studies
4
Q
What happened after Eugenics?
A
- Eugenics gained popularity
- Lost appeal post proposed sterilization of some individuals
- Sterilising people with mental illness – not breeding
- Behaviourism and psychoanalysis came around
- New emphasis put back on social experience
5
Q
Material basis for natural phenomena?
A
- Increased interest in researching the brain
- Lesion studies in animals – linking with human behaviour
- Democritus’s premise: material entities were the foundation of all observed
- Feelings, thoughts, and behaviours can be explained – material is the brain
6
Q
What happened with the The Cold War and computers ?
A
- Relationship between the US and the USSR after WW2
- Wanted to alleviate potential attacks
- Artificial intelligence
- Cognitive Psychology – birth of cognitive psychology
- Feelings & emotions less important than verbalizing & RTs
7
Q
What happened with Mothers in the work force?
A
- 1950: ~40% working
- 2000: 78% working
- Rise of divorce
- Bowlby and attachment
- Innate need to attach to caregiver
- Needed continuous care
- Maternal deprivation -long term consequences: increased risk of aggression, increase of depression
8
Q
What were the Influence of statistics?
A
- National Science Foundation – fund scientists to do their research
- F tests
- T-tests
- Correlation coefficients
9
Q
Influence of Physics and universal laws?
A
- No real powerful methods
- Physics assumed materialistic foundation for natural phenomena
- More successful predictions – physics
- Use of mathematics – answers questions about seasons, cycles of the moon, origin of the universe
10
Q
How can metaphors be used to resemble memory?
A
- Example: Memory
- Plato –wax tablet – good memory, clear impression on the tablet which will fade
- Middle ages –library full of books
- 19th and early 20th c –photograph
- Mid 20th c –computer
- Metaphors help formulate and test hypotheses
11
Q
What is a metaphor?
A
Metaphor –an analogy from another area that helps map a new, complex problem
12
Q
What was the first intelligence test in France?
A
- 1st test in France
- Binetand Simon
- Socio-political system in France –welfare state – Emphasis on citizen’s well-being – Compulsory primary education for all children
- Based intelligence on 3 principles:
1. Test scores were practical; did not define intelligence
2. Aim: identify learning-disabled children; not rank normally developing children
3. Purpose: provide extra help for at risk children
4. IQ ≠ fixed quantity and can be improved
13
Q
How was intelligence testing used in the US?
A
- Intelligence testing in the US – Socio-political system in US –segregation of black people and other immigrants
- Goddard -Used the test in other contexts
- Adapted the test
- Regular students
- Immigrants -Tested 100 immigrants = found to be feebleminded. Biased = no education or hadn’t used a pencil before, unfair testing conditions
- Recruitment
- Coined the term “moron” (IQ 50=70)
- Belief that intelligence was governed by a single gene
14
Q
What was the Stanford-Binet Test ?
A
- Terman (1916)
- Added tasks and questions
- Advocated national testing for every child
- “An Indian who had come to town for the first time saw a white man riding along the street. As the white man rode by, the Indian said, ‘The white man is lazy; he walks sitting down.’ What was the white man riding on that caused the Indian to say, ‘He walks sitting down.’” (cited in Gould, 1996)
- Feedble-mindedness related to morality (e.g., all potential criminals)
- National testing is a way to reduce crime (i.e., by removing low IQ members from society)
15
Q
What 3 tests were given in the army?
A
-Army testing won the war
-Intelligence testing in the US Yerkes and the US military support 3 tests:
-Army alpha – written exam
-Army beta – for those who are illiterate = more pictures
-Individual examination – if you failed beta
– Intelligence is innate
– Can assign military specialty
