Psychology Topic Test #1 Flashcards
define agency theory
people are agents of society and behave in such a way to benefit others
define agentic state
being the agent of another individual and therefore obeying their orders
define autonomy
being under one’s own control and having the power to make one’s own decision
define social impact theory
idea that the strength of the impact of something on someone, the number of forces involved and whether the impact is near (immediate) or further away all affect how people behave.
Argument 1 on Milgram’s breach of informed consent
ppts given false aims as they thought experiment was about memory and learning - unaware of true nature of study so couldn’t fully give informed consent.
Milgram should have followed so ppts knew what they were consenting to.
necessary for results to be valid, as reduced chances of demand characteristics, so study could test genuine obedience levels.
% ppts who administered full 450V shock
65%
milgram’s study for generalisation (4)
40 ppts (small sample) were all male - overall not representative of general population
ppts all from New Haven - one geographical location
ppts recruited by advert resulting in volunteer sample - may have been more motivated to take part and comply
can be generalised as ages ranged 20-50 and ppts occupations varied
% ppts administered 300V shock
100%
Milgram’s study for reliability (2)
carried out well-controlled procedure - set of prompts in a set order; prepared victims responses carefully; made effort to make every experience the same to avoid bias (study overall replicable and eligible for testing for reliability
objective qualitative and
quantitative observations were made - highly credible research in terms of being scientific
Milgram’s study for applications (1)
results can be applied to real- life situations of obedience to authority (Holocaust) - (Abu Ghraib) - leaders gave orders to harm others — help us understand blind obedience, so we can train people to report misconduct
Milgram’s study for validity (2)
basic study and task lacked validity - not true representation of real obedience, lacked mundane realism (we wouldn’t normally encounter this situation)
Lacks ecological validity - laboratory is different to real-life situations of obedience (usually more subtle instructions rather than electric shocks) — unable to generalise these findings to real-life situations of obedience; can’t conclude people would obey less severe instructions in same way (artificial setting of Yale heightens chances for demand characteristics)
what are the 4 BPS principles
respect
competence
responsibility
integrity
What should you consider in the principle of respect
privacy and confidentiality
communities and shared values within them
impacts on broader environment
issues of power
consent
self-determination
importance of compassion
what should you consider in the principle of competence
possession of appropraite skills needed to serve others
limits of their competence and potential need to refer someone else
advances in the evidence base
matters of professional ethics and decision-making
the need to maintain techical and practical skills
caution in making knowledge claims
any limitations to their competence taking mitigating actions as necessary
what should you consider in the principle of responsibility
professional accountability
responsible use of knowledge and skills
respect for welfare of humans, non-humans and living world
potentially competing duties
what should you consider in the principle of integrity
honesty, openness and candour
accurate unbiased representation
fairness
avoidance of exploitation and conflicts of interest (including self-interest)
maintaining personal and professional boundaries
addressing misconduct
what is debriefing?
takes place after the experiment - short interview between researchers and participants immediatey following their experience
it is fundamental a debrief takes place following a psychological study (which involves deception)
essential ppts informed fully of true nature of experiment and that they weren’t harmed in any way (physically or psychologicallly)
why is debriefing important
good measure of evaluating the study as ppts can be asked how well the deception was & exp can ask if they knew they were being deceived —- if so, their knowledge would have compromised the data and so would need to be removed from analysis
Describe risk management
ASSESSMENT - identify any physical or psychological harm before the experiment
MANAGEMENT - weigh up long-term gains vs short -term gains ( was study useful to society compared to short-term risks, such as stress)
** hard to identify all risks at start of study — should be a strategy to manage these risks if arises during the study**
Ethics committee (BPS) decides whether risks are justified
Milgram’s study on right to withdraw
the experimienter made it very hard for ppts to withdraw, always urging them to continue with the shocks with the use of the 4 prompts — subjected to intense pressure
Milgram’s study on informed consent
ppts consented to experiment without knowing the main objective was to test their obedience, or that the electric shocks were fake
Milgram’s study on protection of participants from psychological harm
ppts exposed to extremely stressful situations that had potential to cause psychological harm, many visually distressed and showing signs of tension (trembling, sweating, stuttering, laughing nervously, lip-biting)
HOWEVER after debrief, ppts showed much relief to know they hadn’t harmed the student — M argued the prior effects were short-term
Milgram’s study on deception
ppts deceived by M not telling them the true nature of the experiment and what was going on
they consented to a study on learning and punishment
Milgram’s study on debrief
M did this fully afterwards, as well as a follow up after a period of time to ensure they came to no harm
ppts assured their behaviour was common; followed the sampe up a year later, finding no long-term signs of psychological harm
