topic 8: Issues & Debates Flashcards
define the ‘nature’ view
the view that behaviour is the product of innate biological/genetic factors
define nurture
the view that behaviour is the product of experiences and environmental influences
define the nature vs nurture debate
the relative importance of heredity and environment in determining behaviour and human development
define free will
the idea that we can play an active role in behaviour and have a choice in how we behave
define determinism
the view that free will is an illusion and that our behaviour is governed by internal/external forces which we have no control over
define the free will vs determinism debate
the origins of our decisions, choices and behaviours and the extent to which they are influenced by free will or other identifiable forces
what is hard determinism
the view that forces out of our control (biology/past experience) shape our behaviour
it identifies specific causes of behaviour and is seen as incompatible with free will.
has 3 forms: psychic, environmental, biological
what is soft determinism
all events and human behaviour have causes, but behaviour can also be determined by our conscious choices in the absence of coercion
what is psychic determinism and what evidence supports it
suggests human behaviour is the result of childhood experience and innate drives as a result of unresolved conflicts
psychodynamic approach
Little Hans
what is environmental determinism and what evidence supports it
suggest behaviour is determined by factors outside of the individual, env. determinism assumes our behaviour is caused by previous experience/learning
Learning theories
Bandura Ross+Ross Bobo doll
what is biological determinism and what evidence supports it
suggests that all human behaviour is innate and determined by genes with research identifying factors such as genes/hormones/neurotransmitters
Biological Approach
OCD and the SERT gene
give arguments for the argument of free will vs determinism
determinism
–unfalsifiable even tho it seems scientific
it’s bc it’s based on the idea that causes of human behaviour will exist, which is impossible to disprove and popper said falsifiability is a feature of scienxe
+ it’s in line with the study of science and the goals in studying psychology by saying that behaviours have a measurable cause
using these types of techniques has led to treatments, therapies and beh. treatment that have helped many (eg. Sz)
free will
+ evidence suggests that the perception of free will is better for us
a study found that ppl with internal LoC are more mentally healthy and Roberts et al. found teens with a strong belief of fatalism were at sig. higher risk of dev. depression
– contradictory evidence from Soon et al.
when asked to press a button using L/R hand, brain activity linked to making that choice is detected up to 10s before making that decision
suggests: we believe that we are freely making a decision but our brain is actually determining it before we are consciously aware of them
what is alpha bias
when researchers over-emphasize differences between males and females
what is beta bias
when researchers ignore or downplay differences between males and females
milgram, asch, zimbardo
what is cultural bias
the tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the lens of one’s own culture
milgram, Ainsworth, asch
what is ethnocentrism
a form of cultural bias, if left unchecked it can lead to an imposed etic
imposed etic - imposing your cultural views and expectations onto others, intentionally or unintentionally