Year 2 - Issues and Debates Flashcards
what is gender bias?
when psychological experience does not offer a view that represents both men and women (usually represents men)
what is androcentrism?
male centred research, when normal behaviour is judged according to standards of men
what is alpha bias?
psychological theories that suggest there is a real and enduring difference between the sexes, often overstating minor differences
what is beta bias?
bias which ignores any difference in sexes
what is sociobiological theory?
theory which is an example of Alpha bias whereby it suggest that males naturally display polyagamous behaviour and women monogomous therefore suggesting that women who aren’t are abnormal or ‘unnatural’
give an example of beta bias in psychological research
early research into the fight or flight response was based entirely on male animals which entirely ignores the possibility of differences in females response, new research showing that in women the response is more often tend and befriend
evaluate gender bias in psychological research (5)
- gender bias research may create misleading information about female behaviour and provide a sort of justification for sexism
- sexism is apparent in the research process, less females at senior research level and therefore female concerns may not be reflected in research
- reflexivity, using the personal experience and values to reflect on the impact of gender research ad our own bias causes us to read things from a subjective perspective
- essentialist arguments used for politically motivated reasons
- feminist psychology has lead to the development of criteria for avoiding gender bias in researc
what is cultural bias?
the tendency to ignore cultural differences and view behaviour through the ‘lens’ of ones own culture
what is ethnocentrism?
judging others cultures by the values of our own culture, a belief in ones own superiority
what is cultural relativism?
the idea that norms and values, as well as ethics and moral standards can be only be meaningfully understood within specific social context
give an example of an imposed etic
Ainsworth’s strange situation
what is an emic approach?
functions from within a culture and identifies behaviours that are specific to that certain culture
evaluate cultural bias in psychological research (5)
- does individualism still apply in the 21st century with such a global community, and can it still be simplified to individualistic or collectivist
- not all psychology should be assumed to be culturally relative, as some behaviours are universal with a biological basis
- an unfamiliarity with research tradition may lead to demand characteristics being exaggerated
- operationalisation of variables, those from different cultures will be experienced differently by different cultures
- challenging implicit assumptions, cross cultural research shows that some concepts which we take for granted are not shared acroos the world
what is free will?
the notion that all humans make a conscious choice about our behaviour and it is not determined by external forces
what is determinism?
the notion that humans behaviour is shaped by internal or external forces
what is hard determinism?
implies that free will is not possible and that our behaviour is always caused by forces beyond our control
what is soft determinism?
in the absence of coercion we can determine our own choices but all of these choices have a cause
what is biological determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by biological influences that we cannot control
what is environmental determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment that we cannot control
what is psychic determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control
give the strengths of a deterministic approach (3)
- it is consistent with the aims of science
- prediction of human behaviour has lead to treatments and therapies
- mental illness is not as a result of free will and is out of our control
give the weaknesses of a deterministic approach (2)
- hard determinism is not consistent with our legal system
- determinism is unfalsifiable as it is based upon the idea that causes for behaviour will always exist even if we have not yet found them
give the strengths of free will (3)
- everyday experience of being human suggest we have free will - face validity
- people with an internal LOC are more mentally healthy
- adolescents with a fatalistic view at significantly greater risk of depression
give the weaknesses of free will (2)
- neurological studies have revealed evidence against free will (researchers found that decision making areas of the brain predate our conscious knowledge of having made the choice, up to 10 seconds before)
- shows our experiences are decided by our brain before we are consciously aware
outline the interactionist approach to free will and determinism
suggestion that soft determinism is most probably true such as SLT
what is the nature-nurture debate in psychology?
a debate about whether it is our environment or our biology which determines our behaviour
what is heredity?
the genetic transmission of mental and physical characteristics
what is the heritability coefficient?
a figure used to assess heredity and is a numrical figure form 0-1 which indicates the extent to which a characteristic is genetic in basis
what is the nature side of the debate?
naturists argue that all characteristics even some knowledge are innate
what is the nurture side of the debate?
nurture suggests that all behaviour is as a result of experience and we are blank slates at birth
why is the nature nurture debate brought into twin studies?
hard to distinguish between nature and nurture in concordance rates
name one psychological model which is built upon an interactionist approach between nature and nurture
diathesis-stress model
what are epigenetics?
the change to genetic activity which does not involve change to DNA
evaluate the nature nurture debate (5)
- nativists suggest that anatomy determines our destiny, which is very hard determinism and has lead to eugenics policies
- empiricists would suggest behaviour is key which has led to the development of therapies
- individual differences between siblings or MZ twins mean that a person experience of the same events may be different and therefore heredity and environment cannot be meaningfully separated
- interaction between genes and environment elaborated by constructivism, suggesting that children seek to surround themselves in environments which they are comfortable with and thus contribute to their own conditioning
- genotype environment interaction, such as parents who are musically talented encouraging their child to take part in music
- both are deterministic
what is holism?
argument proposes the study of systems as a whole and not breaking them into smaller parts
what is reductionism?
the beleif that human behaviour should be best studied by breaking it down into smaller more manegable parts
what is biological reductionism?
attempts to explain social and psychological phenomena at a lower biological level
what is environmental reductionism?
explaining all behaviour in terms of stimulus-response links
give the strength of holism
- some aspects of behaviour are only understood in context e.g. conformity
give the weaknesses of holism
- hard to test in a scientific way and can be more vague and speculative
- practical dilemma in finding which factors contribute most to psychological abnormality such as depression and how to apply this in therapy
give the strengths of reductionism
- forms the basis of scientific research making it possible to conduct experiments and make observations
- gives psychology greater credibility
give the weaknesses of reductionism
- oversimplification leading to loss of validity
- only ever forms partial explanation, often doesnt show why behaviour is done only how
what is interationism in the holism and reductionism debate?
how different levels of explanation may combine and interact
what is an idiographic approach?
an approach to research which focuses on an individuals case a s a means of understanding behaviour
what is a nomothetic approach?
attempts to study human behaviour through the develpoment of general principles and general laws
give an example of the idiographic approach in psychology
the humanistic approach (or the psychodynamic approach)
give an example of the nomothetic approach in psychology
behaviourist, cognitive and biological
give the strengths of the idiographic approach
- in-depth qualitative methods provide a complete global account of individuals
- help generate hypothesis for furthe study
give the weaknesses of the idiographic approah
- hard to generalise findings
- case studies are less scientific
give the weaknesses of the nomothetic approach
- creating laws and generalisations ignores personal experience
- subjective experience is ignored
give the strengths of the nomothetic approach
- testing under standardised conditions improves scientific rigour
- establish norms of typical behaviour
how might the idiographic and nomothetic approaches be complimentary?
possible to consider both in tandom to provide a fuller picture of behaviour
what are ethical implications of psychology?
the impact research may have on the rights and understanding of certain groups
what is socially sensitive research?
areas of research which may be controversial due to the impact on real situations
what are the 3 main ethical issues of socially sensitive research?
- implication to wider society and the world
- uses in public policy
- whether research is valid, since some research in the past has been displayed as fact when it was mere fiction
evaluate the ethical issues of psychology (5)
- benefits of socially sensitive research can be widespread such as promoting greater understanding and representation
- research often frames a question they expect to be proved correct, but researchers should keep an open mind
- the uses of these findings can be used for good or evil
- research may lead to human rights violations such as eugenics
- costs of research must be weighed against the gains of the knowledge
