Useful of psychological research (debate)

Question 1

Key concepts?

Answer 1

Moral dimension:
Who is the research useful for?

Practical dimension:
What are the benefits?

Knowledge dimension:
What new insights?

Question 2

Applications?

Answer 2

Therapy:
For example: psychoanalysis or cognitive behaviour therapy.

Question 3

Links to core studies?

Answer 3

Loftus and Palmer:
The research informs court decisions and improves our understanding of eyewitness testimony.

Chaney:
Useful in providing a funhaler device to improve adherence to medication in children.

Question 4

Similarities and differences?

Answer 4

similarities:
- Behaviourism (train people with rewards and punishments to behave in such a way to be well and be happy)

• Ethics (researcher balance usefulness against costs e.g. psychological harm to participants)

Question 5

Evaluations?

Answer 5

+ focuses attention:
Rather than thinking too much about technical issues (sample size) we can focus on more important questions (research useful?)

-Research doesn’t have to be useful:
We should do research just for the sake of it because it may turn out to be useful in the future.