Issue And Debates

Question 1

What are the 5 different topics?

Answer 1

Gender bias Vs Culture bias

Question 2

What is gender bias?

Answer 2

When one gender is treated less favourable than the other

Question 3

What are the different types of gender bias?

Answer 3

Alpha bias

Beta bias

Question 4

What is alpha bias?

Answer 4

When the difference between men and women are exaggerated

Question 5

What is beta bias?

Answer 5

When the difference between men and women are minimised

Question 6

What is the example of alpha bias?

Answer 6

Freuds research (psychosexual development theory)

Question 7

How is Freud’s research an example of alpha bias?

Answer 7

• his research is based on what culture was like when he was alive. Men were more superior than women as they were better educated and more powerful
• in his psychosexual development theory he suggested that women were less mature than men due to their superego being less developed and inferior as they don’t have a penis.

Question 8

What is the example of Beta bias?

Answer 8

Fight-or-flight stress response

Question 9

How is the fight-or-flight response an example on beta bias?

Answer 9

• the stress response is based on research on male animals as female animals have variations in hormone levels which makes it difficult to do research. This suggests that males and females have the same stress response
• however Taylor challenges this and found out that female produce a tend-or-befriend response to stress which is adaptive as ensures the survival of their offspring

Question 10

What is androcentrism?

Answer 10

Centred or focused on men, often ignores women

Question 11

What is universality?

Answer 11

The aim to develop theories that apply to all people, which include real differences.

Question 12

What is determinism?

Answer 12

all behaviour is determined and predictable

Question 13

What is hard determinism?

Answer 13

single cause and effect

Question 14

What is soft determinism?

Answer 14

cause and effect but considers many causes

Question 15

What are the 4 types of determinism?

Answer 15

• biological
• scientific
• environmental
• psychic

Question 16

What is biological determinism?

Answer 16

certain genes cause behaviours e.g MAOA causes aggression

Question 17

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 17

experiences shape what we do e.g phobias

Question 18

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 18

internal unconscious factors decide our behaviour

Question 19

What is scientific determinism?

Answer 19

all events have a cause - IV changes the DV e.g attachment

Question 20

What are the two levels of determinism?

Answer 20

hard and soft

Question 21

What is free will?

Answer 21

individuals have the power to make choices about their own behaviour

Question 22

What are the 2 types of free will?

Answer 22

humanism

moral responsibility

Question 23

What is humanism?

Answer 23

Maslow / Rogers say self-determination is crucial for self-actualisation and happiness

and that we must take responsibility to change ourselves

Question 24

What is moral responsibility?

Answer 24

society assumes “normal” adult males own their decisions and are responsible

Question 25

What is cultural bias?

Answer 25

is the tendency to judge all people in terms of your own cultural assumptions

Question 26

What is cultural alpha bias?

Answer 26

refers to theories which suggest that there are real differences between cultures e.g Freud

Question 27

What is cultural beta bias?

Answer 27

refers to theories which minimise or ignore the differences between cultures e.g Ainsworth

Question 28

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 28

use of their own culture as a judgement of other cultures

Question 29

What is alpha bias in ethnocentrism?

Answer 29

own culture is seen as better so other cultures devalued

Question 30

What is beta bias in ethnocentrism?

Answer 30

when psychologists believe that their view on the world is the only one

Question 31

What is cultural relativism?

Answer 31

is the opposite of ethnocentrism - all cultures are respected and by studying one culture we need to understand how other cultures view the world too.

Question 32

What is cultural relativism alpha bias?

Answer 32

where the assumptions of real differences lead to psychologists over looking universals (particular group)

Question 33

What is cultural relativism beta bias?

Answer 33

assuming that the same rules apply universally

Question 34

What is an example of cultural relativism beta bias?

Answer 34

misdiagnosis - in SZ study where doctors in America gave different diagnosis compared to in the UK

Question 35

What is nurture?

Answer 35

environmental factors can influence our behaviour

Question 36

What is nature?

Answer 36

behaviour is a product of genes

Question 37

What are 2 examples of a nature explanation?

Answer 37

genes - family, twin, adoption studies e. g the concordance rate for SZ - MZ twins (genetically the same) had a concordance rate of 40% - DZ (share 50% of the same genes) had a concordance rate of 7% evolutionary -

Question 38

What are 2 examples of a nurture explanation?

Answer 38

- behaviourism - behaviourists assume that all our behaviour can be explained by experiences alone e.g attachment can be explained through classical and operant conditioning classical - food is associated with the mother who feeds the baby operant - food reduces the discomfort from hunger and therefore it is rewarding Social Learning Theory

Question 39

What are some evaluation points about the gender and culture argument?

Answer 39

- double standards - women do the same as men but are often judged unfairly because we assume that there are innate differences - beta bias in culture could cause harm to patients e.g wrong diagnoses and treatments which could cause antibiotics resistance

Question 40

What is idiographic?

Answer 40

- focuses on the individual and recognition of uniqueness | - qualitative methods used

Question 41

What is nomothetic?

Answer 41

- attempts to establish laws and generalisations about people - quantitative methods used

Question 42

What is an example of nomothetic?

Answer 42

- classifying people into groups - DSM-V for classifying people with mood disorders

Question 43

What is an example of idiographic?

Answer 43

humanistic approach - emphasises the individual