issues and debate Flashcards
(30 cards)
what is the nature vs nurture debat
it concerns whether or not behavior is due to genetic inheritance or environmental factors
define the term reductionism
it is the belief that that complex behaviors can be explained by braking them down into simpler components
what is holism
holism argues that behavior should be viewed as a whole rather than braking it into parts
what is determinism
the view that behavior is determined by internal or external forces and that we have little to no control over them
what Is free will
the belief that humans can make chocies and are not determined by biological or external forces
what is the idiographic vs nomothetic debate
idiographic focuses on an individual and the uniqueness e.g a case study
nomothetic seeks general laws of behavior e.g stats or experiments
what is a cultural bias
when research unfairly judges other cultures by the standards of ones own culture oftener leading to ethnocentric conclusions
define gender bias
the tendency to treat one gender in a different way often leading to androcentrism ( having the male perspective as the norm) or beta/alpha bias
what id ethical implications
the impact that psychological research or theory may have on participants or wider society including issues of social sensitive research
what Is socially sensitive research
research that has potential to affect an individuals or groups in a negative way
research supporting nature side of the debate
Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment
- it proposed that attachment is biologically programed for survival
- this supports the nature as it gives an idea of innate behavior like social releasers and a critical periord
Biological Explanations of OCD
- genes such as COMT and SERT belong with abnormal brain structures (basal ganglia) are all linked to OCD
research supporting the nurture side of the debate
Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (Bobo Doll)
- behavior is learned through observation and imitation the children imitated the aggressive behavior from the adult role model
Classical Conditioning – Pavlov’s Dogs
the dg learned to associate the bell wit food focuses on environmental learning instead of observation and imitation
research that is reductionist
Biological Explanations of OCD
- OCD genetic explanations (COMT,SERT) neural explanations (the role of serotonin)
- the theory is reductionist because it reduces complex disorders to biological components only - ignores social and environmental factors
Loftus and Palmer (1974) – Eyewitness Testimony
- changing the verb in a sentence affecting the memory of the car crash speed
- focuses purely on cognitive processes like langue and memory ignore emotion ,trauma or social context
research to support holism
Case Studies (e.g. Clive Wearing, Little Hans)
- in depth investigation into individual experiences takes into account emotional , cognitive , behavioral and social factros
Maguire et al. (2000) – Taxi Drivers’ Brain Plasticity
- experiences that taxi drives have a large hippocampi
- shows how experience / environment can physically shape the brain and interaction between brain , behavior and context
research that supports determinism
Biological Determinism – Genetic Explanations of OCD
- genes like COMT and SERT linked to OCD
- suggests that behavior is controlled by genes not personal choises
Psychodynamic Approach – Freud
- behavior is controlled by unconscious forces and childhood experiences
- we are not aware of forces controlling our behavior - no room for conscious choices
research that supports free will
Humanistic Approach – Maslow & Rogers
- self accusation and person centered therapy
- embassies personal choices autonomy and the idea that people van control there behavior and direct there own development
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
- encourages clients to challenge irrational thoughts and change there behavior assumes people have the power to change
- supports the idea of personal agency
examples of ideographic research
Case Study: Clive Wearing
- suffered brain damage affecting memory
- provides in-depth qualitative data on one individuals memory function
Case Study: Little Hans (Freud, 1909)
- Freud analyzed a boy for his phobia of horses via dream analysis and family background
- deep insight into a single Childs psyche using qualitative psychoanalytic techniques
examples of nomothetic research
Multi-Store Model of Memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968)
- based on lab experiments (e.g capacity, duration of STM) aiming to find universal laws of memory
Pavlov’s Dogs / Skinner’s Rats (Behaviorist Approach)
- used controlled experiments to establish laws of learning
examples of cultural bias research
ainsworths strange situation (1970)
- the study was developed in the use and reflects westernized norms about attachment other cultures encourages other behaviors eg Germany encourage independence
intelligence testing are often developed in the west and rely on languid problem solving and logic all valued in western education
examples of gender bias in research
aschs conformity study (1951)
the ordinal study used only male participants but the results were generalized to all people
flight or fight response (bio)
- the original research into stress response used male animals to avoid hormonal variation from fetas and assumed the finding applied to both sexes
examples of ethical implications in research
milligrams obedience study (1963)
- participants were misled about the true aim
- many were distrust sweating and trembling Clear signs of psychological harm
bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation
- contributed to guilt among working mother and shared childcare policies discouraging daycare use
examples of socially sensitive research
bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation
- contributed to guilt among working mother and shared childcare policies discouraging daycare use
Cyril burt and intelligence testing
- claimed intelligence is largely genetic this was based on twin studies
his research influenced the 11+ exam
promoting the idea that come social classes are inhertentally less intelligent
types of determanlisim
what is Universality
