issues and debates

Question 1

what is gender bias

Answer 1

different treatment of males and females based on stereotypes

Question 2

what is universality

Answer 2

believing some behaviours are the same for everyone, no differences in different cultures

Question 3

what is androcentrism

Answer 3

theories that are focused on males

Question 4

what is an alpha bias

Answer 4

exaggerated differences between males and females

Question 5

what is beta bias

Answer 5

minimises the differences betweeen male and females

Question 6

what is idiographic

Answer 6

• studying individual cases, not groups
• not generalised to others as we are all uniquw
• behaviour must be understood in terms of subjective experiences

Question 7

examples of idiographic approaches

Answer 7

humanistic
- pure idiographic
- emphasises unique human experiences
- get info from person themselves e.g. questionnaires
- direct info from one person
psychodynamic
- used little hans to explain the oedipus complex
- applies it universally, so uses idiogrpahic research then applies it to explain everyones behaviour

Question 8

strengths and limitations if the idiographic approach

Answer 8

strengths:
- gain detailed info and descriptions of behaviour
- can uncover causes for behviour not identified using nomathetic methods
- develop a holistic understanding of the individual
- can provide hypothesis for future scientific study

Question 9

what is nomothetic research

Answer 9

identifying similarities between people and laws governing behaviour, by studying large groups in order to generalise
- uses scientific method and quantitative data
- objective info
- can be falsified
- replicable
- use findings to generate laws
- makes inferences about the wider population
- experiments
- correlational research
- psychodynamic testing

Question 10

examples of nomathetic approaches

Answer 10

biological
- developed universal laws on why we develop OCD, depression etc
- develop universal laws for treatments such as SSRI, CBT
behaviourist
cognitive

Question 11

strengths and limitations of the nomathetic approach

Answer 11

strengths
- generate to wider population
- objective, measurable and can be verified
- easily replicable
limitations
- generalised laws and principles may not apply to individuals
- understanding is often superficial

Question 12

what is determinism

Answer 12

view that behaviour has a direct cause, means it is outside of our control
- being shaped internally or externally
- behaviour is predictable

Question 13

what is psychic determinism

Answer 13

suggests behaviour e.g. ocd, depression, anxiety, relationship problems etc are determined by our childhood experiences nad by innate and unconscious drives
- no FREE WILL

Question 14

what is biological determinism

Answer 14

internal forces: hormones, genes, neurotransmitters, nervous system, structure of the brain
- behaviour is determines, no free will, we cannot overide our body

Question 15

what is environmental determinism

Answer 15

traits and behaviours are governed by external forces such as experiences, upbringing, surroundings, learning, schools, parents, peers

–> behabiourism- blank slate (upbringing)

Question 16

what is a causal explanation

Answer 16

based on scientific notion that behaviour is caused/determined by internal/external factors- cause and effect relationship

Question 17

what is causality/causation

Answer 17

the IV has an effect on the DV
every event has a cause and every cause has an effect

Question 18

what is hard determinism

Answer 18

• lives governed by forces that are out of our control
• doesn’t accept there are any other forces that determine behaviour
• each approach rejects the other one

Question 19

what is soft determinism

Answer 19

• idea that behaviour are to an extent dictated by internal/external forces
• despite this we still have some element of control over some free will to control our behaviour

Question 20

what is free will

Answer 20

belief that we are self governing; we choose what we do, how we behave, what we think
not being directed by anyone or anything else

Question 21

examples of free will

Answer 21

humanistic approach
maslows hierarchy of needs
- free to choose behaviour in order to self actualise
- doesn’t mean we arent influenced by biology and culture, we just choose to reject them

Question 22

what is holism

Answer 22

looking at something as a whole

Question 24

what is reductionism

Answer 24

looking at someones behaviour in terms of their constituent parts
- one aspect
- isolate role of one particular thing- allows treatment to be used and developed
- hpwever u may miss something else that is important

Question 25

what is environmental reductionism

Answer 25

idea we operate under the stimulus-response bond
- phobias- learning through principles of classical conditioning and maintaing through operant conditioning

Question 26

what is biological reductionism

Answer 26

the way psychologists try to reduce behaviour to a physical level and try to explain it in terms of neurons, neurotransmitters, hormones, brain structure etc
- ocd caused by high levels of dopamine and lower levels of serotonin

Question 27

strengths and limitations of biological reductionism

Answer 27

strengths:
- developmetn of drug therapies beacem possible with a reductionist approach. looking at behaviours as a result of small components
- more humane/ethical approach for treating mental disorders as it does not blame the patient
- greater acceptance of mental disorders in society

limitations
- drug therapies based on the lowest level of explaining behaviour; they treat symptoms, not the cause
- no appreciation of the social or psychological concept

Question 28

strengths and limitations of environmental redcutionism

Answer 28

strengths

limitations
- behaviourist stimulus respinse approaches were based on animal studies e.g. skinners box
- humans are much more complex than animals and environmental reductionism reduces human behaviour to stimulus response while ignoreing potential influencing factors

Question 29

what is the lowest level of explanation in psychology

Answer 29

biological explanations e.g. how biological aspects like genes, hormones affect our behaviour (reductionism)

Question 30

what is the middle level of explanation in psychology

Answer 30

psychological explanations of behaviour (cognitive, SLT)

Question 31

what is the highest level of explanation in psychology

Answer 31

cultural and social explanations of how our social group affects our behaviour (holism)

Question 32

what is a holistic approach

Answer 32

humanistic
- hierarchy of needs- we can only reach our potential (self actualise) if we have all of the layers underneath
- lack of ‘wholeness’ leads to mental disorders
- emphasis on ‘free will’ and self actualisation

Question 33

what are ethical implications

Answer 33

impact or consequences that psychological research has on the rights of other people, not just participants in the research

Question 34

how can research have ethical implications

Answer 34

effects of publication on wider public
potential use of findings
potential bias against people of certain cultures etc
economic implications

Question 35

what is socially sensitive research

Answer 35

research that might have direct social consequences for the participants in the research
e.g. leading to descrimination and prejudice

Question 36

what needs to be considered when conducting research

Answer 36

the research question- make sure its not damaging to research group
the methodology used- consider treatment of participants and their rights to confidentiality and anonymity
the institutional context- be mindful of how the data is going to be used
interpretation and application of findings- consider how their findings might be interpreted and applied in the real world

Question 37

why socially snsitive research is important examples

Answer 37

bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation- child needs continuous relationship with a mother figure in the first 5 years in order to develop normally, disruption to this bond can have a negative effect later on
- people wouldnt have recognised the negative effects of hospitalisation on childs emotional well being; today parents stay in hospital with their child
milgrams study of obedience- under certain circustances people will obey orders to cause someone else harm if instructed by an authority figure
- people wouldnt have recognised how mindlessny obedient people can be
bobo doll study- found children exposed to roll models being aggressive to a bobo doll became aggressive themselves
- age ratings, restrictions
- negative: people less likely to take responsibility to thwir own actions, blame role models