issues and debates Flashcards
(74 cards)
1
Q
what is gender bias?
A
when one gender is treated less favourably than the other, resulting in scientifically misleading, stereotypical research
2
Q
what is universality?
A
- its the incorrect assumption that behaviours are universal to all humans
- mostly western behaviour that is applied to everyone
3
Q
what are the 6 universal behaviours?
A
- happiness
- sadness
- fear
- surprise
- disgust
- anger
4
Q
give 2 examples of reseach that show universality
A
- zimbardo
- asch
- milgram
5
Q
what is androcentrism?
A
the assumption that male behaviour is normal and superior , so when females aft different, their behaviour as regarded as deviant
women are mot worthy of researching
6
Q
give 2 examples of androcentric research?
A
- zimbardo
- asch
- milgram
7
Q
what is gynocentrism?
A
taking female behaviour as normal/superior and male behaviour as deviant
8
Q
give an example of gynocentric research
A
- Moscovicis minority study
- 172 female participants
- colour perception
- 36 blue slides
- 8.2% comformity
9
Q
what is alpha bias?
A
differences between men and women are over exaggerated, therefore stereotypes are created
10
Q
what is an example of alpha bias research?
A
- Freuds electra and oedipus complex
- women are a failed example of masculinity
- “penis envy”
11
Q
what is beta bias?
A
differences between men and women are minimised
12
Q
give an example of beta bias
A
- milgrams obedience study
- applied to men and women
- sheridon and king shows that women are more obedient
13
Q
how can psychologists avoid gender bias?
A
- by not generalising their results to both genders and only the gender which they studied
14
Q
what are the problems with gender bias?
A
- damage societal development
- misdiagnosis with mental health
- stereotypes/social sensitivity
15
Q
what is culture bias?
A
refers to when we judge other cultures by holding them to the standards or rules of our own
16
Q
what is universality when referring to culture bias?
A
- concept that culture influences behaviour
- western culture is often seen as normal/superior
17
Q
what is ethnocentrism?
A
- refers to when a research assumes their culture superior and right and uses it to judge other cultures
- causes culture bias
18
Q
give an example of ethnocentric research?
A
- ainsworths attachment types
- milgrams obedience research
19
Q
give an example of ethnocentric research?
A
- ainsworths attachment types
- milgrams obedience research
20
Q
what is emic research?
A
- when a research on my applies their findings to the culture that was studied
- not useful in understanding wider behaviours
21
Q
what is etic research?
A
- where a research applies their findings to all cultures
- called having “imposed etic”
22
Q
give an example of etic research
A
zimbardos prison experiment
23
Q
what are some problems with culture bias in psychology?
A
- damages MH diagnosis (beck and ellis, american)
- impact society (yerkes IQ)
24
Q
what is meant by free will in psychology?
A
- the concept/theory that we have full choice over our actions and behaviours, without influence or manipulation from other sources
25
what is meant by determinism in psychology?
- the concept that our behaviour is predetermined by external forces/ caused by something exterior
26
what is personal agency?
our ability to make decisions regardless of influence
27
what are the 5 types of determinism?
- hard
- soft
- psychic
- environmental
- biological
28
what is biological determinism?
- the theory that behaviour is a result of internal processes
- genes, evolution, biochemistry, physiology
29
what is environmental determinism?
- the concept that all our behaviours are caused by our environment
- friends, upbringing, teachers
- zimbardo, acsh, milgram, pressure caused behaviour
30
what is psychic determinism?
- our behaviour is caused by our unconscious mind
- people who commit a lot of crime may have dominant ids
31
what is soft determinism?
- middle ground between free will and determinism
- we can sometimes exercise free will
- illusion of free will
32
give an example of soft determinism
- conformity
- some people resist social influence
33
what is hard determinism?
- the concept that all our behaviour is caused by external forces
- no free will at all
34
what is meant by a scientific causal relationship?
- when all extraneous and confounding variables are controlled, the dependent variable must be caused by the independent variable
35
what is meant by the interactionist approach in reference to free will vs determinism?
- a middle ground
- some free will
36
what are some evaluations for free will vs determinism?
(+) determinism is scientific and can predict future behaviours such as ocd
(-) evidence that free will is a fallacy, chun siong soon- button press
(+) free will helps MH, adults who believe in fatalism experience depression more commonly
37
what is reductionism?
the breaking down of complex human behaviour into one singular factor, eg SZ caused by dopamine levels
38
what is parsimony?
- the concept that there is no need to have complex explanations for behaviour
- works with reductionism
39
what is holism?
- human behaviour is complex and should be studied as a whole instead of blamed on a single variable
40
what are the levels of reductionism?
- highest level: cultural and social; more holistic
- middle level: psychological; cognitive and emotions
- lowest level: biological; most reductionist
41
what are the two types of reductionism?
- biological
- environmental
42
what is biological reductionism?
- states that biological systems cause behaviour
- the most reductionist type
43
what are some examples of biological reductionism?
- OCD; caudate nucleus
- language; broca and wernickes areas
44
what is environmental reductionism?
- behaviour caused by environment
- only observable behaviours should be studied
- behaviours work upon stimulus-response relationship
45
give an example of environmental reductionism
- skinners box
- phobias
- little albert
46
what does the interactionist approach mean in reference to holism vs reductionism?
- middle ground
- behaviour could be caused by environment or biology
47
give an example of the interactionist approach in reference to holism vs reductionism
- phobias
- could be inherited or learnt
48
give some evaluation points first holism vs reductionism
(+) reductionism is simple and scientific (ocd)
(+) can be easily tested
(+) can be used for biological treatments
(-) too simple and short sighted (MZ twins ocd)
(-) other explanations underplayed, hell for MH limited eg phobias and systematic desensitisation
(-) holism not scientific
(-) holism more complete
49
what is meant by nature in the nature vs nurture debate?
- a persons genes and hereditary factors
- genes determine behaviour
- biologically reductionist
50
what is meant by nurture in the nature vs nurture debate?
- environment causes behaviour
- friends, upbringing, teachers, parents
51
what is the interactionist approach in reference to the nature nurture debate?
- nature and nurture are both vital influences for behaviour
- dont separate but look as a whole
- genes give predisposition but environment can bring out behaviour
- eg phenotypes
52
what is meant by heritability coefficient?
an indication of the extent of a behaviour being down to genetic factors
53
what has the nature vs nurture debate evolved to be about?
the extent that nature or nurture influence behaviour
54
what is the diathesis stress model?
- the theory that psychopathology is caused by genetic vulnerability, but behaviours are only expressed once triggered by the environment
55
what was gottesmans study that can be used in the nature vs nurture debate?
- tested the heritability coefficient for MZ (identical) twins with SZ
- coefficient = 0.48
- so genetics play some role but environment also does
56
what is meant by epigenetics?
a change in genetics without a change in genetic expression which is caused by environment
57
what is an example of epigentics?
- dias and resslae
- mice exposed to chemical scent and shocked at the same time
- started to twitch when scent was present without shocks
- children and grandchildren have same reaction
58
what are some evaluation points for nature vs nurture?
(+) evidence of nature, MZ twins have 0.68 concordance for ocd but DZ twins have 0.31
(-) but if nature was only influence, should be 100%
(+) interactionist; tienan, sz mother’s with children who are adopted, 5.8% developed SZ in healthy home, 36.8% in unhealthy homes
(+) practical applications; biological and cognitive medicine
59
what is the idiographic vs nomothetic approaches debate about?
if psychology should focus more on individual behaviour and why it happens, or just peoples behaviour in general
60
what does it mean if an approach is idiographic ?
- it focuses on explaining an individuals unique experiences
- doesnt work on creating general laws
61
what kind of data is used for an idiographic approach, and how can this be collected?
- qualitative data
- case studies, unstructured interviews
62
what does it mean if an approach is nomothetic?
- it focuses on creating general behavioural laws
- can predict future behaviours and work on preventing them
- creates a benchmark to compare behaviours against
- uses large samples of people to create general laws
63
what type of data does a nomothetic approach use and how can this be collected?
- quantitative
- experiments
- can be used for stats tests and correlational studies
64
give an example of a nomothetic piece of research
- milgram
- ainsworth
65
give some evaluation points for the idiographic vs nomothetic debate
(+) idiographic explains behaviour in depth eg freud, aim of psych to explain why
(-) hard to generalise idiographic
(+) nomothetic is very scientific and can be falsified
(-) nomothetic doesnt always apply to everyone so creates stereotyoes
(+) nomothetic has practical applications, milgram and nazism
66
what is meant but ethical implications and social sensitivity in psychology?
- the impact that psychological research may have on wider society/ societal laws, and the participants who take place in the study
67
what is social sensitivity?
refers to when a study may have potential consequences and implications for society or participants
68
what should psychologists consider before carrying out a potentially socially sensitive piece of research?
IF their research should actually occur, is it necessary?
69
what are the 4 aspects that sieber and stanley stated may bring ethical issues into research?
- the research question
- methodology/ conduction of research
- institutional context
- interpretation and application of findings
70
why may the research question bring about ethical implications or social sensitivity ?
- if it is leading or bias
- may create or reinforce prejudice towards a specific group in society
71
why may the methodology of a study create social sensitivity or ethical implications?
- are the participants treated well
- is confidentiality always kept?
72
what is meant by institutional context?
- how is the data collected for research being used
- who is using it
- who is funding the research and why?
73
why may the application of findings cause social sensitivity?
- the findings may create societal change and influence societal attitudes
- if findings are wrong or prejudice this will negatively impact society
74
what is some socially sensitive research and was it worth it?
- bowlbys mono tropic theory; not worth it, decreased fathers parental rights, decreased women in workplace
- milgram; worth it, helped us to understand why people obey, nazism
- schizophrenogenic mothers; probably not worth it
