Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Psychology - Paper 3 > Issues and debates > Flashcards

Issues and debates Flashcards

(70 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What is universality?

A

Any underlying characteristic of human beings that could be applied to all, despite differences of experience and upbringing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is bias?

A

Beliefs and values that impact their research design and interpretation of results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is beta bias?

A

Minimise difference between men and women.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is an issue with beta bias?

A

Theories will misrepresent one of the genders

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is an alpha bias?

A

Exaggerating difference between men and women

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is an issue with an alpha bias?

A

Theories devalue one gender in comparison to the other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is androcentrism?

A

Taking male thinking/behaviour as the accepted norm

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is an issue with androcentrism?

A

Theories devalue and misrepresent women

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is gynocentrism?

A

Taking female thinking/behaviour as the accepted norm

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is an example of a theory taking an alpha bias (androcentric) approach?

A

Freud’s theories that were created late 1800s/early 1900s. Men dominant, educated, powerful, superior. Viewed femininity as failed masculinity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is an example of a theory taking a beta bias approach?

A

Fight or flight response was based off males and assumed to be universal. Didn’t test women as too many hormones.
Taylor - inhibit fight or flight and produce tend/befriend response instead

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are some implications of gender bias?

A

Misleading information, failure to challenge negative stereotypes, provide scientific ‘justification’ to deny women opportunities.
HOWEVER, reflexivity = recognise biases people have and see it as relevant to research as long as recognized and may lead to awareness of personal bias

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is a WEIRD sample and when was it mainly used?

A

White
Educated
Industrialised
Rich
Democratic
Used white American male participants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is cultural bias?

A

A tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all behaviour through the norms of your own culture.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is an issue with culture bias?

A

Misrepresentation of behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is ethnocentrism?

A

A culture bias leading to the belief in the superiority of your own culture causing prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is an issue with ethnocentrism?

A

Prejudice and misinterpretations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is emic behaviour?

A

The behavioural constructs particular to a specific culture e.g. UK = Queueing, over thanking and Sunday roasts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is etic behaviour?

A

The behavioural constructs that are universal to all people e.g. sleep, need to attach and need to communicate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is an imposed etic

A

When emics and etics get mistaken for each other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is an issue with imposed etics?

A

Misunderstanding and misinterpretation of behaviours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is cultural relativism?

A

Norms and values can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is an issue with cultural relativism?

A

Avoid culture bias but prevents universality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is the evaluation for culture bias?

A

Ethnocentric - cultural differences in parenting styles - misinterpretation of results. Use of ‘negative’ language - Strange Situation
Cultural relativism - Sternberg - suggest coordination skills may be irrelevant to a more ‘developed’ society but only understood if if taken in cultural context e.g. bow n arrow in pre-literate society
Individualist/collectivist - individualist = independence
collectivist = group needs. Therefore cannot be compared as imposed etic or ethnocentric bias will occur - compromised validity HOWEVER social media has blurred the lines

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What is free will?
Ability to control and choose our course of action. Make our own decisions and act in unconstrained ways e.g. humanistic approach
26
What is determinism?
Behaviour determined by internal/external factors outside of our control. Behaviour should therefore be predictable
27
What is hard determinism?
When we are not responsible in any way for out actions e.g. environment or genetics e.g. Freud
28
What is soft determinism?
Some actions involve choice, people have conscious mental control over the way they behave e.g. SLT
29
What is biological determinism?
Beliefs that behaviour is caused by biological behaviours only e.g. genetic, hormonal, evolutionary - biological approach
30
What is environmental determinism?
When behaviour is caused by environmental factors e.g. reward/punishment - behaviourism
31
What is psychic determinism?
Behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control e.g. psychodynamic
32
What is the evaluation for determinism/free will debate?
For/against free will: For - intuitively correct - can make our behaviour unpredictable Against - unfalsifiable - cannot be tested scientifically For determinism: Based off of cause and effect which can be measured - IV manipulated to see effect on DV Interactionist stance - mix of both, otherwise limited
33
What does the nature side of the nature/nurture debate suggest?
Human characteristics are innate. Result of genes. Heritability - proportion of differences between individuals in a population with regards to a particular trait due to genes e.g. Bowlby's theory of attachment, sleep rhythms
34
What does the nurture side of the nature/nurture debate suggest?
Born as blank slates. Behaviour as a result of trial and error interactions with environment e.g. conditioning, SLT (Bandura)
35
What would a natural experiment be to determine the contributions of nature/nurture factors?
Adoption studies
36
What is the evaluation of the nature/nurture debate?
Diathesis-Stress model - Behaviour caused by biological vulnerability which is expressed when coupled with an environmental trigger (stressor) - genetic predisposition which may not occur until trauma Epigenetics - Change in genetic activity without change in genetic code - lifestyle (diet/smoking). Leaves 'epigenetic' marks on DNA which stay in genes and can be passed down Constructivism - Choose own 'nurture' - select environments that suit 'nature' e.g. shy person with other shy people affects development
37
What is the research based on the nature/nurture debate?
Plomin - niche building - suggested illogical and impossible to separate nature + nurture e.g. twin studies = MZ twins - 100% genes, DZ twins - 50% genes, effected by both nature and nurture
38
What is holism?
It only makes sense to study a whole system, we cannot predict how the whole system will behave from knowledge of individual components
39
What is reductionism?
Breaking down behavior into simple components
40
What is parsimony?
All phenomena being explained using the simplest principles
41
What are the levels of explanation of reductionism?
High level - social and cultural explanations Middle level - psychological explanations Low level - biological explanations
42
What is biological reductionism?
Neurotransmitters, hormones or genes e.g. excess dopamine leads to schizophrenia
43
What is environmental reductionism?
Stimulus-response link e.g. baby attach to mother because she provides food
44
What is experimental reductionism?
Break down into IV and DV relationships
45
What is machine reductionism?
Use analogy of machines which ignores complexity of human emotion and motivation
46
What are the strengths of the holism side of the debate?
Good way to study conformity Check behavior into context e.g. Stanford prison study but observe group behavior Can be more valid
47
What are the weaknesses of the holism side of the debate?
Rigorous scientific testing is difficult (lack of empirical evidence) Difficulty pinpointing causes in order to create effective therapies Lacks practical value
48
What are the strengths of the reductionism side of the debate?
Conduct experiments or record observations in a way that is variable and objective Greater credibility Offer treatments e.g. SSRI drugs affect serotonin
49
What are the weaknesses of the reductionism side of the debate?
Oversimplifying complex phenomena loses validity Fails to explain why the behavior happens only states how
50
Why would the interactionist stance be a more effective point of view?
If interact can lead to developments in treatments e.g. combined drug/CBT/exercise methods
51
What is the nomothetic approach?
Quantative study of large groups with the aim of discovering norms, universal principles or ‘laws’ of behavior to be generalized.
52
What type of data do nomothetic studies use?
Quantative
53
What is the ideographic approach?
Qualitative study of one individual or small group to provide an in depth understanding of a behavior
54
What type of data do ideographic studies use?
Qualitative data
55
What methods would be used to carry out a nomothetic study?
Experimental methods
56
What methods would be used to carry out an ideographic study?
Case studies, interviews, self report methods
57
What are the strengths of the ideographic approach?
In depth qualitative method of investigation provides a complete account of an individual Works well either nomothetic as can demonstrate general laws, add understanding and detail or can challenge them
58
What are the weaknesses of the ideographic approach?
Offers narrow and restricted view of behavior No meaningful generalizations should be made Relies on subjective interpretation of researcher which adds bias e.g. Freud - Little Hans
59
What are the strengths of the nomothetic approach?
Scientific (empirical) analyse quantitatively Establish norms of ‘typical’ behavior e.g. avg IQ of 100 - in increases scientific credibility
60
What are the limitations of the nomothetic approach?
Accused of ‘losing the whole person’. Says 1% risk of developing schizophrenia but overlooks richness of human experience e.g. doesn’t tell us what life is like with the disorder Lab experiments - pps treated as series of results not individuals - their own experience is ignored
61
Why would the interactionist stance be a more effective point of view?
Strengths and weaknesses in both e.g. MSM - general law with laboratory experiment support, underpinned by case study evidence from KF and Clive Wearing
62
What are the four BPS ethical guidelines?
Consent Deception Harm Confidentiality
63
What are the goals of the ethical guidelines?
Safeguard people taking part in research studies
64
When do ethical issues arise?
When guidelines are not fully considered or are broken
65
What is an ethical implication?
The impact that psychological research may have in terms of rights. Influence public policy and/or the way in which certain groups of people are regarded
66
What is socially sensitive research?
Research that may have potential social consequences for the participants or the group of people represented by research
67
What are implications from the research questions?
Asking questions such as ‘Germans are different’ may seem to add credibility to prejudice and stereotyping
68
What are implications from dealing with participants?
Did they find out anything that could cause psychological damage. Participants as well as friends and family of pps could be affected
69
What are the implications in the way that findings are used?
How findings are used are in society e.g. positive or damaging - use of MAOA gene in links with aggression
70
What is the evaluation of ethical implications?
Real world application - Bradley Waldrop MAOA gene Socially sensitive research could benefit the groups being studied - Kinsey - found homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexual behavior - demonstrates importance of tackling socially sensitive topics Poor research design may have a long term impact

Psychology - Paper 3 (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions