Issues and Debates

Question 1

Hearing voices is SZ sign in western culture but in Costa Rican culture it is Spirits talking to individual

Answer 1

Malgady (1987)

Question 2

US Army IQ test - showed immigrants had lower intelligence than
born Americans due to nature of the quiz

Answer 2

Yerkes (1931)

Question 3

Replication of Asch in Innuits and Temne people ; showed findings are not universally applicable due to the different styles of living

Answer 3

Berry (1969)

Question 4

Case study: Shows that implications of genetic causes in Criminal court system could be used as an alibi for crimes such as shootings

Answer 4

Stephen Mobley (1994)

Question 5

Adolescents with strong belief of fatalism (lives completely determined by factors out of their control) at significantly greater risk of depression.
Individuals with high internal locus of control tend to be mentally healthier

Answer 5

Roberts (2000): suggests importance of Free will for mental health

Question 6

Brain activity found that there is brain activity up to 10 seconds before pts reported being consciously aware of making decision. Showing cognitive process prior to decision making

Answer 6

Chun Siong Soon (2008)

Question 7

Twin study showing that establishment for cause and effect can lead to possible treatments for OCD. But as concordance is not 100%, reductionism would lead to an incomplete explanation

Answer 7

Nedstadt

Question 8

17 different studies showing significant improvement after SSRIs for OCD

Answer 8

Soomro (Supporting Reductionism)

Question 9

Phobia of rats introduced into child and then removed - simplifying behaviour into stimulus response.

Answer 9

Little Albert (Supporting Reductionism)

Question 10

Takes into account each individual situation and can be adjusted to bring happiness in each person

However cannot be explicitly measured through definition like you could statistical infrequency - discounts biological pre dispositions.

Answer 10

Jahoda’ 6 elements for optimum living

Question 11

Taxi Driver study: Drivers had significantly more grey matter in posterior hippocampus than control group (suggesting biological cause)
Those on the job longer had more grey matter (suggesting environmental influences)

Answer 11

Maguire (2000) - Supporting interactionism

Question 12

Freud’s case study is an idiographic approach that demonstrates why a behaviour occurs due to the depth and insight from a smaller sample.

Answer 12

Little Hans (1909)

Question 13

Support for Interactionist approach:
Nomothetic approach should be used first to create generalised laws and then focus should switch to idiographic approach.

Answer 13

Millon & Davis (1996)

Question 14

Nomothetic approaches have broader practical applications such as

Answer 14

Using general laws to create general treatments such as SSRI’s can help to alleviate symptoms of depression in all people

Question 15

Socially sensitivity should be considered before it begins, so that it does not lead to particularly harmful stereotypes. Such as:

Answer 15

SZG mother, Consequences of yerkes army iq test

Question 16

Psychologists have social responsibility to conduct socially sensitive research

Answer 16

Aronson (1999)

Question 17

Socially sensitive research can challenge prejudices. Such as:

Answer 17

Research on LGBTQ community could challenge misconceptions and raise awareness and discrimination

Question 18

What do ethical implications concern?

Answer 18

The impact or consequences that psychological research has on the rights of other people in a wider context

Question 19

What is the impact on wider society of ethical implications of research?

Answer 19

Influencing of public policy
Impacts the way Certain social groups are treated or the perception of groups of people

Question 20

What does socially sensitive research mean?

Answer 20

Research that can have potential social/negative consequences for pts or groups of people represented by research

Question 21

4 aspects to consider for socially sensitive research

Answer 21

Is the question damaging?
Should the researcher maintain confidentiality? e.g hiv and unprotected sex
How is the data used?(who is funding and why)
Could the data be used to inform policy?

Question 22

How should psychologists deal with potentially socially sensitive research

Answer 22

Risk/benefit ratio
Obtain informed consent
Protect confidentiality of pts
Be aware of potential for bias

Question 23

What is the nature nurture debate?

Answer 23

The relative contribution of genetics and hereditary factors in combination with environmental factors to human behaviour

Question 24

What is the relative importance of the nature nurture debate?

Answer 24

The two are so closely linked that there is very little point in trying to seperate them. It may be better to explain behaviour as a combination of both. So, interactionist approach

Question 25

What is causality?

Answer 25

Everything has a cause (cause and effect)

Question 26

What is Determinism?

Answer 26

The suggestion that all behaviour is caused by internal or external influences

Question 27

What is free will?

Answer 27

All behaviour is an individuals choice, there is no internal or external influences

Question 28

What is Universality?

Answer 28

Refers to when research assumes findings can be applied to all genders and cultures equally.

Question 29

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 29

Where own cultural norms are superior to others. An Etic approach may amplify cultural bias An Emic approach can help reduce cultural bias

Question 30

What is an emic approach?

Answer 30

Studying culture from perspective of someone in the culture. Aims to generalise findings only to culture they’ve been studying

Question 31

What is an etic approach?

Answer 31

Studying a culture as an outsider, seeking to develop universal laws about human nature

Question 32

What is cultural Relativism?

Answer 32

Principle regarding beliefs, values and practices of a culture from the viewpoint of that culture itself

Question 33

What is reductionism?

Answer 33

Reductionism is when behaviour is oversimplified down to a singular cause - when in reality there is multiple influences

Question 34

What is parsimony?

Answer 34

Science favours most simple explanations

Question 35

What is holism?

Answer 35

When all factors are taken into account and the complexity of all factors are appreciated

Question 36

What is environmental reductionism

Answer 36

Simplifies behaviour down to stimulus response action

Question 37

What are levels of explanation?

Answer 37

Lowest level - Most reductionist e.g biological Middle Level - Psychological (psychodynamic,cognitive) Highest Level - Most holistic approach (cultural, social explanations)

Question 38

How can attachment be explained at all 3 levels?

Answer 38

Lowest - Bowlbys monotropic Middle - Learning theory (CC&OC) Highest - Cultural Variations

Question 39

What is an idiographic approach?

Answer 39

Suggests people should be studied as unique entities, with own subjective experiences Small samples or case studies Does not attempt to create general laws, but can challenge them Qualitative data Interviews and case studies Does

Question 40

What is a nomothetic approach?

Answer 40

Used to create general laws Uses large samples Provide benchmark for comparisons Quantitative data Predictions of future behaviour Experiments, Questionnaires, content analysis and observations

Question 41

Evaluations of nomothetic approach

Answer 41

Practical applications Highly scientific Undervalue impact of individual experiences

Question 42

Evaluations of idiographic approach

Answer 42

Lack scientific rigour (qualitative data) Allows for in depth account of individuals behaviour Comparison with nomothetic approach