Issues And Debates (P3)

Question 1

What is socially sensitive research?

Answer 1

Sieber and Stanley (1988) define socially sensitive research as ‘studies in which there are potential consequences or implications, either directly for the participants in the research or for the class of individuals represented by the research.

Question 2

What are ethical implications?

Answer 2

The consequences of any research (studies and/or theory) in terms of the effects on individual participants or on the way in which subsequent groups of people are subsequently regarded. There may also be consequences on a wider societal level.

Question 3

What is Environmental reductionism?

Answer 3

Assume all behaviour can be reduced to the simple building blocks of stimulus-response association that complex behaviour is a series of S-R bonds

Question 3

Levels of explanation (most holistic to most reductionist)

Answer 3

-Sociology
-Psychology
-Biology
-Chemical
-Physics/molecular

Question 3

Biological reductionism

Answer 3

Reducing behaviour to a physical level and explaining using neurones, neurotransmitters etc.

Question 4

What is alpha bias?

Answer 4

Exaggerate the differences between males and females

Question 5

What is beta bias?

Answer 5

Ignore or minimise sex differences- theories often assume that the findings from males can be equally applied to females. Eg. Zimbardo only conducted research on males and assumed conformity to roles is the same for females.

Question 6

Implications of Goddard (1917) research (socially sensitive)

Answer 6

-Conducting socially sensitive research may lead to scientific racism.
-Goddard (1917) concluded from his research that IQ is genetic. This led to horrible practices in the 1920s in the US whereby anyone with a low IQ was seen as feedble minded hence sterilised. Such eugenic policies have used research to justify their discriminatory practices.

Question 7

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 7

Evaluating other cultures according to the customs and standards of your own culture, leading to a bias whereby you view your culture as superior.

Question 8

What is reductionism?

Answer 8

The view that behaviour is better explained by breaking it down into simpler constituent parts.

Question 9

Which approaches are idiographic?

Answer 9

-Humanistic approach- focused on the subjective experiences of one’s self and each persons individual ability to strive to achieve self actualisation.
-Psychodynamic approach- Freud’s use of case studies emphasises the importance of individual experience (however he develops nomothetic theories eg. oedipus/electra complex).

Question 10

Which approaches are nomothetic?

Answer 10

-Biological- involves many lab experiments and brainscan evidence on many people where we generalise the theory to wider population eg. role of serotonin on OCD
-Behaviourist- generalisable laws from animal experiments that S-R bonds form behaviours in whole populations
-Cognitive approach- lab experiments, inferences

Question 11

What is determinism?

Answer 11

The belief that behaviour is determined by external or internal forces acting upon an individual that is out of their control.

Question 12

What are the ethical implications of Bowlby’s theory of monotropy?

Answer 12

-Bowlby’s theory of monotropy suggest that children form one special attachment bond, usually with their mother, which must take place in a critical period. Bowlby also suggested that this attachment bond affects their future relationships through an internal working model. While Bowlby’s theory has contributed to the development of childcare practices, it has also encouraged the view that a women’s place is at home with her children, which could make some mothers feel guilty for wanting to return to work following childbirth.

Question 13

What 4 aspects of the scientific research process did Sieber and Stanley (1988) identify as raising ethical implications in socially sensitive research?

Answer 13

-The research question
-The methodology used
-The institutional context
-The interpretation and application of the findings

Question 14

How was Cyril Burt’s research socially sensitive?

Answer 14

-Any research linking intelligence to genetic factors is seen as socially sensitive. For example, Cyril Burt used studies of identical twins to support his view that intelligence is largely genetic. His views greatly influenced the Hadow Report (1926), which led to the implementation of the 11+ exam for entry into a selective grammar school. This was used throughout England and is still used today in areas. This meant that the education and oppourtunties for childen were affected by the findings from the 11+ exam, despite questionings over the falisiability and validity of his data.

Question 15

AO3 Ethical implications of research studies and theories

Answer 15

-Strength: Benefits for groups: Homosexuality listed in DSM-5 but the Kinsey Report (5000 men interviewed) showed it was ‘normal’.
-Limitation: May be negative consequences eg. the criminal gene (mobley) has implications for people claiming no responsibility.
-Real world application: Decisions on childcare, crime etc. use socially sensitive research eg. ONS data can be used by psychologists
-Poor research design: Burt’s research in 1950s on IQ led to 11+ exams but later shown to be fraudulent, but too late to change consequences

Question 16

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 16

Seeing the world only from one’s own cultural perspective, and believing that this one perspective is both normal and correct. eg. Ainsworth’s strange situation (also has imposed etc- which is when a technique or theory is developed in one country and imposed on the other.)

Question 17

What is nurture?

Answer 17

The view that behaviour is the product of environmental influences. the environemnt is seen as everything outside the body which can include people, events and the physical world. Environmentalists (known as empiricists) hold the assumption that the human mind is ‘tabula rasa’ (John Locke) 17th century philospospher- Blank slate.

Question 18

What is the difference between hard and soft determinism?

Answer 18

Hard determinism states that we have completely no control over our lives and all behaviour is caused by internal and external factors (free will is an illusion.) Whereas, soft determinism states that our behaviour is determined by external and internal forces but at the same time we do have some control. (eg. the cognitive approach- cognitive structures influence our behaviour, but there is an element of free will to guide our everyday decisions.)

Question 19

List the three types of determinism

Answer 19

-Biological determinism: all behaviour is innate and determined by genes
-Environmental determinism: all behaviour is determined by factors outside the individual, eg. parental influence, the media or previous experience (behaviourism/social learning theory)
-Psychic determinism: behaviour is the result of childhood experiences and innate drives (id, ego and superego), as in Freud’s model of psychological determinism.

Question 20

What is free will?

Answer 20

The ability to act at one’s own discretion, to choose to behave without being influenced by external forces.

Question 21

Which approaches take the side of nurture in the nature-nurture debate?

Answer 21

-Behaviourist
-Humanistic
-Social learning theory
-Psychodynamic (stance is a compromise between nature and nurture)

Question 22

Describe the difference between nativists and empiricists

Answer 22

Natvists are people who believe that all human characteristics are a result of heredity (the genetic transmission of characteristics) whilst empiricists are people that believe that all human characteristics are a result of the environment and experience.

Question 23

Outline one problem associated with beta bias in psychological research

Answer 23

Beta bias is when differences between the genders are minimised. This can lead to researchers forming invalid theories. For example, with the fight or flight theory, research was done on males and it was assumed that it also applies to females but actually Taylor et al (2000) found that women have more of a tend and befriend response. (women respond to stress by producing oxytocin)- evolved response for looking after others.

Question 24

Define androcentrism

Answer 24

This is when behaviour is judged to be normal when compared to a male standard. This leads to female behaviour being judged as either ‘deficient’ or ‘abnormal’.