issues & debates Flashcards
(137 cards)
1
Q
SPECIFICATION: Gender and culture in Psychology – universality and bias. Gender bias including androcentrism and alpha and beta bias;
A
2
Q
what is universality?
A
characteristics of human beings that are capable of being applied to all, despite differences of experience and upbringing
3
Q
how does universality link to psychology?
A
the aim of psychology is to produce theories that have universality and
apply to all people
4
Q
bias & universality…
A
bias threatens the universality of findings in psychology
5
Q
what is gender bias?
A
the differential treatment and/or representation of males and females
6
Q
what is alpha bias?
A
psychological theories that exaggerate or overestimate differences between the sexes
7
Q
what is an example of alpha bias?
A
-freud argued that there are genuine psychological differences between men and women
-his theory suggests that women are inferior as young girls suffer from
‘penis envy’, and he viewed femininity as failed form of masculinity
8
Q
why is alpha bias an issue?
A
there is a misrepresentation of behaviour because researchers overestimate/exaggerate gender differences
9
Q
what is beta bias?
A
theories that ignore or minimise differences between the sexes
10
Q
when does beta bias usually occur?
A
when only one sex has been studied & it is assumed that the other sex would act in the same way
(e.g only males and it is ASSUMED that females would act in the same way)
11
Q
example of beta bias:
A
Asch + Milgram
-all male samples but applied
findings to males and females
Fight/Flight
-documented as being universal, but only tested male species (women “tend and befriend”)
12
Q
why is beta bias an issue?
A
in the case of beta bias there is a
misrepresentation of behaviour because researchers minimise gender differences
13
Q
what is androcentrism?
A
when theories or views are based exclusively from a male view-point / male behaviour is seen as normal
14
Q
examples of androcentrism:
A
female are seen as deviating from male norms of behaviour – PMS is seen as a condition/illness not as a normal factor of women’s behaviour
15
Q
discussion points for gender in psychology:
A
-there are implications of gender bias
-there have been changes, in research methodology used and in earlier theories
-a way to counter androcentrism and to reduce gender bias in research is to take a feminist approach
16
Q
discussion point / gender - there are implications of gender bias
A
P - there are implications of gender bias
E - gender bias research may create misleading assumptions about female behaviour, fail to challenge negative stereotypes and validate
discriminatory practices
↳ it may provide a scientific justification to deny women opportunities within the workplace or in wider society / it becomes
normal for women to feel abnormal
L - this matters because gender bias in research is not just a methodological problem but may have damaging consequences that affect the lives of women and can lead to stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination
17
Q
discussion point / gender - there have been changes, in the research methodology used and in the earlier theories
A
P - as society has changed, there have been changes, in research methodology used and in earlier theories
E - for example, Carol Gilligan (a student of kohlberg’s) proposed that women have a different sense of moral understanding from men and created her own stage theory of moral understanding
L - her approach showed that men and women are different, but neither kind of moral reasoning
(justice focus or care focus) is considered to be better, they are just different
18
Q
discussion point / gender - a way to counter androcentrism and to reduce gender bias in research is to take a feminist approach
A
P - a way to counter androcentrism and to reduce gender bias in research is to take a feminist approach
E - feminist psychology argues that there are real biological differences between the sexes, but socially constructed stereotypes make a far greater contribution to the perceived differences
↳ for example, eagly acknowledged that women may be less effective leaders than men, but this knowledge should be used to develop suitable training to help address this and to provide women with greater support
L - therefore modern psychology does not have to have gender bias, it can be used to help women rather than oppress them
19
Q
ESSAY PLAN → gender bias
A
-Gender Bias is……
-There are many forms of gender Bias. One example is Alpha Bias. This is when……
-An example of Alpha Bias is……
Another form of Gender Bias is Beta Bias. This is when…..
An example of beta Bias is…
A type of beta bias in research is androcentrism. This is when…..
An example of this is…..
3 Discussion points
20
Q
what is culture?
A
the values, beliefs and patterns of behaviour shared by a group of people
21
Q
what is culture bias?
A
the tendency to judge the behaviours and psychological characteristics of another culture in terms of ones own cultural assumptions
22
Q
what is ethnocentrism?
A
judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture / generating theories based on one culture
23
Q
examples of ethnocentrism:
A
-ainsworth’s strange situation
-asch & milgram
24
Q
ainsworth’s strange situation: ethnocentrism
A
it was conducted in America
↳ ainsworth tested children’s anxiety on separation from a PCG & found that the ideal attachment type was secure (the infant displayed moderate levels of anxiety when separated from a PCG)
➣ this led to misinterpretation of child rearing practices in other countries which appeared to deviate from the american ‘norm’
↳ German mothers seen as cold and rejecting instead of encouraging independence
25
why is the strange situation also imposed etic?
this is referred to as being an example of an imposed etic
↳ Ainsworth assumed that the US-based model of classifying attachment was the norm & therefore imposed her own cultural understandings upon the rest of the world
26
what is imposed etic?
when an observer attempts to generalize observations from one culture to another
27
what is cultural relativism?
the idea that norms, values & ethics must be understood in their own cultural context
28
example of cultural relativism:
Abnormality
-symptoms differ in other cultures
-Jahoda based her ideal mental health on western culture but this is not seen in all cultures i.e. the strive for self-actualisation
29
cultural bias - discussion points
-the US Army IQ test was used just before the First World War
-one way to deal with cultural bias is to recognise it when it occurs
-researchers of psychology now travel much more than they did 50 years ago
30
discussion point / cultural bias - the US Army IQ test was used just before the First World War
P - an infamous example of the damage done by psychologists through cultural bias was the US Army IQ test used before the WWI
(on 1.75 million men)
E - the test showed that European immigrants fell slightly below White Americans in terms of IQ, African Americans were at the bottom of the scale with the lowest mental age
↳ the data from these tests had a significant effect on the attitudes held by americans towards certain groups of people
↳ the data also fueled the Immigration Restriction Act & the Eugenics Movement
L - this data led to enduring stereotypes concerning certain ethnic groups and their IQ
31
discussion point / cultural bias - one way to deal with cultural bias is to recognise it when it occurs
P - one way to deal with cultural bias is to recognise it when it occurs
E - smith and bond found, in their 1998 survey of european textbooks on social psychology, that 66% of the studies were American, 32% European, and only 2% from the rest of the world
L - this suggests that much psychological research is severely unrepresentative and can be greatly improved by simply selecting different cultural groups to study
32
discussion point / cultural bias - researchers of psychology now travel much more than they did 50 years ago
P - researchers of psychology now travel much more than they did 50 years ago
E - this means they have an increased understanding of other cultures at both a personal and professional level
↳ academics hold international conferences where researchers from many different countries and cultures regularly meet to discuss and exchange ideas
↳ this exchange should decrease ethnocentrism in psychology & allow an understanding of cultural relativism
L - this matters because it could be that cultural bias in research is actually much less of an issue than it once was → psychology has therefore developed further as a discipline
33
how do we reduce gender bias and culture bias?
-the development of 'indigenous psychologies’
-selecting more diverse samples to take part in psychological research
-hold more international psychology conferences
34
what are indigenous psychologies?
these are theories that draw explicitly on the particular experiences of people in different cultural contexts. One example is Afrocentrism, a movement which suggests that because all black people have their roots in Africa, theories about them must recognise the African context of behaviours and attitudes. This is an example of an emic approach, which emphasises the uniqueness of every culture and looks at behaviour from the inside of a particular cultural system.
35
the development of indigenous psychologies:
-one example is afrocentrism, a movement which suggests that because all black people have their roots in Africa, theories about them must recognise the African context of behaviours and attitudes
-this is an example of an emic approach, which emphasises the uniqueness of every culture and looks at behaviour from the inside of a particular cultural system
36
selecting more diverse samples to take part in psychological research:
-Smith and Bond found, in their 1998 survey of European textbooks on social psychology, that 66% of the studies were American, 32% were European, and only 2% were from the rest of the world
-his suggests that much psychological research is severely unrepresentative of different cultures and can be greatly improved by simply selecting different cultural groups to study.
37
hold more international psychology conferences:
-this is to increase the exchange of ideas between psychologists, reduce ethnocentrism in psychology and enabled an appreciation of cultural relativism
38
ESSAY PLAN → culture bias
culture is…
culture bias is…
ethnocentrism is…
an example of ethnocentrism is…
cultural relativism is…
an example of cultural relativism is…
universality is…
[+ how bias affects universality]
3 DISCUSSION POINTS
39
SPECIFICATION:
Free will and determinism
The scientific emphasis on causal explanations.
40
what is free will?
the idea that we can play an active role in and have choice in how
we behave / individuals are free to choose their behaviour
(environmental factors exist but don’t determine behaviour)
41
examples of free will:
the humanistic approach assumes that people have free will
42
what is determinism?
the view that our behaviour is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control
43
what are the types of determinism?
-hard determinism
-soft determinism
-biological determinism
-environmental determinism
-psychic determinism
44
what is hard determinism?
the view that forces outside of our control (e.g. biology, past experience) shape our behaviour and free will is impossible
45
example of hard determinism:
phobias
↳ skinner believed that free will was an illusion → phobias are caused by CC (association of fear with phobic stimuli) & maintained through OC (negative reinforcement through avoidance)
46
what is soft determinism?
the view that behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological make-up, but only to a certain extent
47
example of soft determinism:
SLT → believes that we are likely to imitate a behaviour due to vicarious reinforcement, but mediational processes (cognitive factors) allow us some choice
48
what is biological determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by biological influences that we cannot control (e.g. genes, hormones, evolution)
49
examples of biological determinism:
genetic explanation for SZ:
→ Gottesman / family study - MZ twin concordance = 48%
localisation of function:
Phineas Gage
50
what is environmental determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by features of our environment that we cannot control (eg: reward, punishment)
51
example of environmental determinism:
forensics - DAT (differential association theory)
↳ being exposed to more pro criminal than anti criminal attitudes will lead to someone offending (this is caused by the environment & the offender has no choice)
52
what is psychic determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious drives that we cannot control
53
examples of psychic determinism:
criminality is due to issues with the development of the superego during the phallic stage of development and the relationship with the same sex parent
↳ weak, deviant, over harsh
54
what is the scientific emphasis on causal explanations?
-one of the feature of science is that every event has a cause
-science is deterministic in its search for causal relationships
-an IV is manipulated to observe an effect in the DV and establish cause and effect
-all EVs must be controlled to enable us to establish a causal relationship between the IV and the DV
55
what are the benefits of establishing causality:
establishing causality can be useful because it allows us to predict human behaviour and treat it
56
drawbacks of establishing causality:
lab experiments don't represent human behaviour accurately due to conrol (lack ecological validity)
57
examples of the scientific emphasis on causal relationships:
Loftus and Palmer
-manipulated the verb in the critical sentence (IV) to see if it caused a difference in the DV (speed of car)
-controlled video, age of ppts to see if leading questions changed testimony
58
discussion points for determinism:
-determinism is consistent with science (FOR)
-an issue of taking a determinism stance is that it is not consistent with the legal system and its' views on moral responsibility (AGAINST)
-some psychologists argue that free will is an illusion (AGAINST)
59
discussion point / determinism - determinism is consistent with science
P - determinism is consistent with science
E - the idea that behaviour is predictable places psychology on an even footing with science / because we can predict, we can start to develop treatment and therapies to help with atypical behaviour
↳ for example, the use of antipsychotics to reduce the hallucinations and delusions associated with SZ / the usr of SSRIs for depression
L - these treatments would not be possible had psychologists not taken a deterministic viewpoint
↳ this increases psychology's credibility as a scientific discipline
60
discussion point / determinism -
an issue of taking a determinism stance is that it is not consistent with the legal system and its' views on moral responsibility
P - an issue of taking a determinism stance is that it is not consistent with the legal system and its' views on moral responsibility
E - if behaviour is determined by outside forces, that provides a potential excuse for criminal acts
↳ e.g. in 1981 Stephen Mobley argued that he was 'born to kill' after killing a pizza shop manager, because his family had a disposition towards violence and aggressive behaviour / an american court rejected this argument
L - this has implications for society because a determinist position may be undesirable, it provides an 'excuse', as the individual cannot be held responsible for their actions
61
discussion point / determinism -
some psychologists argue that free will is an illusion
P - some psychologists argue that free will is an illusion
E - Skinner insisted that our behaviour is environmentally determined, even if we are unable to admit it & recent evidence provides some support for Skinner's claim
↳ Libet et al. (1983) found that the motor regions of the brain become active before a person registers conscious awareness of a decision,
suggesting that the decision to move the finger was actually a predetermined action of the brain
62
what is the nature vs nurture debate?
one of the oldest debates in psychology → it centres on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development and behaviour
63
what is nature?
the view that behaviour is the product of innate biological or genetic factors (genotype)
64
how is the contribution of nature tested?
through family, twin and adoption studies → show that the closer
the relatedness of two people, the more likely it is that they will show the same behaviours
65
twin studies and nature:
using MZ twins; if they have a high
concordance, nature must play a part
66
adoption studies and nurture:
if the offspring act the same as their
biological parents rather than adoptive parents, nature must play a part
67
what is heredity?
the process by which traits are passed down genetically from one generation to the next
68
examples of heredity:
-Bowlby proposed that children come into the world biologically programmed to form attachments because this will help them to survive
-this suggests attachment behaviours are naturally selected, and passed on as a result of generic inheritance (heredity mechanisms) → adaptive behaviours
69
example of nature:
Gottesman
found that there was a concordance rate of 48% in monozygotic twins for SZ, compared against a 17% chance in non-identical dizygotic twins
↳ this highlights a significant genetic component to Sz
70
issues with nature:
the concordance rates are less than 100% → there must be some interaction with the environment
(SZ is partly hereditary)
71
what is nurture?
the view that humans are born tabula rasa & behaviour is the product of environmental influences
72
what is environment?
seen as everything outside the body, which can include people, events and the physical world
73
what does environment range from?
it may range from pre-natal influences in the womb (like a mother who smokes/hearing music) to influences at societal level
74
how is nurture tested?
-twin studies
-adoption studies
75
twin studies and nurture:
using MZ twins reared apart; if
there is low concordance nurture may play a large part
76
adoption studies and nurture:
if there is a high concordance between adoptive parents and low concordance between biological parents nurture may play a large part
77
examples of nurture:
-Bandura argued that aggression is learned through observation,
vicarious reinforcement and imitation, and is therefore explained by social learning theory
DAT
-exposure to more pro-criminal attitudes than anti-criminal attitudes
78
what is the interactions approach?
the idea that both nature and nurture work together to shape human behaviour
79
modern views of nature v nurture:
it is widely accepted now that heredity and the environment do not act independently
80
what is the goal of most researchers in terms of nature & nurture?
nstead of defending extreme nativist or empiricist views, most researchers are more likely to ask what the relative contribution of each influence is and how nature and nurture interact (work together) to shape behaviour
81
key ideas relating to the interactionist approach:
-diatheses-stress
-epigenetics
82
what are diatheses-stress?
models of mental illness which emphasise the interaction of nature and nurture
83
evidence for diatheses stress:
concordance rate for SZ was 48% for MZ twins, not 100%
↳ diatheses stress suggests that mental illnesses suggests that psychopathology are caused by a
genetic vulnerability (the diathesis) which is only expressed when coupled with an environmental ‘trigger’
84
what is epigenetics?
how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work
85
evidence for the interactionist approach:
maguire (2000)
86
maguire research:
maguire et al found that the volume of the hippocampus in the brains of taxi drivers change as a result of their environment- which suggests than an interaction between nature
and nurture affects brain structure
↳ plasticity
87
discussion points for nature vs nurture:
-both sides of the debate have offered practical applications
-there is support for the role of epigenetics on behaviour
-researchers struggle to tease out the influence of environment
88
discussion point / nature vs nurture - both sides of the debate have offered practical applications
P - both sides of the debate have offered practical applications
E - behaviourism (nurture) has contributed therapies such as token economy and systematic desensitisation
↳ similarly the biological (nature) side of the debate has drug treatment for mental illnesses (e.g.
SSRIs, anti-psychotics)
L - therefore, whichever side of the debate is chosen, there are useful applications of each
OVERALL:
interactionist approach it better
•0% relapse for SZ with drugs + CBT+ family therapy
89
discussion point / nature v nurture - there is support for the role of epigenetics on behaviour
P - there is support for the role of epigenetics on behaviour
E - Dias and Resller gave lab mice shocks every time they were exposed to the smell of acetophenone (a chemical used in perfume) / the mice showed fear reaction as soon as the scent was presented, however so did their children, even though they had not received shocks and so did their grandchildren
L - this supports the view that the life experiences of previous generations can leave epigenetic
'markers' that influence the health of their / therefore this indicates that genes and the environment are much less separate than we first thought and we must take a more interactionist view point
90
discussion point / nature v nurture - researchers struggle to tease out the influence of environment
P - researchers struggle to tease out the influence of environment / environment is complicated by the fact that even siblings raised in the same family may not have experienced exactly the same upbringing
E - the idea of shared and unshared environments suggests that siblings may experience life events differently / for example, age and/or temperament would mean that a life event such as parental divorce would have different meaning to each-sibling
L - this means that is is difficult for researchers to determine the contributions of heredity and environment
91
what is holism?
the idea that human behaviour should be viewed as a whole experience, and not as separate parts
92
what does holisj recognise?
human beings are complex & it’s difficult to predict their behaviour
→ less scientific
93
example of holism:
Gestalt psychologists
-argue that when studying any aspect of human functioning, we need to look at the whole person
-they applied this to the study of
perception which explains why we are tricked by many visual illusions – we perceive them as a whole, rather than individual parts
94
example of holism (on spec):
humanistic psychology advocates a holistic approach, as it argues that humans react to stimuli as an organised whole, rather than through stimulus-response links
95
how does holism investigate human behaviour?
it uses qualitative methods to investigate all aspects of the
individual
96
what is reductionism?
the belief that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into simpler component parts
97
reductionism is based on…
the scientific assumption of
parsimony (the idea that complex phenomena should be explained by the simplest terms possible)
98
reductionism fits with…
science
99
scienxe aims to.
-generate laws
-test hypotheses
-establish cause and effect
-create theories with predictive validity
100
what are levels of explanations?
there are different levels of explanation. the lowest level considers physiological (biological) explanations, the middle level considers psychological explanations (e.g. cognitive and behavioural) and the highest level considers social and cultural explanations
101
what is biological reductionism?
a form of reductionism which attempts to explain behaviour at a lower biological level (hormones, (neurotransmitters)
102
example of biological reductionism:
-drugs that increase serotonin have been found to treat OCD (SSRI drugs)
-therefore, working backwards, low
serotonin may be the cause of OCD
-OCD was reduced to the level of neurotransmitter activity
103
strengths of biological reductionism:
scientific & allows for successful treatments
104
drawbacks of biological reductionism;
ignores social factors
105
what is environmental reductionism?
the attempt to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus-response links that have been learned through experience
106
example of environmental reductionism:
DAS theory
states that individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour
through association and interaction with different people (thus, offender behaviour is environmentally determined)
Phobias
learnt through CC (associating a phobic stimulus with a fear response) maintained through OC (avoidance reinforces phobia)
107
what is experimental reductionism?
(not on spec)
a complex behaviour is reduced to a single (isolated) variable for the purpose of testing
108
example of experimental reductionism:
the Multi-Store Model of Memory suggests that memory consists of three stores and each store has its own coding, capacity and duration,
cognitive psychologists often examine memory in terms of isolated variables
Miller (1956) examined the capacity of short-term memory and
Peterson and Peterson (1959) examined the duration of short-term memory
109
strengths of reductionism:
-allows you to look in detail at components that affect
behaviour
-can be used to explain certain types of behaviours and disorder
110
drawbacks of reductionism:
-ignores complexity of behaviour and can be oversimplified (a form
of determinism)
-context is important in understanding the meaning of behaviour
-focus on a single level of explanation leaves out other levels of explanation (incomplete explanations)
111
interactionist & holism v reductionism:
Interactionism is an alternative approach to reductionism, focusing on how different levels of analysis interact with one another
112
what does interactionism suggest?
(H v R)
-several levels of explanation are necessary to explain a particular behaviour, ranging from lower (biological) to higher levels (social and cultural)
113
how does an interactionist approach differ from reductionism?
it differs from reductionism since an interactionist approach would not try to understand behaviour from explanations at one level, but as an interaction between different levels
114
discussion points -
reductionism & holism:
-a reductionist approach often forms the basis of scientific research
-some behaviours can only be understood at a higher level (reductionism limitation)
-holistic explanations tend to be difficult to test
115
discuss point / (H & R) - a reductionist approach often forms the basis of scientific research
P - a reductionist approach often forms the basis of scientific research
E - for instance, in order to make operationalised variables, we have to break behaviours down into smaller units → this makes it possible to conduct experiments and observations (behavioural categories) in a reliable way
↳ this can be seen with behaviourism which demonstrated how behaviour can be broken down into simple
stimulus-response links within the lab
L - this suggests that reductionism gives psychology credibility
116
some behaviours can only be understood at a higher level (reductionism limitation)
P - a limitation of reductionism is that some behaviours can only be understood at a higher level
E - often, there are aspects of social behaviour that only emerge within a group context and cannot be understood in terms of the individual group members
↳ for instance, the effects of conformity to social roles in the prisoners and guards in the Stanford prison study could not be understood by observing the participants as individuals / it was the interaction between people and the behaviour of the group that was important
↳ there is no conformity 'gene' (that we know of) so social processes like conformity can only be explained at the level at which they occur
L - this suggests that, for some behaviours, higher level explanations (or even holistic ones) provide a more valid account
117
holistic explanations tend to be difficult to test
P - holistic explanations in psychology tend not to lend themselves to rigorous scientific testing → they can become vague and speculative as they become more complex
E - for example, humanistic psychology, which takes a holistic approach to behaviour, tends to be criticised for its lack of empirical evidence, and is instead seen by many as a rather loose set of concepts
↳ higher level explanations that combine many different perspectives & present researchers with a practical dilemma
↳ if we accept that there are many factors that contribute to say, depression, it becomes difficult to establish which is most influential and which one to use, for example, as a basis for therapy
L - this suggests, when it comes to finding solutions for real-world problems, lower level explanations may be more appropriate
118
**Idiographic and nomothetic approaches to psychological investigation.**
119
where does idiographic come from?
the term ‘idiographic’ comes from the Greek word ‘idios’, which
means ‘own’
120
what do psychologists who take an idiographic approach focus on?
the individual, and emphasise the unique personal experience of
human nature
121
what research methods do researchers taking an idiographic approach favour?
qualitative research methods, such as the case study, unstructured interviews and thematic analysis which allow an in-depth insight into individual behaviour
(rich in detail, lack science)
122
the idiographic approach does not…
seek to formulate laws or
generalise results to others
123
examples of an idiographic approach to research:
Shallice and Warrington examined the case of Patient KF, who experienced a motorbike accident
↳ KF’s short-term forgetting of
auditory information was greater than his forgetting of visual information, suggesting that short-term memory (STM) consists of multiple components
124
how was KF’s case study useful?
-patient KF undermines the Multi-Store Model of Memory suggesting that STM is not one unitary component
(n individual case study can highlight flaws within a theory and undermine research)
125
idiographic approach: strengths
-findings can serve as a source of ideas or hypotheses for later
study.
-the focuses mean the individual feels valued and unique
126
idiographic approach: weaknesses
-difficult to generalise from detailed subjective knowledge about one person
-often regarded as non-scientific as subjective experience cannot be empirically tested
127
where does nomothetic come from?
the term ‘nomothetic’ comes from the Greek word ‘nomos’ which means ‘law’
128
key ideas of nomothetic approach:
psychologists who take a nomothetic approach are concerned
with establishing general laws, based on the study of large groups of people
129
what methods do psychologists who take a nomothetic approach use?
they use statistical (quantitative) techniques to analyse data
↳ this means that experiments, correlations and other quantitative methods are favoured among
nomothetic researchers
130
example of the nomothetic approach:
Behaviourists, such as Pavlov and Skinner, conducted experiments with animals in order to establish laws of learning (classical and operant conditioning) that could be
generalised to humans
131
strengths of a nomothetic approach:
-regarded as scientific as is predicts
behaviour and used objective and controlled methods allowing replication and generalisation
-has helped psychology as a whole become scientific by developing laws and theories which can be empirically tested
132
limitations of a nomothetic approach:
-predictions can be made about groups but these may not
apply to individuals
-the approach has been accused of losing sight of the ‘whole person’
133
idiographic & nomothetic approach working together (interactionist)
-both have a role but the value of each depends on the purpose of the research
-the two approaches can be complementary - idiographic can further develop a nomothetic law
-both can contribute to scientific approach - idiographic suited to description; nomothetic to predictions
134
discussion points - idiographic & nomothetic
-the case study method is useful for evaluating psychological theories
-the nomothetic approach is the most scientific approach to study behaviour
-a limitation of taking a nomothetic approach is that is loses sight of the 'whole person'
135
discussion / (Id & Nom) - the case study method is useful for evaluating psychological theories
P - the case study method is useful for evaluating psychological theories
E - the patient KF exposed a limitation of the Multi-Store model of memory, by providing evidence that our STM is comprised of at least two components (auditory and visual memory) and not one, as suggested by Atkinson and Shiffrin
L - therefore, taking an idiographic approach to psychology has value, case study methods can challenge nomothetic explanations / general laws of behaviour
↳ a case study can generate further research into a particular phenomenon & contribute to the development of new theories that further our understanding of human behaviour
HOWEVER: through case studies can highlight flaws in psychological theories, they are only useful to an extent, and shouldn’t be used to generate laws
136
discussion / (Id & Nom) -
the nomothetic approach is the most scientific approach to study behaviour
P - the nomothetic approach is the most scientific approach to study behaviour → it is useful for predicting and controlling behaviour
E - the approach uses methods similar to natural sciences, testing in standardised settings & generating data that produces averages and can be statistically analysed
↳ biological psychologists take a nomothetic approach when explaining OCD and claim that OCD is caused by low levels of serotonin
↳ drug therapies are developed on the basis of nomothetic research and work by redressing a biological imbalance (e.g. SSRIs)
L - this means that psychologists have been able to establish 'norms', such as why some mental disorders may occur, which can lead to practical applications
137
discussion / (Id & Nom) -
a limitation of taking a nomothetic approach is that is loses sight of the 'whole person'
P - a limitation of taking a nomothetic approach is that is loses sight of the 'whole person' due to fixation on quantitative data and statistical analysis
E - knowing that there is a 1% lifetime risk of developing SZ tells us little about what life is like for someone who has been diagnosed with the disorder
↳ milgram's research found that 65% of participants obeyed an authority figure and inflicted 450-volt electric shock because they were ordered to do so / however, the results fails to provide an explanation of why each person obeyed and there may have been very different circumstances that led to the obedience found in each participant
L - this means that in its search for generalities, the nomothetic approach may sometimes fail to explain experience
