Lessons 04 - 07 Flashcards
(32 cards)
Biological determinism
All human behaviour is innate and determined by genes
Example: biological approach
Causal explanations
Seeks to discover whether X causes Y
Determinism
The view that free will is an illusion and behaviour is governed by internal and external forces over which we have no control
Environmental determinism
(a form of hard determinism)
Behaviour is determined or caused by forces outside of the individual, (e.g. past experiences)
Free will
We play an active role and have choice in how we behave. Individuals are self-determined and choose our own actions
Advocated by the humanistic approach
Moral responsibility is the idea that an individual is in charge of their own actions
Hard determinism (AKA fatalism)
Forces outside of our control (e.g. biology, past experiences), shape our behaviour
Examples: classical/operant conditioning, biological approach
Psychic determinism
Human behaviour is the result of childhood experiences and innate drives
Soft determinism
Behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological make-up but only to a certain extent. All human action has a cause, people have conscious mental control over the way they behave
Examples: cognitive approach, social learning theory
The scientific emphasis on causal explanations
Every event in the universe has a cause and those causes can be explained using general laws
Evaluation of free will
(+) FACE VALIDITY; everyday experiences give the impression that we exercise free will
(+) People who have a INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL (believe they influence their behaviour) tend to be more mentally happy, suggesting that the concept of locus of control exercises free will
(+) Application to the LEGAL SYSTEM; we all have free will and are responsible for our actions, and can choose to be a criminal
(-) Neurobiological research that suggests that BRAIN activity that determines the outcome of choices may occur earlier than our knowledge of making the choice. This suggests our decisions are determined before we even make them
Evaluation of determinism
(+) Consistent with the aims of science. The idea that behaviour is orderly makes psychology more respected and scientific as a discipline. Determinism can be proven through body and brain scans
(+) Value of schizophrenic research; it has led to drug treatment to help manage symptoms. The patients are not exercising free will as they do not choose the symptoms.
(-) Not consistent with the way our legal system works. In a court of law, offenders are held morally responsible for their actions. HOWEVER, there may be a genetic link to aggression in men (genes are determined)
(-) Not falsifiable, difficult to prove wrong
Nature-nurture debate
One of the oldest debates
Centres on the contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development and behaviour
Nature-nurture debate:
Environment
Everything outside of the body, including people, events and the physical world
Nature-nurture debate
Heredity
The process by which traits are passed down genetically from one generation to another
Nature-nurture debate
Interactionist approach
The idea that biology (nature) and the environment (nurture) work together to determine behaviour
Nature (AKA the nativist position)
Behaviour is seen as a product of innate (biological or genetic) factors
Certain characteristics are biologically determined.
Twin/family/adoption studies show that the closer the relationships between two people, the more likely it is for them to show the same behaviours
Risk of schizophrenia: 1%
Risk of schizophrenia if both parents have it: 46%
Average concordance rate of 40.4% for MZ twins, and 7.4% for DZ twins, highlighting a significant genetic component
Evolutionary explanations emphasise the importance of nature (e.g. natural selection)
Nurture
Nurture: behaviour is seen as a product of environmental influences
Environmentalists (AKA empiricists) hold the assumption that the human mind is a blank slate and is ‘filled’ by experiences. They say psychological characteristics and behavioural differences are the result of learning (e.g. classical conditioning, social learning theory)
Evaluation of the nature-nurture debate
(+) Interactionist Approach. It is now widely accepted that both nature and nurture are essential for almost all behaviour. Best illustrated by the genetic disorder PKU, caused by two recessive genes, however it can be averted through a low protein diet. The disorder (nature) is not expressed because of an altered environment (nurture)
(+) Seen in psychopathology, many psychologists argue both a genetic predisposition and an appropriate environmental trigger are required for a disorder to develop (e.g. SZ)
(+) Epigenetics - a change in our genetic activity without changing our genetic code (e.g. smoking, diet, pollution, war). These can influence the genetic codes of our children. Ressler’s study with the mice who showed a fear reaction when a scent was presented
(+) Neural plasticity - Maguire (2000) study about taxi drivers’ right posterior hippocampus
(+) Nature and nurture can interact in various ways. 1) Passive gene-environment interaction (parents pass on genes and provide environment) 2) Evocative (heritable traits influence the reactions of others and the environment) 3) Active (heritable traits influence the choice of environment)
(-) Implications - we need to be careful when blaming nature for behaviour because it can lead to controversial policies. We should also be cautious when blaming nurture as we could become prisoners of our environment
Biological reductionism
The way psychologists try to reduce behaviour to a PHYSICAL level in terms of neurons, neurotransmitter, hormones, brain structure etc. Examples are many explanations of psychological disorders (twin studies of OCD, anything that genes influence)
Environmental reductionism
Assumption that all behaviour can be reduced to the simple building blocks of S-R (stimulus response) associations
Examples are how attachment is learned (classical conditioning)
Holism
Human behaviour should be viewed as a whole integrated experience and not as separate parts
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”
Parsimony
The idea that complex phenomena should be explained in the simplest terms possible
Example of Levels of Explanation with violent crimes
A very reductionist level (low) would emphasise physiological factors like genes, low levels of serotonin, high levels of testosterone
The middle level would be explanations focusing on cognitive explanations and social learning.
The highest level would focus on more complex sociocultural factors (e.g. media, gang culture among young people)
Levels of Explanations
Explanations (of behaviour) vary from those at a lower or fundamental level focusing on basic components or units (reductionist) , to those at a higher more holistic level
The lowest reductionist level focuses on physiological factors i.e. genes. The highest level focuses on sociocultural factors i.e. culture. In between is behavioural, cognitive and social explanations.
