issues + debates

• What is free will


  Humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces
• What is determinism


  Human behaviour of a product of influences beyond their own control

  No control over their actions

  Internal and external forces control a person
• What are the types of determinism


  Hard

  Soft

  Biological

  Psychic

  Environmental
• What is hard determinism


  Free will is not possible and behaviour is always caused by external or internal events beyond control
• What is soft determinism


  Constrained by the environment or biological make up but only to some extent
• What is biological determinism


  Behaviour is caused by biological influences (genes, hormones) that we cant control
• What is psychic determinism

  Behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that cant be controlled
• What is environmental determinism


  Behaviour caused by the environment (classical, operant, rewards and punishments) that we can't control
• What is a causal relationship


  looks for a cause and effect (IV,DV)
• What is holism


  Takes into account the whole person or behaviour isn't reduced
• What is reductionism


  Breaking it down into simpler components
• What is an example of holism

  Humanistic approach
• What is an example of reductionism


  biological reductionism- reduces behaviour to a physical level, explains in neurons and hormones

  Environmental reductionism- stimulus, response
• What is nature

  innate biological or genetic factors, biologically determined and heredity
• What is nurture


  environmental influences, anything outside the body

  e.g. people and events
• What are examples of nature from psychology

  twin studies

  Bowlby's monotropic theory (adaptive)
• What are examples of nurture in psychology

  classical and operant conditioning (food)

  Bowlby's monotropic theory (internal working model)
• What is the interactionist approach


  view that both nature and nurture work together to shape human behaviours

  e.g. twin studies
• What are examples of the interactionist approach in psychology

  twin studies

  Maguire taxi study
• what idiogrpahic


  individual case on one person e.g. case studies, interviews
• what is nomothetic


  establishing general laws based upon studies of large groups of people
• what are examples of idiographic in research methods


  qualitative data

  content and thematic analysis

  case studies
• what are examples of nomothetic in research methods


  quantitative data

  large sample

  experiments

  questionnaires (closed Q)
• what are the types of gender bias

  beta

  alpha

  androcentric

  gynocentric
• what is alpha bias


  differences between sexes are over estimated or exaggerated
• what is beta bias


  ignores, minimises or underestimates differences
• what is androcentric


  occurs from beta bias, 'male-centred' when an understanding of behaviour is drawn from research only involving male samples.

  leads to female behaviour being misunderstood
• what is gynocentric


  'female-centred'
• what are example of gender bias in psychology


  Zimbardo: only males

  biological research into fight or flight carried out on male animals only: beta bias (assuming female animals would be the same)
• what is culture bias


  tendency to judge people in terms of ones own cultural assumptions
• what are the types of culture bias


  ethnocentrism

  cultural relativism

  universality
• what is ethnocentrism


  seeing the world from your own cultural perspective and believing your perspective is normal and correct

  leads to imposed etic where a theory developed in one culture is imposed on another
• what is cultural relativism


  behaviour can be properly understood if cultural context is considered.

  emic approach: developed within the culture and considers behaviours.
• what is universality


  a theory can be applied to all people and it includes real differences.

  e.g. smiling represents joy
• what are examples of culture bias in psychology


  African-Caribbean's in Britain were diagnosed as 'mentally-ill' due to hearing voices. however, this is perfectly normal in their subculture. ethnocentrism: psychiatrists only seeing behaviours through their own idea, not taking into account cultural differences

  strange situation developed in USA but applied to other countries. ethnocentrism (imposed etic): developed in usa but applied to other countries
• what are ethical implications


  refers to impact or consequences that research has on people in a wider context
• what is social sensitivity


  refers to studies where there are social consequences for the ppts