issues and debates

• What is the issue of gender bias in psychology?


  It refers to the influence of social and historical context on psychologists' beliefs and values.
• How does gender bias undermine psychologists' claims?


  It may prevent claims from being objective, value-free, and consistent across time and culture.
• What is alpha bias in psychology?


  Alpha bias exaggerates differences between genders.
• Can you give an example of alpha bias?


  Psychodynamic theory is an example of alpha bias.
• What is beta bias in psychology?


  Beta bias underestimates differences between genders.
• Can you provide examples of beta bias?


  Fight or flight and tend and befriend are examples of beta bias.
• How are differences between sexes often presented in psychology?


  They are usually presented as fixed and inevitable.
• What is a consequence of alpha bias favoring males according to Freud?


  It suggests that girls develop a weaker superego and weaker moral development.
• What issue arises when female participants are excluded from research?

  It leads to the assumption that findings apply equally to both sexes.
• What was the early research into fight or flight based on?


  It was based on male animals due to fluctuating female hormones.
• What does androcentrism refer to in psychology?


  It refers to a male-centered perspective in psychological research.
• What is a consequence of psychology being male-dominated?

  It leads to female behavior being misunderstood and pathologized.
• Why do feminists object to the category of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?


  They believe it medicalizes female emotions and pathologizes normal behavior.
• What does cultural bias in psychology refer to?


  It refers to the tendency to interpret behaviors through the lens of one's own culture.
• What is the term WEIRD used to describe?


  It describes Westernized, Educated, Industrialized, Rich Democracies.
• What happens when the norm for behavior is set by WEIRD people?


  Behaviors from non-Western, less educated cultures are seen as abnormal or inferior.
• How did Ainsworth and Bell's (1970) research reflect cultural bias?

  It defined ideal attachment based on US cultural norms, misinterpreting other cultures.
• What is the difference between an etic and emic approach in psychology?


  An etic approach looks at behavior from outside a culture, while an emic approach studies behavior from within a culture.
• What is an example of imposed etic in Ainsworth and Bell's research?


  They studied attachment behaviors in a single culture and assumed it was universal.
• What is the free will-determinism debate in psychology?


  It questions whether behavior is a matter of free will or influenced by internal and external factors.
• What is hard determinism?


  It suggests that all human actions have a cause that can be identified.
• What is self-determinism?


  It suggests that all human actions have a cause but allows for freedom of choice within limits.
• What does biological determinism refer to?


  It describes how biological factors influence behavior, such as genes and the autonomic nervous system.
• How does environmental determinism view free will?


  It sees free will as an illusion, with behavior resulting from conditioning.
• What is psychic determinism according to Freud?


  It emphasizes the influence of childhood experiences and unconscious conflicts on behavior.
• What is the principle of causality in science?


  It states that every event has a cause that can be explained by general laws.
• How does the laboratory experiment relate to causality in psychology?


  It allows researchers to simulate conditions and remove extraneous variables to demonstrate causal effects.
• What is the nature-nurture debate in psychology?


  It discusses whether behavior is determined by genetics (nature) or environment (nurture).
• What is the diathesis-stress model?


  It suggests that behavior is caused by a combination of genetic vulnerability and environmental stressors.
• What is epigenetics?


  It refers to changes in genetic activity without altering the genetic code, influenced by lifestyle and experiences.
• What is the difference between nature and nurture in psychology?


  Nature refers to inherited influences, while nurture refers to environmental influences.
• What is heritability in psychology?


  It is the proportion of differences in a trait within a population that can be attributed to genetics.
• What is the debate between holism and reductionism in psychology?


  It concerns whether to study the whole person or break down behavior into components.
• What does biological reductionism suggest?


  It suggests that all behavior can be explained through biological influences.
• What does environmental reductionism propose?


  It proposes that all behavior is acquired through interactions with the environment.
• What is the idiographic approach in psychology?


  It focuses on the detailed study of individual cases to understand behavior.
• What is the nomothetic approach in psychology?


  It aims to formulate general principles or laws of behavior based on group studies.
• How do idiographic and nomothetic approaches differ in their focus?


  Idiographic focuses on individuals, while nomothetic focuses on groups to find universal principles.
• What are ethical implications in psychological research?


  They involve the balance between the needs of research and the rights of participants.
• Why is it important to consider the consequences of research findings?


  Findings can impact social perceptions and may reinforce stereotypes or biases.