Debates

• Free will vs determinism

  • Free will - Behaviour is a result of our conscious choices, not determined by external/internal forces
  • Environmental determinism - Behaviour result of previous experiences (CC OP)
  • Biological determinism - Behaviour result of genetics/hormones
  • Psychic determinism - Behaviour result of innate drives and early experiences
• • Soft determinism - Behaviour/events have causes, but our behaviour can also determined by conscious choices and our own free will
  • Hard determinism - Free will not possible, as behaviour always caused by internal or external factors that are out of our control
• Nature vs Nurture

  The argument to the relative contribution of genes vs environment to a person's development/behaviour
• • Innate - Natural, inherited traits that are biological/internal. Not necessarily present at birth, but can also describe abilities later determined by genes
  • Environment - Nurture traits learnt/acquired through interacting with the environment/external factors
• What is the definition of Concordance Rate?


  It is the probability that two people with shared genes will develop the same organic disease.
• In which fields is the term Concordance Rate commonly used?


  In statistics and genetics.
• How does Concordance Rate relate to genetic diseases?


  It measures the likelihood that genetically related individuals will share the same disease.
• What is the Interactionist Approach in attachment theory?


  It suggests that attachment patterns result from a two-way interaction between a child's temperament and parental responses.
• How does a child's temperament influence parental responses according to Belsky & Rovine (1987)?


  A child's innate temperament influences how parents respond to them.
• What is the reciprocal relationship described in the Interactionist Approach?


  The child's behavior influences parental responses, which in turn affects the child's behavior.
• What does the phrase "nature creates nurture" imply in the context of attachment theory?


  It implies that heredity and environment interact with one another to shape attachment patterns.
• What does epigenetics refer to?


  Epigenetics refers to changes in genetic activity without altering the genetic code.
• How does epigenetics occur throughout life?


  It occurs through interactions with the environment, affecting genetic activity.
• What types of environmental factors can leave epigenetic marks on DNA?


  Factors such as smoking, diet, pollution, and war can leave epigenetic marks.
• What do epigenetic marks do to our genes?


  They indicate which genes to ignore and which to use.
• How might epigenetic marks influence future generations?


  They may influence the genetic codes of our children.
• Holism vs Reductionism

  • Should psychology study the whole person or just specific aspects
  • Holism - Idea that it's only makes sense to study an indivisible system rather than it's constituent parts
  • Reductionism - Idea that behaviour best explained by breaking it down into smaller constituent parts
• What is the main principle of holism in psychology?


  "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"
• What do Gestalt psychologists believe about behavior and experience?


  They believe behavior and experience can only be understood by analyzing the person or behavior as a whole.
• What is the significance of holism in Gestalt Psychology regarding perception?


  • Explanations for perception make sense only when considering the whole.
  • Individual elements alone do not provide a complete understanding.
• How does Humanistic Psychology view the individual?


  The individual reacts as an organized whole rather than a set of stimulus-response links.
• What is the importance of a unified identity in Humanistic Psychology?


  A lack of identity or sense of wholeness can lead to mental disorders.
• How does Cognitive Psychology relate to holism in terms of memory?


  • Memory is a complex system understood through connectionist networks.
  • Each unit in memory is linked to many others, and these links develop through experience.
  • Stronger synaptic connections lead to stronger memories.
• What role do experiences play in the connectionist networks of memory?


  Experiences strengthen or weaken the links between memory units.
• How does holism apply to social influence and conformity?


  • Behavior influenced by others should be studied holistically.
  • It involves studying both the group influencing the individual and the individual's behavior.
• Why is it important to study behavior holistically in the context of social influence?


  To understand how group dynamics affect individual behavior.
• Three levels of explanation

  Highest

  1. Cultural/social
  2. Psychological
  3. Biological

  Lowest
• Biological Reductionism - All behaviour can be explained at a physical level (neurons, neurotransmitters, hormones)
• Environmental Reductionism - All behaviour can be explained in terms of simple stimulus response links (relationship between behaviour and events in the environment)
• Idiographic vs Nomothetic

  • Should psychology focus on the individual/small groups or people in general
• Idiographic -

  • Research that focuses more on the individual behaviour/phenomenon to understand behaviour rather than aiming to formulate general laws of behaviour
  • Idios - Greek for own/personal/individual
• Nomothetic -

  • Aim to study behaviour through development of general principles and universal laws
  • Nomos - Greek for law
• What does the idiographic approach to psychological research focus on?


  The individual case as a means of understanding behaviour
• What does the nomothetic approach to psychological research focus on?


  Studying large numbers of people to understand behaviour
• What is the aim of research in the idiographic approach?


  • To describe the richness of human experience
  • To gain insight into the person's unique way of viewing the world
• What type of research methods do psychologists using the idiographic approach prefer?


  Qualitative research methods
• What are some examples of qualitative research methods used in the idiographic approach?


  Case studies, unstructured interviews, and thematic analysis
• What does the idiographic approach not seek to do?


  Formulate laws or generalise results to others
• How do case studies relate to the idiographic approach?


  • Provide in-depth insight into an individual or small group
  • Can be used to evaluate a theory
• Who examined the case of Patient KF as an example of the idiographic approach?


  Shallice and Warrington