OCR Psychology: Areas, Perspectives and Debates Flashcards

• Ethical considerations

  Informed consent, Right to withdraw, Protection from harm, Deception ,Confidentiality, Debrief
• Informed consent

  When participants give consent having been made fully aware of all aspects of the research.
• Right to withdraw

  The ability to pull out from any research.
• Protection from harm


  Ensuring the participant is constantly protected from exposure to any sort of harm (social, psychological).
• Deception

  When a participant isn't fully aware of the research they are taking part in.
• Confidentiality


  Ensuring the privacy of the participant/researcher is kept confidential.
• Debrief

  Especially important if consent wasn't fully informed - there should be a standardised debrief following research fully explaining research and checking the health for participants.
• Biological area


  The biological area seeks to explain mental processes and behaviour by focusing on the function of the nervous system.
• 3 key assumptions of the biological approach

  Differences in behaviour are the result of different brain activity.Difference in emotion, cognition and behaviour are genetic.Brain activity will result in measurable/observable changes.
• 2 strengths of the biological area

  Highly scientific research methodsAdvanced understanding of injury/illness
• 2 weaknesses of the biological area

  Lacks ecological validity due to methodologyReductionist
• Cognitive area


  Information received from our senses is processed by the brain and this processing directs how we behave and what we do. These mental processes that cognitive psychologists focus on include memory, perception, attention and language.
• 2 key assumption of the cognitive area

  Cognitive (mental) processes are key to human behaviour.The mind is an information processor.
• 2 strengths of the cognitive area

  Good scientific status'Black box' understanding
• 2 weaknesses of the cognitive area

  Computer analogy breaks downCognitive reductionism
• Individual differences area

  Individuals differ in terms of thinking and behaviour.It is possible to study individual differences.Behaviour can be a result of dispositional factors.
• 2 strengths of the individual differences area

  Practical applications for treatmentVariety of data types for depth and analysis
• 2 weaknesses of the individual differences area

  Subjective methodology based on case studiesEthical issues with vulnerable individuals
• Developmental area


  People change and develop with age.Human development is due to both nature and nurture.
• 2 strengths of the developmental area

  Improved understanding of age related differencesCan help positively influence children's behaviour
• 2 weaknesses of the developmental area

  Some aspects are not scientific (child's thoughts)Numerous ethical issues
• Social area


  Social psychology looks at relationships between people and how people's behaviour changes due to the actual, imagined or implied presence of others.
• 3 keys assumptions of the social area

  Behaviours is influenced by the situation as well as the individual.Behaviours is influenced by individuals and groups.Can help understand social issues.
• 2 strengths of the social area

  Real-life relevanceRange of research methods
• 2 weaknesses of the social area

  Ethical issuesSocial determinism
• Nature/Nurture

  Nature: the argument that all behaviour is decided by the genes and science of the personNurture: the argument that behaviour is affected by socialisation and our situation
• 3 keys assumptions of the Behaviourist perspective


  Proper subject matter of psychology is observable behaviourEnvironment shapes usBehaviour is learnt
• 3 keys assumptions of the Psychodynamic perspective

  Driven by structure and drives of unconscious mindDeveloped is affect by early relationshipsWe express ourselves as a result of our unconscious
• determinism strength

  more specific causes of behaviour, useful as practical apps can be put in place
• determinism weakness

  research is lab based, ignoring normal influences on behaviour, causing low ecological validity
• free will strength

  people are responsible for their own action and therefore, we can place blame to anyone who commits a criminal act
• free will weakness


  isn't scientific and cant be falsified due to it not being measurable- reducing usefulness of research.
• reductionist strength


  it allows us to break down complex human behaviour into constituent part so they are easier to understand and explain
• reductionist weakness

  ignore other influences on behaviour, neglects the holistic picture of behaviour. low validity
• holism strength


  shows how several interacting factors can impact on behaviour- high ecological validity
• holism weakness


  results are subjective as research is conducted through case studies. case studies do not need the same level of scientific rigour meaning there could be a lose in objectivity
• nature strength


  it is valuable to discover that behaviour is due to nature rather than blaming parents for the nurturing of their child - can lead to access of therapies for better quality of life.
• nature weakness

  explaining behaviour to be due to nature is reductionist as it can ignore other influences on behaviour.
• nurture strength

  highlights issues that provide clear practical applications in terms of improving nurturing environments such as schools.
• nurture weakness

  explaining behaviour being due to nurture is reductionist as it ignore nature influences on behaviour.