Issues and Debates

Define gender bias?

• the differential treatment or representation of men and women based on sterotypes rather than real/evidenced difference

state the 3 biases which gender bias includes?

• androcentrism

• alpha bias

• beta bias

define alpha bias?

the exaggerated differences between men and women, typically undervalues women

define beta bias?

• when theories ignore the differences between males and females , findings involving males in research are assumed to apply equally to females, vice versa

Define androcentrism?

• a possible consequence of beta bias , a bias where male behaviour( masculine traits) are judged to be the norm and acceptable whereas female traits are viewed as abnormal

define cultural bias?

the tendency to judge all cultures and individuals based on your own cultural assumptions

define cultural relativism?

the view that behaviour cannot be judged properly unless they are viewed in the context of the culture which they originate

define ethnocentrism?

where an individual views the world from their own cultural perspective, believing it to be correct and often superior.

define determinism?

• the view that free will is an illusion and that our behaviour is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control.

state the 3 types of determinism?

• biological

• environmental

• psychic

define biological determinism?

• emphasizes the role of innate biological factors in shaping behaviour, such as genes, biological structures, neurochemistry,

define environmental determinism?

• proposes that behaviour is determined by external forces and experiences, such as past learning through classical and operant conditioning

define psychic determinism?

• claims that human behaviour is directed by innate drives and unconscious conflicts, which are often repressed from childhood experiences.

define hard determinism?

• the idea that all behaviour can be predicted so there is no free will

define soft determinism?

a version of determinism that allows some element of free will

define free will?

suggests that human behaviour is self-determined, meaning people can choose their thoughts and actions and therefore have control over their behaviour.

why is scientific research important in terms of behaviour?

• scientific research is based on the idea that all events have a cause

• helps establish the relationship between 2 variables

define nature?

• behaviour is a product of genetic or innate biological factors

define heridity?

The process by which physical and psychological traits are genetically passed down from one generation to the next.

define the interactionist approach?

• the view that both nature and nurture work together rather than in opposition

define nurture?

• he view that behaviour is a product of environmental influences.

define holism?

• looking at behaviour as a whole, studying and understanding the whole person or system rather than focusing solely on its individual parts or components.

define reductionism?

-the view that human behaviour can be explained by breaking it down into simpler component parts.

state the 2 types of reductionism?

• biological

• environmental

define biological reductionism?

Biological reductionism refers to the way psychologists reduce behaviour to its physical level, explaining it in terms of genetics, neurons, neurotransmitters, and hormones.

define environmental reductionism?

It assumes that behaviour can be reduced to simple stimulus-response connections, where behaviour is shaped by learned associations.

define the idiographic approach?

focuses on the individual, emphasising their unique personal experience.

define nomothetic approach?

looks at how our behaviours are similar to each other as human beings.