issues and debates

Bias

A distorted or inaccurate view caused by beliefs, values or perspectives

Gender bias

Failure to consider gender differences adequately

Alpha bias (gender)

Exaggerates gender differences

Beta bias (gender)

Minimises or ignores gender differences

Androcentrism

A male-centred view where male behaviour is treated as the norm

Universality (gender)

Behaviour is assumed to apply equally to everyone

Cultural bias

Judging or understanding other cultures using one's own cultural norms

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures by the standards of one's own culture

Eurocentrism

European values are treated as the norm

Cultural relativism

Behaviour is understood within its cultural context

Alpha bias (culture)

Exaggerates cultural differences

Beta bias (culture)

Minimises or ignores cultural differences

Imposed etic

Applying research developed in one culture to another culture

Emic approach

Research conducted within or for a specific culture

Universality (culture)

Behaviour is assumed to apply equally across cultures

Social sensitivity

Research with potential consequences for individuals, groups or society

Potential consequences of socially sensitive research

Prejudice, discrimination, labelling and influence on public policy

What should researchers consider in socially sensitive research?

Harm, benefits, misuse and validity

Nature

Biological or hereditary influences on behaviour

Nurture

Environmental or experiential influences on behaviour

Heredity

Genetic transmission from parents to offspring

Environment

External influences and experiences

Nativism

The view that nature is more influential than nurture

Tabula rasa

The view that the mind is initially shaped by experience (a "blank slate")

Interactionist approach (nature–nurture)

Behaviour results from nature and nurture interacting

Genotype

A person's genetic makeup

Phenotype

Observable characteristics resulting from genes and environment

Holism

Behaviour is understood as a whole

Reductionism

Behaviour is explained through smaller component parts

Biological reductionism

Explaining behaviour through genes, the brain or neurotransmitters

Environmental reductionism

Explaining behaviour through environmental stimulus-response or learning

Levels of explanation

The different levels at which behaviour can be explained

Parsimony

Using the least complex explanation that adequately explains behaviour

Mid-level explanation

An explanation between reductionist and holistic explanations

Approaches from most reductionist to most holistic

Biological → Environmental → Cognitive/Psychodynamic → Social → Interactionist → Humanistic

Most reductionist approach

Biological

Most holistic approach

Humanistic

Idiographic approach

Focuses on the individual – in-depth study of unique experience

Nomothetic approach

Studies large groups to find general laws and patterns

Type of data and research in the idiographic approach

Qualitative, detailed and individual

Type of data and research in the nomothetic approach

Quantitative, statistical and generalisable

Which debates link to the idiographic approach?

Holism and free will

Which debates link to the nomothetic approach?

Reductionism and determinism