OCR Psychology - Individual Differences + Psychodynamic Perspective

What is a principle of the individual differences area?

Focus on how individual factors that make people unique affect behaviour. For example, thinking patterns, developmental disorders + mental disorders

What is the second principle of the Individual differences area?

It is possible to measure + study individual differences, e.g. Hancock measured how psychopaths language differs from non-psychopaths

What is a case study?

An in depth study on one person / small group of people

What is the 1st principle of the psychodynamic area?

Unconscious fears + desires affect behaviour

What is the 2nd principle of the psychodynamic area?

Early childhood experiences affect behaviour

What was the aim of Freud’s case study?

To demonstrate the existence of Oedipus complex

What research method was used in Freud’s study?

Unstructured observation

What was Little Han’s’ giraffe dream about?

Two giraffes, a large one and a crumpled one

What was Little Han’s’ plumber dream about?

A plumber removing his bottom half + replacing it with a larger half

What did Freud say Little Hans was suffering from?

Oedipus complex

What anxiety was Little Hans experiencing?

Castration anxiety

Who did Little Hans displace his fear of horses onto?

His father

What psychosexual stage of development do boys experience the Oedipus complex?

Phallic stage

What is an issue with Freud’s interpretation?

It was subjective

Who disagreed with Freud’s interpretation?

Bowlby

How did Bowlby explain Little Hans’ phobia of horses?

Through attachment theory, Little Hans was worried his mother might desert them / his parents would split up

What is theory of mind?

The ability to understand that other people have different thoughts + feelings

If you lack theory of mind, what do you have?

A cognitive deficit

What is the aim of Baron-Cohen et al.’s study?

To see whether high-functioning adults with autism + Asperger’s syndrome would struggle with a more difficult test for theory of mind

What did participants do during the eyes task?

They would see 25 black + white photographs of eyes for 3 secs, then they would be asked what mental state was best represented in the eyes

How many mental states were given with each photograph in the eyes task?

2

What research method did Baron-Cohen et al.’s study use?

Quasi experiment

What experimental design did Baron-Cohen et al.’s study use?

Independent measures design

What was the IV in Baron-Cohen et al.’s study?

The type of person: person with autism / Asperger’s syndrome, “normal” people + people with Tourette’s syndrome

What was the sample in Baron-Cohen et al.’s study?

4 people with autism + 12 with Asperger’s syndrome (13 males + 3 females), 50 “normal” people (25 males + females), 10 people with Tourette’s syndrome (8 males + 2 females)

What sampling method was used in Baron-Cohen’s study?

Opportunity sampling (e.g. adverts)

What was the DV in Baron-Cohen’s study?

Score out of 25 on eyes task

What is concurrent validity?

When participants achieve similar results in different tests

What increases concurrent validity in Baron-Cohen et al.’s study

The use of Happe’s strange stories test

How was the procedure in Baron-Cohen et al.’s study standardised?

4 tasks: eyes task, strange stories + 2 control tasks, completed in random order by participants (randomisation)

What were the Tourette’s syndrome group results in Baron-Cohen et al.’s study?

20.4 was the mean score

What were the autism / Asperger’s syndrome group results in Baron-Cohen et al.’s study?

16.3

What were the “normal” group’s results in Baron-Cohen et al.’s study?

20.3

What do the results from Baron-Cohen et al.’s study suggest?

People with autism / Asperger’s syndrome struggle to read people’s emotions through their eyes

What is one conclusion of Baron-Cohen et al.’s study?

People with high functioning autism / Asperger’s syndrome struggle with theory of mind

What is an application of Baron-Cohen et al.’s study?

High functioning autistics / people with Asperger’s syndrome could have visual cues to help them read emotions

What is the aim of Gould’s review?

To highlight the fundamental issues with intelligence testing / show how Yerke’s research was used to discriminate against people

What is the research method of Yerke’s review?

A review article

What was the sample in Yerkes’ study?

1.75 million army recruits WW1 (White Americans, Black Afro Caribbeans + European immigrants)

What tests did Yerkes use to measure intelligence?

Alpha, beta + a spoken test

What was the alpha test?

A test designed for literate recruits - it had 8 parts

What was the beta test?

A test designed for those who are illiterate / they failed the alpha test + it had 7 parts

What is one issue with the questions used in Yerkes’ study?

They were based on American culture

What did Gould argue about Yerkes’ study?

Content of Yerkes’ IQ tests relied too heavily on cultural knowledge + access to formal schooling (not a good measure of innate intelligence)

What issues did Gould have with Yerkes’ procedure?

They were inconsistencies: not everyone was given the test they needed, disproportionately affected African Americans / new immigrants

How were the results of Yerkes’ study used by the army?

To assign different military ranks + limit who could be an officer

What is a conclusion of Gould’s review of Yerkes’ study?

IQ tests do not measure innate intelligence

How did Yerkes’ study affect legislation? (negative)

1924 Immigration Restriction Act

Who did the 1924 Immigration Restriction Act affect?

Southern + Eastern Europeans / Jews who couldn’t escape nazis in WW2

What is an application of Gould’s review of Yerkes’ study?

Psychologist can be skeptic when attempting to measure intelligence

What is socially sensitive research?

Research that has implications beyond the study + it’s often controversial

Why is Yerkes’ study socially sensitive?

It led to discrimination towards different ethnic groups based on their intelligence

What is one characteristic of a psychopath?

Lack of remorse for actions that harm others

What percentage of the population are psychopaths?

1%

What is the aim of Hancock et al.’s study?

To examine the language characteristics of psychopaths in describing their violent crimes

What does the instrumental nature of speech mean?

Using cause + effect words (conjunctions)

What are psychopaths more focused on rather than socio-emotional needs?

Physiological needs

How might psychopaths distance themselves from their crimes?

Using the past tense more than the present tense

What is the sample in Hancock et al.’s study?

2 different groups, 14 psychopathic made murderers (experimental group) + 38 non-psychopathic male murderers (control group)

What was the age range of the sample in Hancock et al.’s study?

14-50

What sampling method was used in Hancock et al.’s study?

Self-selected sampling

What score out of 40 on the PCL-R test led to a diagnosis of psychopathy?

30+

How did Hancock et al.’s study have inter-rater reliability?

10 randomly selected case files on the PCL-R scores were selected and re-coded

Was there a significant difference in the number of words used by psychopaths / non-psychopaths?

No

What does the psychopaths using more subordinate conjunctions suggest?

That they see their crimes as the inevitable outcome + they lack remorse

What physiological needs did the psychopaths refer to 2x as much than non-psychopaths?

Eating, money + drinking

What does the psychopaths using more past tense verbs suggest?

That they view their crimes in the past + they distance themselves from their crime

How fluent were the psychopaths compared to non-psychopaths?

33% less fluent as they used words like “um + uh”

What is one conclusion from Hancock et al.’s study?

Psychopaths are more emotionally detached from their crimes

What is an application of Hancock et al.’s study?

Could be used as a guide to identify psychopaths so they can be dealt with effectively