Issues and debates

Androcentrism

Focus on male behaviour when studying human behaviour

Ethnocentrism

A focus on your own culture when trying to understand human behaviour

Cultural relativism

Behaviours must be understood within their cultural context

Alpha bias

Exaggerating male/female differences

Beta bias

Minimising male/female differences

Issue with alpha bias

Misrepresents genders and enforces stereotypes

Issue with beta bias

Psychological findings are generalised to both genders when that might not be the case

Biological determinism

Behaviour determined by hormones, genes, neurotransmitters and neurology

Environmental determinism

Behaviour determined by conditioning and socialisation

Psychic determinism

Behaviour determined by unconscious conflicts and defence mechanisms such as repressed memories from childhood

Richard Lerner’s 3 levels of the environment

Mothers physical and psychological state during pregnancy

Post-natal experiences a child grows up in

Cultural and historical context

Holism

Looking at human behaviour as a whole rather than breaking it down into parts

Biological reductionism

reducing behaviour/mental illness down to a physical/bodily malfunction

Environmental reductionism

reducing behaviour/mental illness down to an environmental influence

Machine reductionism

reducing behaviour/mental illness down to a faulty processing of information

Levles of explanation with increasing reductionism

Social/cultural , psychological , physical , physiological , neurochemical

Idiographic approach

people are studied as individuals based on subjective, personal experiences e.g. Little Hans, Patient Tan

Evaluate idiographic approach

More detailed, takes into account individual differences but is objective so may be biased and findings are less generalisable

Nomothetic approach

studies large samples of data to produce general laws os human behaviour

Evaluate nomothetic approach

objective and more reliable, findings are more generalisable, provides treatments but lacks detail, some individuals dint fit into classifications and general treatments never help everyone

ethical implication for research

the research question - could be damaging

treatment of participants - must adhere to ethical guidelines

the institutional content - how the research is conducted and how it might influence the study

interpretation of findings - consider how findings can be applied in the real world

Ways of dealing with social sensitivity

considering biases, carefully constructing research questions, anticipating misuse of findings, cost-benefit analysis, consider who funds the research

Social sensitivity

any psychological research that go beyond the research situation and effect people or groups of people

Example of ethical implications in research

Race and IQ - reinforces stereotypes and discrimination

Bowlbys theory in attachment - mothers should stay home