Issues and debates in psychology is a key section that covers various issues in psychological research as well as some of the philosophical debates which influence such research.
Philosophical debates have influenced psychological research in several ways. Issues about what shapes human behavior, how humans make decisions, and how we should study human beings, are all relevant to the development of psychological research.
The topics we will be studying as part of the issues and debates section are outlined below.
Issues and debates in psychology: Gender bias
gender bias in psychology is the perception or treatment of one gender in a more or less favorable way compared to another, based on stereotypes. Gender bias in psychology can impact the validity and reliability of results. It is important to study the different types of gender bias so that we can identify them in psychological research. The types of gender bias we will cover are:
- Alpha bias – this refers to the exaggeration of the differences between men and women. Beta bias refers to the minimization of differences between men and women
- Androcentrism – this is a type of beta bias that refers to the perception of male thinking and behavior as ‘normal’
- gynocentrism – this is a type of beta bias that refers to the perception of female thinking and behaviors as ‘normal’
In this topic area, we will be looking at some specific studies as examples of gender bias in psychology.
Issues and debates in psychology: Cultural bias
Cultural bias in psychology is when research, findings or theories from one culture are applied to another. Cultural bias in psychology can impact the validity and reliability of results. It is important to study the different types of cultural bias so that we can identify them in psychological research. The concepts we cover in cultural bias are:
- ethnocentrism – this refers to the belief or assumption that one culture’s ideas, values and practices are ‘natural’ and ‘correct’.
- Cultural relativism – This refers to the consideration of values, practices or norms within each culture individually and in its own context. It can be used to reduce ethnocentrism.
- Cross-cultural psychology – this is also known as cross-cultural research and looks at the influence of cultural factors on behavior. Studying behaviors across cultures helps researchers understand which behaviors are innate and which are learned.
In this topic area, we will be looking at some studies as examples of cultural bias in psychology.
Cultural bias can affect the validity of psychological research. flaticon.com
Issues and debates in psychology: philosophical debates in psychology
Let us now look at some of the other Issues and debates in psychology that more philosophical in nature.
Free will and determinism
The debate about free will versus determinism is concerned with the extent to which our thoughts and behaviors are influenced by uncontrollable factors. Those who believe in free will argue that humans are not influenced by external factors and can make their own decisions autonomously. Believers in free will acknowledge that there are external factors that may affect our behavior, but ultimately individuals decide for themselves how to respond to these.
On the other hand, supporters of determinism argue that human beings cannot exercise freely because our behavior is the result of both internal and external forces. Free will is therefore an illusion. There are two types of determinism:
- Hard determinism is the view that our behavior is the result of factors beyond our control, such as our biology or our experiences. Free will is an illusion. Hard determinism includes biological, psychic, and environmental determinism.
- Soft determinism is the view that our behavior is the result of factors beyond our control. We still retain some elements of free will. For example, being born into a poor family is an environmental constraint but making the choice to steal is an example of free will.
In this topic area, we also look at the scientific emphasis on causal explanations and how this supports determinism.
Reductionism and holism
The debate about reductionism versus holism is concerned with the best way to understand and study human behavior. holism is the view that human behavior cannot be broken down into smaller components and so should be studied as a whole. reductionism is the view that human behavior should be broken down into smaller components in order to understand it. There are two types of reductionism:
- Biological reductionism refers to the reduction of behavior into physiological structures. This includes genetics, hormones, and brain activity.
- Environmental reductionism refers to the reduction of behavior to ‘a response to a stimulus’.
The ‘nature-nurture’ debate
The nature-nurture debate in psychology is concerned with the source of the formation of a person’s characteristics and behavior. It studies whether these characteristics are a result of our nature (genetics) or nurture (environment).
Traditionally, the debate has taken an either-or approach; however, it has changed over time to adopt interactionist approach. This approach studies how nature and nurture work with each other rather than how they compete. We will study the impact of the interactionist approach on the debate.
In this topic area, we will be looking at different psychological approaches and studies that ‘support’ either nature or nurture.
Idiographic and nomothetic approaches
The debate about idiographic and nomothetic approaches is concerned with how research is carried out in psychology. the idiographic approach focuses on individuals and their experiences of human behavior. This approach uses qualitative methods to study human behavior.
the nomothetic approach takes the view that there are general laws about human behavior that can be studied using groups of people. This approach uses quantitative methods to study human behavior.
In this topic area, we will be looking at different studies that have used both approaches to study human behavior.
Ethics and socially sensitive research
The debate about ethics and socially sensitive research is concerned with the ethical implications of research studies and theory on participants. It is also concerned with how the findings of studies may affect the public.
- The ‘ethical implications of research studies’ consider distress felt by participants due to the nature of some experiments and their findings. They also consider whether participants gave informed consent to an experiment. This is especially relevant when an experiment requires the researcher to withhold information from participants.
- The ‘ethical implications of theories’ consider whether some theories about humans and human behavior affect how people see themselves and others.
- Socially sensitive research considers several factors that researchers should weigh up before conducting research or developing a theory. Such factors include the research question, methodology, context of the research, and potential interpretations and applications of findings.
Issues and debates consider various perspectives in psychology and philosophy, Flaticon
Issues and Debates in Psychology – Key takeaways
- ‘Issues and debates in psychology’ is a key section that considers various real-life topics and approaches. It covers issues in psychological research as well as philosophical debates which influence such research.
- Gender bias in psychology is the perception or treatment of one gender in a more or less favorable way compared to another, based on gender stereotypes. Gender bias can influence psychological research in various ways.
- Cultural bias in psychology is when research, findings or theories from one culture are applied to another. Cultural bias can influence psychological research in various ways.
- Philosophical debates can and have influenced psychological research in several ways. Issues about what shapes human behavior, how human beings make decisions, and how we should study humans, are all relevant to the development of psychological research.