AQA PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL ISSUES
AND DEBATES EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS
Universality - Answer-Any underlying characteristic of human beings that is capable of
being applied to all
Ekman (1989) - Answer-Argued that facial expressions are an example of universality
Gender Bias - Answer-When one gender is treated in a different way from another
Androcentrism - Answer-When 'normal' behaviour is judged according to a male
standard and so anything which deviates from this is seen as 'abnormal'
PMS is often thought as a stereotype when in fact is a diagnosable disorder under the
DSM-5
Alpha Bias - Answer-Psychological theory which suggest a difference between males
and females e.g. Wilson's principle of survival efficacy
Beta Bias - Answer-Theories that ignore or minimise the differences between males and
females e.g. Freud
Gender Bias - Answer-Evaluation: Implications of bias- misleading assumptions of
female behaviour// Sexism within research- more likely to be published if highlighting
differences between males and females// Reflexivity- psychologists now consider this
when conducting research
Cultural Bias - Answer-The tendency to ignore the cultural differences and interpret
information through the 'lens' of our own culture ie. in 1992, 64% of the worlds
psychology researchers were American
Ethnocentrism - Answer-Judging other cultures by the standards and values of one's
own cultures and in extreme cases the superiority of one e.g. Ainsworth's strange
situation
Cultural Relativism - Answer-The idea that norms, values and morals can only be
understood within a specific social and cultural context
Berry (1969) - Answer-Distinguished between etic and emic
Etic - Answer-Looks at behaviour outside of a culture and attempts to describe those
behaviours as universal
, Emic - Answer-Looks at behaviours within a certain culture an describes behaviour
within that culture
Cultural Bias - Answer-Evaluation: Individualism and collectivism// Relativism vs
universality// Unfamiliarity with research tradition
Free Will - Answer-The notion that human being can make choices that are not
determined by biological or external forces
Determinism - Answer-The idea that behaviour is controlled by internal forces e.g.
genetics or external forces e.g. conditioning
Hard determinism - Answer-Implies free will is not possible as our behaviour is always
caused by events beyond our control, sometimes called fatalism
Soft determinism - Answer-First put forward by James (1890): All events have causes
but we can also control our conscious choices in the absence of coercion
Biological determinism - Answer-The belief that behaviour is caused by biological
influences we cannot control
Environmental determinism - Answer-The idea that behaviour is caused by features of
our environment
Psychic determinism - Answer-The idea that behaviour is caused by internal conflicts
we cannot control
Evaluation of determinism - Answer-Advantages: compatible with aims of science with
the ideas of general laws
Applications in the development of therapies and medication e.g. antipsychotics for
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia shows we do not have complete free will- who would choose?
Disadvantages: Inconsistent with our legal system
Unfalsifiable- impossible to prove wrong
Evaluation of free will - Answer-Advantages: we feel like we are in control of decisions
giving it face validity
Internal LOC are more mentally healthy
Disadvantages: Libet (1985) found that simple decisions e.g. which hand to press a
button with were decided before we were conscious of the task
At least some are determined
Roberts (2000) - Answer-Found people with an internal LOC were more mentally
healthy ie. less likely to develop depression
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