ISSUES AND DEBATES
Topic Name(s) Research
Culture bias Ethnocentrism (W) May lack validity and reliability as results may not
generalise to other cultures
(W) People from other cultures may be misdiagnosed
with psychological conditions as they are seen to be
behaving abnormally
(W) Ethnocentrism deems other cultures as abnormal,
other cultures may be devalued leading to harmful
stereotypes
Culture bias Cultural relativism (S) Prevents ethnocentric bias
(W) May exaggerate di erence between cultures
(W) May ignore di erences between people within a
culture
Free will vs Scientific approach Determinism means that all behaviours have a cause
Determinism (S) Scientific approach studies behaviour in cause and
e ect, means determinism allows us to study behaviour
scientifically
(S) Can make reliable predictions about behaviour as it
has a cause
Free will
(W) If decisions are made by free will, don't have any
other cause so if free will is true, doesn't make sense to
study cause and e ect relationships
(W) If everyone has free will, not able to make reliable
predictions
(W) Free will not suited to scientific paradigm
Free will vs Falsifiability (W) If we assume free will, can't make predictions
Determinism because there is no way to know how people decide how
to act - choose how to behave
Can't falsify or test free will - doesn't fit into scientific
paradigm
(W) Determinism can falsify specific causes of behaviour
eg by biological factors but not general idea that
behaviour has a cause
Unfalsifiable
By Rhea M.
Topic Name(s) Research
Culture bias Ethnocentrism (W) May lack validity and reliability as results may not
generalise to other cultures
(W) People from other cultures may be misdiagnosed
with psychological conditions as they are seen to be
behaving abnormally
(W) Ethnocentrism deems other cultures as abnormal,
other cultures may be devalued leading to harmful
stereotypes
Culture bias Cultural relativism (S) Prevents ethnocentric bias
(W) May exaggerate di erence between cultures
(W) May ignore di erences between people within a
culture
Free will vs Scientific approach Determinism means that all behaviours have a cause
Determinism (S) Scientific approach studies behaviour in cause and
e ect, means determinism allows us to study behaviour
scientifically
(S) Can make reliable predictions about behaviour as it
has a cause
Free will
(W) If decisions are made by free will, don't have any
other cause so if free will is true, doesn't make sense to
study cause and e ect relationships
(W) If everyone has free will, not able to make reliable
predictions
(W) Free will not suited to scientific paradigm
Free will vs Falsifiability (W) If we assume free will, can't make predictions
Determinism because there is no way to know how people decide how
to act - choose how to behave
Can't falsify or test free will - doesn't fit into scientific
paradigm
(W) Determinism can falsify specific causes of behaviour
eg by biological factors but not general idea that
behaviour has a cause
Unfalsifiable
By Rhea M.
