AQA Psychology A Level Issues and Debates Exam Questions and Answers Graded A+

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