Implications of Psychological Research & the Economy (AQA AS Psychology)

Implications of psychological research & the economy

• Psychological research involves real people, investigating real behaviours which have real consequences/implications/applications

• Research in psychology can produce a 'ripple effect' in society as it can be the springboard for:

  • social change

  • adoption of new ideas

  • the modification of some existing ideas and practices

• All of the above points have implications for the economy on a large scale, in terms of how governments and institutions spend money on:

  • health

    • e.g. funding research into memory loss and dementia

  • education

    • e.g. teachers off ill with stress means more money spent by schools on expensive supply agencies

  • leisure

    • e.g. local councils are given more money to spend on bike lanes to encourage cycling for physical and mental health benefits

  • law and order

    • e.g. fear of crime means governments spend more on recruiting police officers

  • depression

    • e.g. drug therapy is (relatively) cheap compared to cognitive behavioural therapy so a doctor is more likely to suggest a course of SSRIs to a depressed patient

• There are also economic implications on a small scale in terms of how individuals are impacted e.g.

  • research into government cuts shows that more vulnerable people are at risk of deteriorating mental health

    • This is due to a lack of community and charitable support groups

  • research shows that women who take maternity leave are perceived as less reliable by employers

    • This means that they can be overlooked for promotion and the attendant pay rises that go with them

  • research shows that a happy workforce is more productive

    • This could lead to employers introducing schemes to boost staff well-being

Examples of research linked to economic implications

• Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

  • Found that babies form attachments with adults who are sensitive to their needs

  • Babies form multiple attachments from 10 months onwards

  • The father is a key attachment figure

  • The economic implications are that

    • both parents can take it in turns to look after the baby initially (saving money on nursery fees)

    • the mother can return to work knowing that the child is happy to attach to others (e.g. the father, nursery workers etc.)

    • both parents are then contributing to the workplace and the family unit financially

• Loftus & Palmer (1974)

  • The research investigated the reliability of eyewitness testimony using leading questions

  • Understanding how to question witnesses means that it is less likely that an innocent person is sent to prison due to faulty eyewitness identification of them as the perpetrator

  • Miscarriages of justice (innocent person found guilty) are expensive for society involving many costs:

    • The initial trial

    • The cost of keeping someone in prison

    • The appeals process

    • A re-trial

    • Possible financial compensation for the wrongly-accused