comparison of approaches

Question 1

nature vs nurture debate

Answer 1

concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of behaviour are a product of either genetics or learned behaviours

Question 2

what does nature refer to?

Answer 2

inherited / genetic

Question 3

what does nurture refer to?

Answer 3

all environmental influences after conception

Question 4

free will vs determinism debate

Answer 4

whether our behaviour is the result of forces that we have no control over or whether people can decide for themselves whether to act in a certain
way

Question 5

free will

Answer 5

assumes that we have agency & have free to choose our behaviour

Question 6

determinism

Answer 6

all behaviour is determined by forces that we have no control

Question 7

holism vs reductionism debate

Answer 7

should behaviour be looked at in small parts or as a whole

Question 8

reductionism

Answer 8

-the belief that human behaviour can be explained by breaking it down into smaller component parts

Question 9

holism

Answer 9

refers to any approach that emphasises the whole rather than their constituent parts

Question 10

idiographic vs nomothetic debate

Answer 10

should psychologists make general laws or focus on what makes each of us unique

Question 11

nomothetic

Answer 11

-comes from the greek word “nomos” meaning “law”
-psychologists who adopt this approach are mainly concerned with studying what we share with others
-establishing laws or generalizations

Question 12

idiographic

Answer 12

-comes from the greek word “idios” meaning “own” or “private”. -psychologists interested in this aspect of experience want to discover what makes each of us unique

Question 13

practical applications of the psychodynamic approach:

Answer 13

1) freud developed a new type of therapy called psychoanalysis
↳ the first attempt to treat mental disorders psychologically rather than physically
↳ therapy used a range of techniques designed to access the unconscious
↳ this application has reduced suffering for people and is useful to society

2) talking therapies
↳ you talk to a therapist, one-on-one, about your thoughts and feelings

Question 14

practical applications of the behaviourist approach:

Answer 14

1) the principles of conditioning have been applied to token economies
↳ appropriate behaviour is awarded with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges
↳ gives the approach more credibility and it has been useful for the wider population

2) has led to the development of
treatments, like systematic desensitisation & aversion therapy

Question 15

practical applications of the cognitive approach:

Answer 15

1) cognitive research into internal mental processes has led to the development of CBT
↳ a form of therapy for a range of illnesses like depression that aims to try to identify maladaptive thoughts which could contribute to depression & try to change them to more rational thoughts
↳ successful treatment has emerged using the cognitive theory, supporting the cognitive approach

2) has helped improve the accuracy and reliability of EWT

Question 16

practical applications of the humanistic approach:

Answer 16

CCT
↳ help them solve their own problems, in constructive ways and move towards to become a more fully functioning person
↳ unconditional positive regard is provided

Question 17

practical applications of the social learning theory:

Answer 17

-explain many psychological disorders including: eating disorders and aggression
-has led to positive change (e.g. the introduction of the watershed on TV)

Question 18

practical applications of the biological approach:

Answer 18

development of numerous drug therapies to treat disorders like: OCD, schizophrenia

Question 19

biological approach: freewill vs determinism

Answer 19

biological determinism:
-suggests that behaviour is controlled by factors such as: genes, neurotransmitters, hormones and brain
structures

Question 20

biological approach: nature vs nurture

Answer 20

nature:
-the biological approach argues that behaviour is determined by biological factors such as: genes & hormones)

Question 21

biological approach: reductionism vs.
holism

Answer 21

biological reductionism:
-the biological approach reduces behaviour to biological structures/processes and ignores the whole

Question 22

biological approach: idiographic vs nomothetic

Answer 22

nomothetic:
-the biological approach suggests that humans share similar physiology and that we invest can make universal laws regarding behaviour

Question 23

biological approach: scientific?

Answer 23

the biological approach promotes scientific methods of investigation

Question 24

behaviourist approach: determinism vs free will

Answer 24

environmental determinism:
-the behaviourist approach suggests that behaviour is determined by stimulus response conditioning

Question 25

behaviourist approach: nature vs nurture

Answer 25

nurture:
-the behaviourist approach argues that human are born tabula rasa (blank slate) and behaviour is learned

Question 26

behaviourist approach: reductionism vs holism

Answer 26

environmental reductionism:
-the behaviourist approach reduces behaviour to simple stimulus
response associacions

Question 27

behaviourist approach: idiographic vs nomothetic

Answer 27

nomothetic:
-the behaviourist approach creates general laws of behaviour (stimulus
response relationships)

Question 28

behaviourist approach: scientific

Question 29

social learning theory: determinism vs free will

Answer 29

soft determinism:
-acknowledges stimulus response but suggests that humans have some personal responsibility & free choice

Question 30

social learning theory: nature vs nurture

Answer 30

nurture:
-suggests that behaviour is learned via classical & operant conditioning, ignores biological factors

Question 31

social learning theory: reduction vs holism

Answer 31

no stands

Question 32

social learning theory: nomothetic vs idiographic

Answer 32

nomothetic:
-SLT aims to establish laws of behaviour (e.g. imitation or role models)
-SLT uses lab experiments to generate quantitative data to make generalisations

Question 33

social learning theory: scientific?

Answer 33

-SLT utilises scientific methods of investigation, which researchers can replicate (e.g. bandura’s bobo doll experiment)
-SLT also considers mediational processes which are unobservable

Question 34

cognitive approach: deterministic or free will

Answer 34

soft determinism:
-cognitive approach suggests that behaviour is the result of mediational processes however human can
choose what information they attend to

Question 35

cognitive approach: nature vs nurture

Answer 35

nature & nurture:
-the cognitive approach suggests that information processing is modified as a result of experience

Question 36

cognitive approach: holism vs reductionism

Answer 36

experimental reductionism:
-the cognitive approach studies cognitive processes, reducing behaviour and processes into isolated variables for testing

Question 37

cognitive approach: nomothetic vs idiographic

Answer 37

mainly nomothetic:
-the cognitive approach typically uses nomothetic approaches to establish general laws of cognitive processing
-however, case studies are sometimes used (e.g. patient KF, HM, etc.) utilising idiographic approaches

Question 38

cognitive approach: scientific?

Answer 38

-utilises scientific s methods of
investigation (e.g. studies of memory & observation)
-however, researchers are unable to directly observe cognitive processes

Question 39

psychodynamic approach: determinism vs free will

Answer 39

physic determinism:
-according to the psychodynamic
approach, behaviour is determined by unconscious drives and early childhood experiences

Question 40

psychodynamic approach: nature vs nurture

Answer 40

mostly nature:
-the psychodynamic approach suggests that behaviour is caused by innate drives -although early childhood experiences also shape our behaviour.

Question 41

psychodynamic approach: reductionism vs holism

Answer 41

reductionism & holism:
-the psychodynamic
approach suggests that behaviour is reduced to innate drives, however the approach also takes into account all aspects of human behaviour

Question 42

psychodynamic approach: nomothetic vs idiographic

Answer 42

nomothetic & idiographic:
-the psychodynamic approach uses nomothetic approaches to create general laws about innate drives
-it also takes into account the unique experience of early childhood experiences (idiographic)

Question 43

psychodynamic approach: scientific?

Answer 43

not scientific:
-the psychodynamic approach uses many concepts/ theories which can not be empirically tested (e.g. ID)
-there is a large element of subjective interpretation

Question 44

humanistic approach: free will vs determinism

Answer 44

free will (main assumption)

Question 45

humanistic approach: nature vs nurture

Answer 45

mostly nurture:
-the humanist approach argues that humans have an innate drive to self-actualise
-the environment and our experiences shape this journey

Question 46

humanistic approach: holism vs reductionism

Answer 46

holism:
approach rejects scientific methods of
investigation and focuses on understanding all aspects of human experience and interaction

Question 47

humanistic approach: nomothetic vs idiographic

Answer 47

idiographic:
-the humanistic approach is the only approach to focus on subjective human experience and makes no attempt to generalis

Question 48

humanistic approach: scientific?

Answer 48

-rejects scientific methods
-is unable to provide empirical evidence to support its theories