Areas similarities and differences

Question 1

Social and cognitive

Answer 1

Similarity:
- use lab experiments (high control, replicability)

Difference:
- one lacks ecological validity, one doesn’t
- different sides to the nature/nurture debate (social nurture cognitive nature)

Question 2

Social and individual differences

Answer 2

Similarity:
- both contribute to free will vs determinism debate
- both ethnocentric
- both unethical / socially sensitive

Difference:
- social can be generalised and individual can’t be

Question 3

Social and developmental

Answer 3

Similarity:
- can both be socially sensitive / have ethical issues

Difference:
- contribute to different sides of the reductionism vs holism debate (sr/dh)
- different sides of the individual vs situational debate (ss/di)
- social has high ecological validity, developmental has low

Question 4

Social and biological

Answer 4

Similarity:
- both use lab experiments (controlled, reliable, replicable)
- both lack ecological validity
- both useful - can put forward solutions to real world problems or create drug treatments/therapies

Difference:
- biological more scientific than social

Question 5

Social and psychodynamic

Answer 5

Similarity:
- useful: used to solve real life problems, develop forms of psychological treatment such as psychoanalytic psychotherapy
- unethical

Difference:

Question 6

Social and behaviourist

Answer 6

Similarity:
- both contribute to nurture side of the nature/nurture debate

Difference:
- social has high ecological validity, behaviourist lacks ecological validity

Question 7

Cognitive and individual differences

Answer 7

Similarity:
- useful
- lack ecological validity

Difference:
- individual differences uses case studies and cognitive uses lab experiments
- different sides of the individual vs situational debate

Question 8

Cognitive and developmental

Answer 8

Similarity:
- both contribute to nature vs nurture debate (cognitive: nature, developmental: mixture (ontogenesis))
- both useful

Difference:
- individual vs snapshot designs
- cognitive lacks validity due to reliance on self report and observation: cannot directly observe cognitive processes - developmental is highly valid due to longitudinal nature

Question 9

Cognitive and biological

Answer 9

Similarity:
- both use lab experiments (controlled, replicable, reliable)
- both have low ecological validity
- both theoretically reductionist (highly controlled nature of research ignores role of environmental factors)

Difference:
- ethical

Question 10

Cognitive and psychodynamic

Answer 10

Similarity:
- both lack validity

Difference:
- psychodynamic case studies are highly specific to the individual so cannot be generalised, however cognitive processes are consistent

Question 11

Cognitive and behaviourist

Answer 11

Similarity:
- both lack ecological validity

Difference:
- cognitive is scientific and behaviourist isn’t