Comparison of approaches (SARDN) Flashcards
Behaviourist
Scientific? -> yes, uses scientific methods
Application -> systematic desensitisation/flooding
Reductionism/holism -> experimental reductionism (focuses on stimulus response)
Deterministic/free will -> deterministic, behaviour is due to stimulus-response relationships
Nature vs nurture -> Nurture, ‘tabula rasa’ or blank slate at birth
Social learning theory
Scientific? -> yes, scientific methods
Application -> criminal justice system
Reductionism/holism -> less reductionist than behavioural as considers cognitive factors
Deterministic/free will -> reciprocal determinism; believes behaviour is due to observation, but up to us when to produce said behaviour
Nature vs nurture -> Nurture, as we learn by observing others
Cognitive
Scientific? -> yes, brain imaging and lab experiments
Application -> understanding of depression, CBT
Reductionism/holism -> Environmental reductionism - behaviour investigated in terms of isolated variables
Deterministic/free will -> Soft determinism, behaviour controlled by mediational processes, but humans can choose what information they attend to
Nature vs nurture -> Both, behaviour is a product of information processing modified by experience
Biological
Scientific? -> yes, uses lab experiments
Application -> drug treatments, circadian rhythms
Reductionism/holism -> Biological reductionism - behaviour broken down into biological structures and processes
Deterministic/free will -> Behaviour controlled by internal biological factors (e.g. genes/hormones)
Nature vs nurture -> Behaviour is a result of innate biological factors
Psychodynamic
Scientific? -> no, unfalsifiable ideas
Application -> psychoanalysis, pioneering form of therapy
Reductionism/holism -> reductionism; behaviour is reduced to innate drives
Deterministic/free will -> deterministic - behaviour determined by unconscious drives and early childhood experiences
Nature vs nurture -> mostly nature; behaviour is the product of innate drives, but shaped by early childhood experiences
Humanistic
Scientific? -> No, rejects the scientific method so cannot provide empirical evidence
Application -> Counselling treatments (client-centred therapy)
Reductionism/holism -> holistic, focuses on understanding all aspects of human experience
Deterministic/free will -> believes in free will
Nature vs nurture -> mostly nurture; behaviour shaped by the environment, where humans strive to achieve self-actualisation
