general strength and weaknesess of approaches

Question 1

biological approach

strength=

Answer 1

It is deterministic because it increases the likelihood of being able to treat people with abnormal behaviour and provides explanations about the causes of behaviour.

Question 2

biological approach
weakness=

Answer 2

It develops theories about disorders and generalises them to apply to everyone. It does not take into account the view that humans are unique.

Reductionist/No cause and effect

Question 3

social approach

strength=

Answer 3

This approach helps us understand how behaviour can be influenced by other people, and the situation they find themselves in. It helps us understand that people’s behaviour may change if their situation changes.

Question 4

social approach
weakness=

Answer 4

It is often criticised for being ethnocentric, meaning that research from this approach may not generalise across cultures.

Question 5

cognitive approach
strength

Answer 5

The approach does acknowledge both nature and
nurture. Many of our internal mental process are
innate (memory) but some of our knowledge is a
product of our environment (schemas influenced by our surroundings

Question 6

cognitive approach
weakness

Answer 6

As many of the experiments take place in a laboratory setting, they lack ecological validity.

Question 7

social approach assumption

Answer 7

Behaviour occurs in a social context (1)

Question 8

cognitive approach assumption

Answer 8

The brain works like a computer (1)

Question 9

general weakness=

Answer 9

is simplistic and reductionist.

This means it attempts to explain behavior by breaking it down into its smallest parts.

Therefore different factors are ignored.

Question 10

general strength=

Answer 10

research is scientific

there is experimental evidence to back up the theories

meaning cause and effect can be established