Comparing Psychological Approaches and Debates

Aug 9, 2024

Comparing Approaches in Psychology

Overview

  • Requirement to compare approaches in Psychology in A-level exams.
  • Comparisons can be in short questions or essay-type questions.
  • Three categories for comparing approaches: Debates, Research Methods, Practical Applications.
  • Free resource available for detailed comparison.

Key Debates in Psychology

Free Will and Determinism

  • Free will: Extent to which behavior is under individual control.
  • Determinism: Behavior caused by external/internal factors.
  • Behaviorist Approach: Environmentally deterministic (behavior shaped by conditioning).
    • E.g., Pavlov's classical conditioning, Skinner's operant conditioning.
  • Biological Approach: Biologically deterministic (behavior shaped by genetics, neurotransmitters).
    • E.g., MAOA gene in criminal behavior.
  • Criticism: Both approaches remove moral responsibility from individuals.

Nature and Nurture

  • Nature: Behavior determined by inborn biological factors.
  • Nurture: Behavior learned from the environment.
  • Behaviorist Approach: Nurture (behavior learned through environmental interactions).
    • E.g., OCD explained by classical conditioning.
  • Biological Approach: Nature (behavior influenced by biological factors).
    • E.g., genetic variations and neurotransmitter imbalances in OCD.
  • Criticism: Overemphasis on one side; modern research supports a combination of both.

Holism and Reductionism

  • Holism: Behavior best understood as a whole.
  • Reductionism: Behavior explained by breaking it down into parts.
  • Behaviorist Approach: Environmentally reductionist (simple stimulus-response associations).
    • E.g., phobias explained by classical conditioning.
  • Biological Approach: Biologically reductionist (specific biological processes).
    • E.g., biological preparedness in phobias.
  • Criticism: Lose meaning and context of behavior; holistic approaches see behavior as more than sum of parts.

Idiographic and Nomothetic

  • Idiographic: Studying individuals as unique.
  • Nomothetic: Studying human similarities to establish general laws.
  • Behaviorist Approach: Nomothetic (general laws through experiments).
    • E.g., Pavlov’s and Skinner’s experiments.
  • Biological Approach: Nomothetic (general laws about brain functions and neurotransmitters).
  • Criticism: Lack depth and insight from idiographic approaches.

Research Methods

  • Both Approaches: Highly scientific, use lab experiments.
    • Strength: Objective, controlled, replicable, establish cause and effect.
    • Criticism: Use of animal studies; questions on generalizability to humans.

Practical Applications

  • Behaviorist Approach: Treatment through classical conditioning.
    • E.g., Systematic desensitization for phobias.
  • Biological Approach: Treatment through drug therapies.
    • E.g., Antidepressants for depression, OCD.
    • Criticism: Drug side effects, short-term solutions.
  • Comparison: Behaviorist approaches may be superior due to fewer side effects.

Additional Resources

  • Free essay example on comparing behaviorist and biological approaches available for download.
  • More videos and resources on various approaches and comparison questions.

Conclusion

  • Comparing approaches involves understanding debates, research methods, and practical applications.
  • Important for exams to write comparisons with judgments on approaches.
  • Additional resources and videos available for further study.