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.

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: 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: 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: 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.

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.

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.

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

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.