Holism & Reductionism (AQA A Level Psychology): Flashcards
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Define reductionism.
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Cards in this collection (24)
Define reductionism.
Reductionism explains behaviour by breaking it down into its fundamental constituents, using a highly specific and often simplistic 'reduced' explanation for a complex behaviour.
Define holism.
Holism explains behaviour by taking into account all aspects of the individual and the full range of possible explanations, e.g. crime as a complex combination of biological, psychological and social factors.
Which research methods does a holistic approach typically use?
A holistic approach uses a range of methods, usually qualitative, such as interviews, observations and psychometric tests, e.g. to investigate someone with a personality disorder.
True or False?
The humanistic approach is the only approach that is fully holistic.
True.
The humanistic approach is the only fully holistic approach because of its emphasis on phenomenology and individual, subjective experience.
Why is Rutter et al.'s English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) project (2011) an example of holistic research?
The ERA project's longitudinal design tracked the adoptees' physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, with measures taking into account an array of factors rather than one single factor.
The interview could be argued to be a more holistic method than previous police techniques, as it incorporates the full context of the event from multiple perspectives and timepoints.
The cognitive interview could be argued to be a more holistic method than previous police techniques, as it incorporates the full context of the event from multiple perspectives and timepoints.
Why does holistic research have high ecological validity?
Humans do not live in a 'bubble', so research that includes biological, psychological and social measures reflects real experiences more than a reductionist approach does.
How are holistic methods useful for mental wellbeing?
Holistic methods such as Rogers' client-centred therapy are well suited to promoting and encouraging good mental health, which is increasingly high-profile in many societies.
Why is holistic research low in reliability?
Humanistic research is limited in empirical evidence and lacks scientific rigour, relying on subjective accounts rather than controlled conditions, so it is difficult to replicate.
Why can a holistic approach become 'messy' for researchers?
With too many variables at play, e.g. genes, upbringing and peer influence in criminal behaviour, it is difficult to identify the most influential factors, which affects the credibility of holistic approaches.
Define levels of explanation.
Levels of explanation range from a lower, fundamental level focusing on basic components such as genetics (reductionism) to a higher, multivariable level such as sociocultural explanations (holism).
Where does psychology sit in the hierarchy of science?
Psychology sits between sociology and biology: disciplines are ordered from the most 'macro' (sociology) at the top to the most 'micro' (physics) at the bottom. Reductionists argue that explanations from the 'higher' disciplines will ultimately be replaced by those from the sciences below them.
How might aggression be explained at the lowest (biological) level?
At the biological level aggression might be explained by excess testosterone, an imbalance in serotonin or damage to the prefrontal cortex, paring a complex behaviour down to one 'pure' factor.
How might aggression be explained at the middle (psychological) level?
At the psychological level aggression might be explained by faulty information-processing, a negative self-schema or a hostile attribution bias, taking more factors into account as the mind distorts reality based on experience and learning.
How might aggression be explained at the highest (sociocultural) level?
At the sociocultural level aggression might be explained by an aggressive family, aggressive peers or deindividuation in prison; these explanations are the broadest and least reductionist but also the least precise and testable.
Define biological reductionism.
Biological reductionism explains behaviour in terms of biological functions and structures, e.g. the dopamine hypothesis attributes schizophrenia to abnormal dopamine levels in the brain.
Why is Maguire et al.'s (2000) taxi driver research biologically reductionist?
Maguire claimed that increased grey matter in the posterior hippocampus explains taxi drivers' superior spatial navigation, whereas environmental reductionism would argue that prolonged learning from navigating London streets is the cause.
Give two examples of biological explanations that ignore alternatives.
Examples include:
Siffre's (1972) cave study, explaining circadian rhythms by endogenous pacemakers rather than exogenous zeitgebers such as light
SSRIs, which assume depression results from neurochemical imbalances rather than life events
Define environmental reductionism.
Environmental reductionism explains behaviour in terms of external forces, e.g. schizophrenia as the product of a schizophrenogenic mother, so home environment rather than neurochemistry is the cause.
True or False?
The behaviourist approach embraces environmental reductionism.
True.
Its stimulus-response account of classical conditioning reduces a phobia to a simplistic learning process, ignoring explanations such as biological preparedness for fears of snakes or spiders.
How does reductionism benefit research design?
Reductionism isolates the variable of interest, ruling out the 'white noise' of other explanations, so a researcher can design a study and test a hypothesis clearly, e.g. research on the SERT gene in serotonin transport informing OCD treatment.
How has the reductionism of the behaviourist approach been applied in practice?
Breaking behaviour down into its component parts helped formulate therapies such as systematic desensitisation, which works via counterconditioning, to treat phobias, showing good application of reductionism.
Why is the 'cupboard love' theory of attachment an example of over-simplification?
It is based purely on a baby's conditioned response to being fed, ignoring the complex array of factors in attachment, so the essence of what it means to be human is lost.
Why are reductionist methods better at showing 'what' than 'why'?
Maguire's taxi driver findings are correlational: they cannot rule out that people with naturally larger posterior hippocampi are more likely to become taxi drivers, so the research describes what is happening in the brain but cannot fully explain why.
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