Holism and reductionism

• What is a strength of biological explanations in mental health treatment?

  The development of drug therapies
• How have drug treatments impacted institutionalization since the 1950s?

  They have led to a considerable reduction in institutionalization
• Why are drug therapies considered a more humane approach to treating mental illness?

  They do not blame the patient
• What is the significance of drug therapies in relation to the stigma surrounding mental disorders?

  They may lead to greater tolerance of the mentally ill
• What are the benefits of reducing symptoms of mental illness through drug therapies?

  It leads to better quality of life and reduces stigma
• What is a limitation of drug therapies in treating mental illness?

  They are not always successful
• What does reducing mental illness to the biological level ignore?

  The context of such behavior
• What role do psychological explanations play in treating mental illness?

  They take more account of causal factors
• What is an example of a successful therapy produced by psychological explanations?

  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• What are the key points regarding drug therapies in mental health treatment?

  • Development of drug therapies is a strength of biological explanations
  • Significant reduction in institutionalization since the 1950s
  • More humane as they do not blame the patient
  • Help reduce symptoms, improving quality of life and reducing stigma
  • Not always successful and ignore the context of behavior
  • Psychological explanations consider causal factors and include successful therapies like CBT
• What is a potential issue with lower levels of explanations for behavior?

  Deeper meanings of behavior may be overlooked, leading to errors in understanding.
• Who developed systematic desensitization?

  Wolpe
• What was the case study involving Wolpe about?

  A woman with a fear of insects who showed no improvement from therapy.
• Why did the woman's fear of insects not improve with Wolpe's therapy?

  Her fear was linked to marital problems, not conditioning.
• What is a limitation of the behavioural approach?

  It was developed using experiments with non-human animals.
• What does the example of the woman with a fear of insects illustrate about behavioral therapy?

  It shows that focusing solely on lower behavioral levels can distract from more appropriate explanations and treatments.
• Who investigated classical conditioning using dogs?

  Pavlov
• Who investigated operant conditioning using pigeons and rats?

  Skinner
• What is a danger of approaching behavior with only lower levels of explanations?

  It can lead to overlooking deeper issues and inappropriate treatments.
• Why might it not be appropriate to explain complex human behaviour in terms of simple components?

  Humans have different higher order thinking skills and complex language and emotion.
• What does environmental reductionism ignore in relation to human behaviour?

  It ignores other possible influences on human behaviour.
• What are the key differences between human and non-human animal behaviour according to the behavioural approach?

  • Non-human animals' behaviour can be explained by simple components.
  • Humans possess higher order thinking skills.
  • Humans have complex language and emotions.
• Why is it important to consider deeper meanings in behavioral explanations?

  It helps avoid misdiagnosis and leads to more effective treatments.
• How can personal issues affect behavioral therapy outcomes?

  Personal issues can be the underlying cause of the behavior, affecting treatment effectiveness.
• What is the implication of overlooking deeper issues in behavioral therapy?

  It can lead to ineffective treatment and continued behavioral problems.
• What is a potential issue with reducing behavior to a form that can be studied?

  It may not provide insights relevant to everyday life.
• Which study is mentioned as an example of laboratory experiments on eyewitness testimony?

  Loftus and Palmer
• How do the findings from Loftus and Palmer's experiments compare to real-life eyewitness studies?

  Laboratory findings have not always been confirmed by real-life studies.
• What did Christianson and Hubinette find regarding eyewitness memories?

  They found that memories can be highly accurate in real-life situations.
• Why might seeing a video of a car crash differ from witnessing it in real life?

  Real-life experiences involve additional motivating factors that cannot be recreated in experiments.
• Why is the operationalization of variables like eyewitness memory significant?

  It may lead to measurable outcomes that do not resemble real-life experiences.
• What is a consequence of experimental reductionism in psychological research?

  It may negatively affect the relevance of the research findings to real-world situations.
• What is the importance of studying eyewitness testimony in psychology?

  It helps understand how memory works in legal contexts.
• What does operationalization refer to in psychological research?

  It refers to defining variables in measurable terms.
• How does experimental reductionism affect the findings of psychological research?

  It can lead to findings that lack real-world relevance.