Holism VS Reductionism

• What does Gestalt psychology believe


  'the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts'
• What is the holism vs reductionism debate

  It is a debate over which position is preferable for psychology -

  • considering all factors and studying a person as a whole (holistic)
  • isolating and studying component parts (reductionism)
• What does reductionism involve


  A highly specific, often simplistic 'reduced' explanation for behaviour
• What is parsimony (reductionism)


  A principle that states all phenomena should be explained using the lowest level (most basic principles of behaviour)
• LEVELS OF EXPLANATION

  
• What is biological reductionism 


  Suggests that all behaviour can be explained through neurochemical, physiological, evolutionary and or genetic influences
• EXAMPLES OF BIOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM 


  We have reduced OCD to a biological explanation by explaining it through neurotransmitters.

  We now treat it using drugs that effect upon serotonin

  THIS IS BIOLOGICALLY REDUCTIONIST AS IT EXPLAINS AND AIMS TO TREAT OCD PURELY THROUGH BIOLOGICAL APPROACHES
• AO3 (WEAKNESS): BIOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM: ignores the role of the environment

  Siffre (1973) cave study explained circadian rhythms (a biological principle) as being the result of exogenous zeitgebers entraining the sleep wake cycle to be the 24 hour cycle rather than when left to the natural cycle of the endogenous pacemakers (internal clocks) with no environmental input being 25 hours.

  This shows that functions initially thought to be biological may actually be governed by the environment, highlighting the importance of experimental research to falsify.
• AO3 (STRENGTH): BIOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM: research support: Raine et al (1997)

  Researched differences in brain activity of two groups using PET scans

  • accurate imaged showed differences in the brain activity in the cerebral cortex (key decision making/reasoning) in the murderers vs controls.

  This is a strength of testing behaviours through parsimony, as we have empirical evidence for biological factors that contribute to murderer behaviours.
• COUNTERPOINT FOR RAINE ET AL (Biological reductionism)

  • PET scan = difference in cerebral cortex activity in murderers vs controls

  HOWEVER

  It can be considered biologically reductionist as it only attributes behaviours to neural and structural abnormalities

  It fails to consider the role of other factors and doesn't establish a why? Head trauma or childhood experiences led to these differences (ENVIRONMENTAL)

  This may provide empirical evidence but it doesn't account for the role the environment plays - highlighting the importance of not taking a reductionist approach
• What is environmental reductionism 


  Proposes that behaviours are created through interaction which the environment (e.g. the behaviourist approach and the stimulus response links)
• EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL REDUCTIONISM

  Schizophrenia is the product of having a schizophrenogenic mother (i.e. your home environment) rather than neurochemistry which produces schizophrenia
• AO3 (STRENGHT): REDUCTIONISM: scientific Status

  Parsimony is a scientific concept that allows us to gain understanding of smaller concepts within a bigger one.

  • Reductionism allows us to isolate a variable and eliminate the influence of others
  • by isolating one simplified explanation of behaviour it is easier for researchers to create operationalised hypothesis to measure behaviour, allowing us to conduct experiments

  This allows us to establish a cause and effect basis for behaviour
• AO3 (STRENGTH): REDUCTIONISM: Research Support (Environmental)

  Skinner Investigated operant conditioning, stating that behaviour can be predicted or controlled through manipulating stimuli.

  • He used a skinners box to show that animals can learn to interact with their environment through positive and negative reinforcement

  This demonstrates how environmental learning plays a big role in mediating our behaviours as this demonstrates how conditioning can lead to repetition or elimination of certain behaviour.

  This gives environmental reductionism credibility through research support
• AO3 Reductionism

  Oversimplifies (parsimony) reduces behaviour to its constituent parts and therefore doesn't consider how factors influencing behaviour can interact (e.g. interactionist model/ diathesis stress)

  • lacks validity as we have many exhibits of behaviour which demosntrate how factors interact
• AO3 BIOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM

  LOW ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY - (when applied to real world settings) as we have evidence for how the environment can contribute to our behaviours
• What is holism 


  An approach to behaviour that involves considering the full range of possible explanations behaviours

  • Gestalt psychology proposes that 'the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts'

  It seeks to recognise the interaction between many factors
• What research methods are typically used in holistic approaches

  Qualitative - quality not quantity

  • unstructred interviews, thematic analysis, observations

  It emphasizes the individuals experience
• The holistic approach looks at behaviour like a system, instead of reducing it to biology, psychology or the environment it aims to consider how these may interact to form a person

  • It incorporates many of the levels of explanation (sociology, psychology, biology)
• EXAMPLE OF A HOLISTIC STUDY

  RUTTER (2011) ERA STUDY - longitudinal holistic study

  Longitudinal design allowed researchers to track the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of the adopted Romanian Orphans

  • The measurements took into account an array of factors that could influence the orphans development

  This is an example of a holistic approach as it didn't focus on a single factor but acknowledges the human experience and development is varied and multifaceted
• AO3: WEAKNESS: HOLISM: Lacks practical value

  Holistic accounts of human behaviour become hard to use as they are more complex

  • This is because if we have established that multiple factors lead to depression, it's hard to identify which is the most profound and which treatments we should prioritise

  This shows that a holistic account may have less practical use, and a reductionist approach is required to isolate variables and treat
• AO3: WEAKNESS: HOLISM: Lacks empirical evidence

  Humanistic research is limited in terms of empirical evidence (which according to Kuhn is an important feature of a science so we can falsfy)

  • This means that a holistic approach can be considered unscientific and doesn't align with the features of a true science.

  This reduces the scientific credibility of psychology and makes it hard to differentiate it between a humanity or a stem subject.

  This means that holistic claims may be considered to be less scientifically valid and therefore aren't as reliable to draw conclusions
• Which level of explanation is the most parsimonious

  Biological Explanation (it is the smallest component part as it breaks down behaviours into neurochemistry, genes, brain structure etc)
• What is a social and cultural level of explanation

  • sociology
  • social psychology

  It is the broadest and least reductionist explanation of behaviour that considers a wide range of factors *it is environmental (nurture/environmental reductionism)

  
  

  For example, Bartlett found memory could be explained at a social and cultural level, as research suggests that cultural expectations affect what we remember and how we recall information.
• What is a psychological level of explanation

  • cognitive psychology
  • psychodynamic psychology
  • behaviourism

  This considers more factors and variables than a biological level of explanation

  • it considers the interaction between the environment and our biology and how this may influence our behaviour.

  It combines both nomothetic and idiographic approaches as well as holistic and reductionist in the different approaches
• What is the biological level of explanation

  • physics
  • biology
  • chemistry

  The highest level of parsimony - breaking down behaviours into the smallest parts (e.g. chemistry = atoms, biology = cells)

  It pares down behaviour to a very small factor, therefore suggests we also have little free will as every process is biologically or genetically predetermined