3.1.4 Holism & Reductionism

    Cards (11)

    • Reductionism = the idea that all complex behaviour can be explained by breaking it down into smaller parts
    • Holism = the idea that the behaviour of the whole system cannot be explained in terms of the ‘sum’ of the behaviour of all the different parts; Gestalt psychologists
    • Biological Reductionism = our behaviour is at some level biological; can be explained by neurochemical, neurophysiological, evolutionary and genetic factors (Biological Approach)
    • Environmental Reductionism = all behaviour is learnt and acquired in the same way, through interactions in the environment (Behaviourist Approach)
    • Levels of Explanation = ways to understand behaviour and how it is related to other things.
    • Levels of Explanation: Holism
      • Highest level of explanation, takes into account all aspects of a person’s experience
    • Levels of Explanation: Biological Reductionism
      • most basic level in psychology
    • Levels of Explanation: Psychological
      • Middle Level
    • Case for Holism/against Reductionism
      • Some behaviours can only be understood at a group level not individual
    • Case for Reductionism/against Holism
      • Lends itself to scientific testing
    • Case against reductionism
      • Oversimplifies complex phenomena; may be viewed as a way to confirm racial differences
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