Comparing approaches

• Views on development ...
• Which approaches Emphasise development by learning in stages

  -Psychodynamic (coherent theory of childhood development, only uses psych stage by 5 ages)

  -Cognitive (stage theories eg moral & gender dev)

  -Biological (age/maturity affects genetically determined anatomical changes, affecting behaviour)
• Which approaches see development as ongoing

  -Humanistic (view as ongoing but parents are important influence)

  -Behaviourist/SLT (learning occurs at any stage)
• 2) Nature vs nurture ...
• Which approach heavily favours nature

  Biological Approach (inherited)
• Which approach heavily favours Nurture

  Behaviourist/SLT (learned associations/reinforcements)
• Which approaches are indifferent towards nature and nurture

  -Psychodynamic (most our behaviour is biologically driven but relationship w/ parents influence behaviour)

  -Humanistic (society has critical impact on one's self concept)

  -Cognitive (info processing & scheme are innate but constantly refined through xp)
• 3) Reductionism vs holism ...
• What is reductionism?

  Behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into simpler components
• Holism definition

  behaviour should be viewed as whole integrated experiences and not separate parts
• Which approach advocates for holism

  Humanistic (looks at all aspects of an indv including wider society)
• Which approaches advocate reductionism

  -Biological (explains in terms of genes, neurones)

  -Cognitive (machine reductionism, human is machine, ignores emotion)

  -SLT (complex learning reduced to processes eg imitation but emphasises role of cognitive factors mediating learning and how they influence external factors)

  -Behaviourist/SLT (breaks up complex behaviours into stimulus response)
• Which approaches are indifferent to reductionism and holism

  -Psychodynamic (reduces to sex drive & bio instincts but holistic as highlights interaction between 3 parts of personality)
• Determinism vs free will ...
• Which approaches are hard deterministic

  -Bio (genetic determinism)

  -Behaviourist (environmental determinism)

  -Psychodynamic (psychic determinism-role of unconscious)
• Which approaches are soft determinism

  -Cognitive approach (we choose own thoughts but limited)

  -SLT (reciprocal determinism= we are influenced and influence environment
• Which approach has free will

  Humanistic
• 5) Explanation & treatment of abnormal/typical behaviour ...
• How does behaviourism explain abnormal behaviour

  -due to maladaptive learning, distinctive patterns of behaviour have been reinforced.

  - Systematic desensitisation can treat phobias
• How does SLT explain abnormal behaviour

  -Little application

  -Principles of modelling and observational learning explains negstvie behaviours are learned through dysfunctional role models
• How does Psychodynamic approach explain abnormal behaviour

  -Anxiety=result of unconscious conflict, childhood trauma and overuse of defence mechanism

  -Psychoanalysis somewhat successful but requires high input and ability to talk about emotional xp
• How does cognitive & behaviourism explain abnormal behaviour

  - due to faulty thinking

  -these approaches =successful to treat abnoea behaviour eg depression
• How does humanistic approach explain abnormal behaviour

  Humanistic therapies eg counselling= effective, reducing gap between self concept and ideal self to enable personal growth
• How does biological approach explain abnormal behaviour

  Huge impact on treatment of mental health disorders via development of drug therapies that regulate chemicals in brain
• Ideographic vs nomothetic ...
• Ideographic def


  Subjective experience-studying indv eg case studies, interviews
• Nomothetic def


  Generating laws & principles by student groups of people eg experiments
• Which approaches are ideographic

  Psychodynamic

  Humanist
• Which approaches are nomothetic

  Behaviourist, SLT
• Which approaches do ideographic and nomothetic

  Cognitive and biological - use experimental nomothetic approach but often use case studies (esp indv w/ abnormalities) - ideographic
• Eclecticism ...
• Eclecticism def


  Refers to combining several approaches, methods and/or theoretical perspectives in order to provide a more comprehensive account of human behaviour
• How is eclecticism useful in treatmeny


  - In treating mental illness (eg schizophrenia - a combo of drugs, CBT & family therapy=more effective outcome & lower relapse rates)
• How does eclecticism help to explain behaviours

  - Diathesis-stress model (many mental health disorders are complex interaction of biological predisposition & environmental triggers)

  - Biosocial approach rejects distinction of nature vs nurture explaining how bio diff are reinforced by environment eg during gender dev
• What is SLT a combo of

  Behaviourism & Cognitive
• What is Cognitive neuroscience a combo of

  Cognitive and biological
• What do Psychodynamic and bio agree

  Bio drives & instincts
• What do humanistic and psychodynamic agree on

  Person centred Approach (subjective xp)