AO3

• One strength of the behaviourist approach is that it increased the scientific credibility of psychology. It brought the language, rigour and methods of the natural sciences to psychology by focusing on the measurement of observable behaviours within highly controlled laboratory settings. Behaviourism was therefore influential in the development of psychology as a scientific discipline.  

   
• One strength of the behaviourist approach is that the principles of conditioning have been usefully applied to real life. For example, operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions such as prisons and psychiatric wards. These work by rewarding appropriate behaviours with tokens that can then be exchanged for privileges. This suggests that behaviourism has real-life applications. 

   
• One weakness of the behaviourist approach it that it has a very simple view of human behaviour. According to behaviourists, human behaviour is influenced by conditioning alone. This may be true of animals, but human behaviour has multiple influences such as thought and emotion. This suggests that behaviourist explanations are never full explanations. 
• One weakness of the behaviourist approach is that many of the experiments conducted on conditioning have ethical issues. The animals involved were exposed to stressful and aversive conditions. It could be argued that what we learn from these experiments does not justify the way in which the animals were treated. 
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  One strength of SLT is that it can explain cultural differences in behaviour. According to the principles of SLT, children learn from the individuals around them, and this can explain how cultural norms are transmitted through particular societies. This has proved useful in understanding a range of behaviours, such as how children come to understand their gender role. 
• There is evidence to support the importance of identification. For example, Andsager et al. (2006) found that perceived similarity to a model in an anti-alcohol advertisement was positively related to the message’s effectiveness. Based upon findings such as these, health campaigns now try to use models that are similar to the target audience to bring about greater identification and therefore greater social learning. This suggests that research into SLT has had a positive impact in the real world.  
• One weakness of social learning theory is that it ignores the importance of biological factors. For example, in the bobo doll experiments, it was consistently found that boys were more aggressive than girls. This can probably be explained by hormonal factors, such as differences in levels of testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone that is present in greater quantities in boys than girls and is linked to aggressive behaviour. This important influence on behaviour is not accounted for by social learning theory. 

   
• There are many problems with Bandura’s research. For example, it has ethical issues. It has been pointed out that the aggressive behaviour that the children learned may have stayed with them, potentially creating problems for them in the future. This suggests that the children who took part in the study were not protected from psychological harm. 
• One strength of the cognitive approach is that it has employed highly controlled and rigorous methods of study. This has enabled cognitive psychologists to collect reliable and objective data, and therefore reach accurate conclusions about mental processes. In addition to this, the emergence of cognitive neuroscience has enabled the two fields of cognitive and biological psychology to come together. This means that the study of the mind has established a credible scientific basis.

   
• One strength of the cognitive approach is that it has many applications. For example, the cognitive approach suggests that many psychological disorders such as depression can be traced back to faulty and irrational thinking. This has led to the development of successful treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) where individuals are encouraged to dispute their faulty and irrational thoughts. This suggests that the cognitive approach has useful applications in the real world.  
• One weakness is that research on mental processes often lacks validity. For example, laboratory studies of mental processes are often carried out using artificial stimuli that may not represent everyday experiences. This suggests that research on mental processes may lack ecological validity
• The computer analogy has been criticised by many. This is because it ignores the influence of human emotion on our ability to process information. For example, research has found that human memory is affected by emotional factors such as anxiety. This suggests that the computer analogy may be over-simplistic, as although emotion is irrelevant to a computer, it is relevant to a human being. 
• Strength of the biological approach

  • Uses scientific methods of investigation
  • Includes brain-scanning techniques (fMRI, EEGs) and drug trials
  • Methods are highly controlled and objective
  • Findings are reliable and valid
  • Increased the scientific credibility of psychology
• Strength of the biological approach

  • Significant applications to the real world
  • Research into neurochemical imbalances in depression led to drug treatments
  • Drugs have revolutionised treatment for many, allowing sufferers to manage their condition and live a relatively normal life
• Psychodynamic approach


  • Represented a huge shift in psychological thinking
  • Remained the dominant force in psychology for the first half of the 20th century
  • Used to explain a wide range of phenomena, such as personality development and the development of psychological disorders
  • Significant in drawing attention to the connection between experiences in childhood and later behaviour
• The psychodynamic approach has had a significant influence on psychology
• One strength is that, as well as the theoretical basis of the psychodynamic approach, Freud also developed a form of therapy called psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis employs a range of techniques to access the unconscious mind, including dream analysis and hypnosis. In a large-scale review, Maat et al. (2009) concluded that psychoanalysis produced significant improvements in symptoms that were maintained in the years following treatment. This suggests that the psychodynamic approach has led to the development of successful treatments for psychological disorders.   
• One weakness is that the philosopher Karl Popper argued that the psychodynamic approach does not meet the scientific criterion of falsification. Many of Freud’s concepts, such as defence mechanisms, are said to occur at an unconscious level making them difficult, if not impossible to test and disprove. According to Popper this affords psychodynamic theory the status of pseudoscience (‘fake’ science) rather than real science. 
• One weakness is that Freud’s theory was based upon the intensive study of single individuals. Although his observations were detailed and carefully recorded, critics have suggested that it is not possible to make universal claims about human nature based upon studies of such a small number of individuals. Furthermore, Freud’s interpretations of his cases were highly subjective. This suggests that Freud’s methods lack scientific rigour. 

   
• One weakness is that it has been suggested that humanistic psychology represents an overly idealised and unrealistic view of human nature. Critics argue that human beings are not inherently growth orientated as humanistic theories suggest, and that the approach fails to recognise people’s capacity for pessimism and self-destructive behaviour. This suggests that the positive image of the human condition that is offered by humanistic psychology may be an oversimplification.
• One weakness is that humanistic psychology includes a number of vague ideas that are abstract and difficult to test scientifically. For example, concepts such as self-actualisation and congruence are difficult to assess under experimental conditions. Humanistic psychology is therefore short of empirical evidence to support its claims. 
• One weakness is that it has been suggested that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is culturally biased. The concepts of self-actualisation and the fulfillment of one’s potential are more readily associated with individualistic cultures such as the United States. They do not apply to collectivistic cultures, which emphasise the needs of the group and community. This suggests that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs does not apply to all cultures, and is a product of the cultural context within which it was developed.  
• One strength is that humanistic psychologists have been praised for promoting a positive image of the human condition. In contrast, Freud saw human beings as slaves to their past, and claimed that all of us exist somewhere between ‘common unhappiness and absolute despair’. Humanistic psychology offers a refreshing and optimistic alternative as it sees all people as basically good, free to work towards the achievement of their potential and in control of their lives.