COMPARISON OF APPROACHES

• NATURE

  Biological – behaviour is determined by our inherited genes 

  Psychodynamic – behaviour is influenced by biological instincts but also our parents' internalised morals and childhood 

  Cognitive – information processes and schemas are innate, but they are constantly refined through experience 
• NURTURE

  Humanistic – self actualisation is innate, but our surroundings have an impact on our self-concept 

  Behaviourist + Social learning theory - learned associations and reinforcements 
• DETERMINISM

  Biological – biological determinism 

  Behaviourism – environmental determinism 

  Psychodynamic – psychic determinism 
• DETERMINISM + FREE WILL

  Cognitive – we can have our own thoughts but are limited by what we know 

  Social learning theory – reciprocal determinism  
• FREE WILL

  Humanistic – complete free will and control over our actions  
• REDUCTIONIST

  Biological – explains behaviour in terms of neurones, genetics etc 

  Cognitive – machine reductionism – humans are like machines (ignores emotions) 

  Behaviourism – breaks up behaviour into stimulus and response 

  Social learning theory – reduces complex learning to key processes 

  Psychodynamic – reduces behaviours to influence of sexual drive and biological instincts 
• HOLISTIC

  Humanistic – looks at all aspects of the individual 
• SCIENTIFIC

  Behaviourist – focusses on observable behaviours 

  Cognitive – highly controlled lab experiments 

  Biological – genes  
• PARTIALLY SCIENTIFIC

  Social learning theory – lab studies but subject to demand characteristics 
• NON-SCIENTIFIC

  Humanistic - self actualisation cannot be tested in experimental conditions 

  Psychodynamic – unconscious mind influencing behaviour – no empirical evidence to back it up 
• IDIOGRAPHIC (focus on individual case to understand behaviour) 

  Psychodynamic – focusses on individual cases (Little Hans and Anna O’) 

  Humanistic – everyone and their lives are unique, and experiences are subjective 
• IDIOGRAPHIC AND NOMOTHETIC

  Cognitive + Biological – subscribes to nomothetic experimental approach but draws upon data from case studies esp. with individuals with unusual or abnormal conditions   
• NOMOTHETIC (development of general principles and universal laws) 

  Behaviourist – conducts experiments on groups with a focus on observable behaviours 

  Social learning theory – bandura and the bobo dolls – studies larger groups