A01

• reductionism

  • An approach that breaks complex phenomena into more simple components as best understood at a simpler level of explanation
• levels of reductionism


  different ways of viewing the same behaviour

  1. highest level(least)- cultural and social explanations of behaviour eg depression explained as withdrawals from social activities(viewed as odd to society)
  2. middle level(more)- psychological explanations of behaviour eg depression explained by ellis's ABC model
  3. lower level(most)- biological explanations of behaviour eg depression explained by low serotonin or candidate genes
• types of reductionism

  1)    Biological reductionism- reducing behaviour down to the cause of internal biological processes or mechanisms e.g., depression due to low levels of serotonin in synaptic cleft.

  2)    Environmental reductionism-all behaviour explained in terms on stimulus response links. E.g., phobias obtained and maintained using operant and classical conditioning.

  3)machine reductionism- breaking behaviour down into units of activity eg computer analogies- likening the brain to computer