The principals and concepts of freewill/determinism
freewill -> some argue that human beings are entirely free to act as they choose and bear responsibility for the outcome of their behaviour
determinism -> suggests that we lack control of our behaviour and that it's pre-determined by factors such as our genes and past experiences
The principals and concepts of usefulness of research
useful -> research that enhances our knowledge and understanding and can be applied to real world situations to improve behaviour
limited usefulness -> research that may lack credibility, generalisability or be difficult to apply outside of the research setting
Nature/nurture
nature -> sees innate biological factors as the explanation for thinking and behaviour such as genetics, nervous system and brain chemistry
nurture -> sees behaviour as learned or acquired through experiences in the environment
interactionist -> accepts that both nature and nurture factors are interconnected and human behaviour is a product of both
Reductionism/holism
reductionism -> attempts to break down behaviour into its constituent parts and using single factors such as individual genes or particular hormones to account for a given behaviour
holism -> a holistic approach sees human behaviour as too complex to be reduced to single explanations. human beings are seen as more than the sum of their individual parts and there are many factors contributing to behaviour
Individual/situational explanations
individual -> individual explanations look to the person as the cause of behaviour, specifically their personalities or dispositions
situational -> situational explanations draw on situations around individuals; for example, their group members or the environment context
