Approach Evaluations

Question 1

Behaviourist Approach Strengths

Answer 1

Supporting evidence of Pavlov and Skinner's studies.
Real world application (operant = token economy systems, classical = treatment of phobias support external validity).  
Scientific credibility (emphasises importance of scientific processes).

Question 2

Behaviourist Approach Weaknesses

Answer 2

Mechanistic view of behaviour (does not consider importance of mental events during learning). 
Environmental determinism (ignores any possible influence that free will may have on behaviour). 
Ethical and practical issues in animal experiments.

Question 3

Cognitive Approach Strengths

Answer 3

Scientific and objective methods (use of lab experiments etc.).
Real life applications (made an important contribution in the field of artificial intelligence).
Less determinist than other approaches (founded on soft determinism which is a more reasonable position as acknowledges free will).

Question 4

Cognitive Approach Weaknesses

Answer 4

Machine Reductionism (human mind likened to a computer, ignores influence of human emotion etc on the cognitive system). 
Application to everyday life (experimental studies of mental processes often carried out using artificial stimuli that may not represent everyday memory experience).

Question 5

SLT Strengths

Answer 5

Bandura et al.s study.
Successfully applied to many areas of psychology.
Relies mostly on the experimental method.
Behaviourism can’t offer an adequate account of learning on its own.
Can explain cultural differences in behaviour.
Less determinist than behaviourist approach.

Question 6

SLT Weaknesses

Answer 6

Underestimates influence of biological factors.
Over-reliance on evidence from lab studies.
SLT can’t explain why people act differently when exposed to same role-models and behaviours.

Question 7

Biological Approach Strengths

Answer 7

Scientific methods of investigation so reliable.
Real world application (drug therapies).
Reductionism (can investigate cause and effect)
Internal validity (can control all variables: lab experiments).

Question 8

Biological Approach Weaknesses

Answer 8

Causal conclusions (claiming to have discovered causes where only association exists).
Determinist (sees human behaviour as governed by internal, biological causes. implications for the legal system and wider society)
Cannot separate nature or nurture (biological approach argues that any similarities between family members must be genetic. But confounding variable of same environmental conditions). 
Reductionism (ignore other factors that may influence behaviour).

Question 9

Psychodynamic Approach Strengths

Answer 9

Explanatory power (been used to explain a wide range of phenomena).
Practical applications (psychoanalysis therapy created).

Question 10

Psychodynamic Approach Weaknesses

Answer 10

Untestable concepts (not falsifiable and cannot be empirically tested).
Case study methods (theory is based on intensive study of single individuals. highly subjective).
Psychic determinism (explains all behaviour as determined by unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood and any free will is an illusion).

Question 11

Humanistic Approach Strengths

Answer 11

Not reductionist (Reject any attempt to break up behaviour into smaller components, has more validity by considering human behaviour in a real life context). 
Positive Approach ('bring the human back into psychology').

Question 12

Humanistic Approach Weaknesses

Answer 12

Limited application (relatively little real-world application).
Cultural Bias (approach associates more with individualistic cultures. Collectivist cultures may not identify so easily with the approach).
Untestable concepts (vague ideas that are abstract and therefore difficult to operationalise and test).