Approaches AO3

Question 1

Evaluation for the humanistic approach?

4

Answer 1

+ Emphasises choice:
~ ignored by others
~ optimistic approach

+ Holistic:
~ subjective experience understood by considering whole person
~ others like behaviourist ‘stim-response’
~ psy.dy - tripartite reason for personality
~ cog. - humans like machines

• Lacks Application:
  ~ approach more a loose set of abstract concepts
  ~ limited impact on mainstream Psy.
• Vague:
  ~ terms are not clear enough
  ~ not able to experiment on them: low int.val

Question 2

What is the evaluation for the Behaviourist approach?

4

Answer 2

+ Scientific Methodology:
~ Observable/Replicable

+ Practical Application:
~ Token economy system in prison.
~ Systematic desens. Phobia treatment.

• Extrapolation of animal studies:
  ~ Humans qualitatively complex e.g. lang acquisition.
• Reductionist:
  ~ stimulus-response is too simplified.
  ~ Other factors involved.

Question 4

Evaluation of psychodynamic approach?

4

Answer 4

+ Application:
~ psychoanalysis - deals w/ mental disorders psychologically not scientifically.

+ Explanatory power/Influence on Psy:
~ response to psychodynamic = Behaviourism
~ face validity w/ tripartite

• Untestable concepts:
  ~ not open to empirical testing; Popper disputes
• Psy. determination:
  ~ Freudian slip ‘too extreme’ (No control of behaviour)

Question 5

Evaluation of the social learning theory?

4

Answer 5

+ Acknowledges mediation processes:
~ holistic
~ less deterministic

+ Practicality:
~ behaviour mod. - understanding psych disorders
~ behaviour modelling for prisoners

• Limited explanatory scope:
  ~ abnormal behaviour not explained
• Mediation factors not explained:
  ~ excludes info on mediation
  ~ how thoughts organised?
  ~ how maturity effects mediation?