Comparing the Areas Flashcards
Comparing areas and perspective questions; Worth 6 or 8 marks
Candidates may make comparisons between the following: (12 things with 1 tip)
Candidates may make comparisons between the following:
- Ethics
- Scientific
- Usefulness
- Nature/Nurture
- Reductionist/Holism
- Determinism/Freewill
- Generalisability of sample – think about the samples from each area – does most of the research in the area use bias samples
- Ecological validity
- Internal validity – is most of the research in the area controlled
- Internal reliability – Does most of the research in the area use standardised procedures
- Individual/situational explanation
- Research method – link to strengths/weakness of the type of methods used in research from each area.
DO NOT compare the principles – turn this into a debate
Compare the Psychodynamic perspective with the Cognitive area in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. [8]
Point -…
Explain – WHY a weakness for the psychodynamic perspective -…
Explain WHY a strength for the cognitive area -…
Point -…
Explain why a strength for the psychodynamic perspective -…
Explain why a strength for the cognitive area -…
Point-One weakness of the psychodynamic perspective is that it takes an unscientific approach to studying behaviour. However, a strength of the cognitive area is that it does take a scientific approach.
Explain – WHY a weakness for the psychodynamic perspective- The psychodynamic perspective is based on Freud’s theory of how the unconscious mind drives behaviour. This is a weakness as it is not an objective way to explain behaviour as it is based on Freud’s own opinion. This reduces the validity of any research that is based on Freud’s theory making it less useful in explaining human behaviour.
Explain WHY a strength for the cognitive area.- The cognitive area takes a scientific approach to studying internal mental processes using controlled experiments. This is a strength as it helps to ensure that only the effect of the independent variable is affecting mental processes such as memory and attention. This ensure that explanations about internal mental processes are valid and therefore scientific.
Point - One strength of both is that have practical applications for individuals and professionals.
Explain why a strength for the psychodynamic perspective - The psychodynamic perspective has practical applications for counsellors. The theory of how the unconscious mind drives behaviour can be used by counsellors to help work out that their patients mental health problems may be due to some repressed trauma experienced during childhood. Therefore, helping patients to overcome any negative feelings showing a strength of the psychodynamic perspective.
Explain why a strength for the cognitive area - The cognitive area has practical applications for professions such as teachers. Teachers can teach their students revision strategies based on research from the cognitive area. For example, informing students they should revise in silence as exams are sat in silence, which should trigger recall of material. Therefore, illustrating a strength of the cognitive area.
Strength and weaknesses of all area/perspectives compared with differences
Exam Question Practice - Compare the cognitive area and the psychodynamic perspective in terms of strengths and weaknesses[8] (example answer)
Point - State the strength or weakness – note that it could be a strength of one and a weakness of another e.g. cognitive is highly standardised but the psychodynamic isn’t or it could be both are strengths (reductionist) or both are weaknesses (reductionist)
Explain - Say what this means, show knowledge and understanding of the terminology
Evidence 1st area - You don’t need to refer to a core study if the question doesn’t ask you to so explain the area in general as to why this is a strength or a weakness – bring in key terminology of that area
Evidence 2nd area - Use evidence from the second area to explain the strength or the weakness – make sure say why it is a strength or a weakness
Point - A weakness of the cognitive area and the psychodynamic perspective is that they are both reductionist in their explanations.
Explain - This means that complex human thoughts and behaviours are often explained in a limited way without considering other possible theories.
Evidence 1st area - In the cognitive area for example, psychologists focus on the importance of context dependent learning. However, factors other than whether learning and recalling takes place in a matched environment or not can also impact on what we remember. For example, a person’s diet, the amount of water they have drunk can also impact on learning.
Evidence 2nd area - In the psychodynamic perspective, the emphasis is on the unconscious mind affecting our thoughts and behaviour which can lead to disorders such as phobias. However, genetics, brain chemistry and life experiences may also play a role but are not considered.
Discuss the similarities and differences between the biological area and the developmental area. Use examples from relevant core studies to support your answer.. (15)
What does ‘discuss’ mean?
What exam technique will you use?
How many paragraphs will you include?
Will you include core studies?
What does ‘discuss’ mean? Identify and explain
What exam technique will you use? PEEE x3
How many paragraphs will you include? 3
Will you include core studies? Yes
Discuss the similarities and differences between the biological area and the developmental area. Use examples from relevant core studies to support your answer.. (15) (answer the question)
One similarity is that both the biological and developmental area use objective measures.
In the biological area, researchers use scientific tools in order to measure behaviour in a non-biased manner.
For example, in Maguire’s study an MRI scanner was used to measure the size and volume of hippocampi in participants. This is a scientific piece of equipment that is highly objective and extremely accurate.
In the developmental area, observers are often blind to the conditions that participants have been exposed to prior to an observation. This ensures that observers aren’t ‘looking out’ for certain types of behaviours and improves the validity of findings.
For example, observers in Bandura’s study were blind to whether participants had witnessed an aggressive or non-aggressive model prior to the observation. This meant that observers were not searching for aggressive behaviours in certain children and could remain objective as they did not know what condition the children had been in beforehand.
Cognitive vs Developmental (S/W/D)
Cognitive vs Biological (S/W/D)
Cognitive vs Social (S/W/D)
Cognitive vs Individual (S/W/D)
Cognitive vs Behaviourist (S/W/D)
Cognitive vs Psychodynamic (S/W/D)
Developmental:
- S: Both use quantitative data
- W: Both are deterministic
- D: Cognitive more scientific as mainly lab exp used
Biological:
- S: Both use quantitative data
- W: Both are reductionist
- D: Bio uses more scientific measures
Social:
- S: Both are reliable
- W: Both are reductionist
- D: Social higher in ecological validity
Individual:
- S: Both use objective measurements
- W: Both lack scientific measurements
- D: Cognitive more scientific as mainly lab exp used
Behaviourist:
- S: Both use quantitative data
- W: Both are reductionist
- D: Behaviourist has more sampling bias - studies children
Psychodynamic:
S: Both have useful applications
W: Both study processes can’t be directly observed
D: Cognitive more scientific as lab exp mainly used
Developmental vs Biological (S/W/D)
Developmental vs Social (S/W/D)
Developmental vs Individual (S/W/D)
Developmental vs Behaviourist (S/W/D)
Developmental vs Psychodynamic (S/W/D)
Biological:
- S: Both use nature and nurture as an explanation
- W: Both are deterministic
- D: Sampling bias as Developmental area usually studies Children
Social:
- S: Both are done cross culturally
- W: Both are deterministic
- D: Sampling bias as Developmental area usually studies Children
Individual:
- S: Both allow for development to be studied over time
- W: Both Subjective as they use qualitative data
- D: Sampling bias as Developmental area usually studies Children
Behaviourist:
- S: Both have useful applications
- W: Both have sampling bias for children
D: Behaviourist is more reductionist as it only studies nurture
Psychodynamic:
- S: Both are holistic
- W: Both have ethical issues
- D: PD is more subjective as it is less scientific
Biological vs Social (S/W/D)
Biological vs Individual (S/W/D)
Biological vs Behaviourist (S/W/D)
Biological vs Psychodynamic (S/W/D)
Social:
- S: Both use standardised procedure
- W: Both are deterministic
- D: Bio uses more scientific measures
Individual:
- S: - Both use abnormal samples
- W: - Both are socially sensitive
- D: Bio uses more scientific measures
Behaviourist:
- S: Both use quantitative data
- W: Both are deterministic
- D: Bio uses more scientific measures
Psychodynamic:
- S: Both are useful
- W: Both are socially sensitive
- D: Bio standardised whereas PD is not
Social vs Individual (S/W/D)
Social vs Behaviourist (S/W/D)
Social vs Psychodynamic (S/W/D)
Individual:
- S: Both use qualitative data
- W: Both have ethical considerations
- D: Ind tends to use self reports which may give greater insight
Behaviourist:
- S: Both use standardised procedures
- W: Both can be ethnocentric
- D: Social tends to be unethical
Psychodynamic:
- S: Both can be ecologically valid
- W: Both tend to have limited samples
- D: Social tends to be unethical
Individual vs Behaviourist (S/W/D)
Individual vs Psychodynamic (S/W/D)
Behaviourist:
- S: Both have practical applications for explaining behaviour
- D: Individual holistic whereas behaviourist is reductionist
Psychodynamic:
- S: Both are holistic
- W: Both small samples so low pop val
- D: PD tends to be more subjective
Behaviourist vs Psychodynamic (S/W/D)
- S: PD holistic whereas behaviourist is reductionist
- W: Both are deterministic
- D: PD uses case studies to analyse individual’s dysfunctional behaviour are considered unscientific whereas behaviourist uses objective measurements so is scientific
