Holism And Reductionism

Question 1

What does the reductionist approach in psychology suggest

Answer 1

The reductionist approach suggests that explanations begin at the highest level and progressively look at component elements

Question 2

What is the highest level of reductionism

Answer 2

Cultural and social elements of hoe our social groups affect our behaviour

Question 3

What’s the middle layer of reductionism

Answer 3

Psychological explanations of behaviour

Question 4

What’s the lower level of reductionism

Answer 4

Biological explanations of how hormones and genes, etc affect our behaviour

Question 5

What are types of reductionism

Answer 5

Biological reductionism,
Environmental reductionism,
Experimental reductionism

Question 6

How can memory be explained in terms of all 3 types of reductionism

Answer 6

1. At a social level - cultural explanations affect what we remember.
2. At a psychological level - episodic memories
3. At a biological level - areas of the brain where memories are stored

Question 7

What is the alternative to reductionism

Answer 7

Holism

Question 8

What is holism

Answer 8

Holism focuses on systems as a whole rather than on constituent parts

Question 9

What does holism suggest

Answer 9

Holism suggests that reductionism would only play a limited role in understanding behaviour

Question 10

What are types of holism

Answer 10

Gestalt psychology,
Humanistic psychology,
Cognitive psychology

Question 11

AO3 points FOR HOLISM AND REDUCTIONISM

Answer 11

1. Strength of biological reductionism is development of drug therapies
2. Limitation of behavioural approach is that it was animal studies
3. Limitation of holism - variables are difficult to control and isolate - unscientific

Question 12

What is gestalt psychology

Answer 12

Looks at human mind and behaviour as a whole