Holism and Reductionism

Question 1

what is Holism?

Answer 1

• breaking up behaviour is inappropriate - only understood by analysing person as a whole

Question 2

What is reductionism?

Answer 2

• breaks down behaviour into constituent parts to analyse (basic principles)

Question 3

What is the concept of levels of explanation?

Answer 3

• different ways of viewing same phenomena like OCD
• psychology in a hierarchy of science with more precise at bottom and vague at the top - reductionists see it as driven from bottom principles

Question 4

what is biological reductionism?

Answer 4

• were broken down into biological structures and processes

- psychoactive drugs give better understanding of OCD and schizophrenia

Question 5

what is environmental (stimulus-response) reductionism?

Answer 5

• behaviourists breakdown complex behaviour into simple stimulus response links
• measured in labs and allayed at physical (cognitive/ the mind not important)

Question 6

for holism (understanding of social behaviour)

Answer 6

• aspects of social behaviour like conformity in SPE can’t be understood at individual level
• need to be observed at group level

Question 7

against holism (loose concepts)

Answer 7

• loos connects with no scientific testing makes it more speculative as it gets more complex
• if we consider lots of factors, its difficult to see which is most influential

Question 8

+ for reductionism

Answer 8

• scientific findings into behaviour from breaking down target behaviours
• behaviourist sows how complex behaviour can be broken down into simple stumbles response links

Question 9

• against reductionism

Answer 9

• oversimplifying comped phenomena leads to loss of validity
• biological explanations don’t include social context
• reductionism can only every be part explanation