Holism And Reductionism - Issues And Debate

Question 1

What are some possible benefits of reductionism

Answer 1

studying basic units of behaviour underpins the scientific approach / adds weight to scientific research
• more objective to consider basic components of behaviour
• leads to greater clarity of understanding, e.g. at the chemical, cellular level
• better able to isolate cause when studying basic units of behaviour, e.g. can see
which chemicals are implicated in certain behavioural disorders, then may be able to
effect treatment
• parsimonious – the simplest explanation is often the best.

Question 2

Possible limitations of the reductionist approach

Answer 2

Possible imitations:
• simplistic and ignores the complex interaction of many factors
• leads to us losing sight of behaviour in context
• less able to understand the behaviour because we do not understand its meaning -
loss of validity
• ignores emergent properties / distracts from a more appropriate level of explanation.

Question 3

Explain what is meant be levels of explanation

Answer 3

for clear and coherent outline which explains how explanations vary from those at a lower or fundamental level focusing on basic components or units to those at a higher more holistic multivariable level.