holism n reductionism Flashcards
holism
-the idea or attempt to break up behaviour is inappropriate as it can only be understood by analysing person/behaviour as a whole
-this view point doesnt deny potentialk of genetics/biochem but argue behaviour is more complex n so its necessary to view things from a greater prespective
-eg gesalt psychology
reductionism
-all about analysing behaviour n breaking it down into indivual parts n its based on scientific principle of parsimony: view that all phenomena can be explained using most basic (lowest level) principles
-this is often most simplest level as an explanation
biological reductionism
biological, ocd, depresssion etc
-looks to explain behaviour using biological systems which could incl genetics, physiology of body n brain, biochem such as hormones n neurotransmitters n even evolution
-its referred to as biological reductionist in psychology goes as u r breaking down behaviour down to fundamental basics
-eg its been suggested sz is caused by excessive amounts of neurotransmitter dop n bc drugs block dop this in effect reduces symptoms of disorder
Environmental (stimulus-response) reductionism
behaviourist, cognitive, partially slt, phobias
- link to behaviourist appr. which proposes all behaviour can be explained in terms of simple stimulus-response relationships between behaviour and events and the environment.
- eg behaviourist explanation offered for attachment is reduced to a set of probabilities where the mother is likely to provide food which is reinforcing (reduces discomfort) hence she is seen as a rewarding individual which becomes conflated with being ‘loved’.
humanistic
-holistic n believes ppl react as organised whole rather than set of stimulus response machines
-social context ppl r in is considered important as well as friends n family
-so it others a ^ level expl via social groups but suffers from being less sceintific n makes behaviour harder to predict unlike reductionism
-but it doesnt ignore complexity of human behaviour
reductionism triangle
- social n cultural explanations (influence of social groups on behaviour)
- psyhcological explanations (cognitive, behavioural/enviroment)
- biological explanations (neurochemical, genetic, brain structure etc)
-reducing more as it goes down triangle
-eg memory could be
1. level 1: cultural expectations affect what we remember n recall (bartlett 1932)
2. level 2: eg cognitive psychologist
ao3 holism
lack practical value
-holistic accounts of behaviour tend to become hard to use as become more complex
-present researchers w practical dilemma
-if we accept many diff factors contribute to eg depression (persons past, present relkationships,job n family) then becomes difficult to know which is most influential
-its difficult to know which to prioritise as basis of therapy
ao3 reductionist
scientific appr
-to conduct well controlled research we need to opertaionalise variables to be studied- to break target behaviours down into consituent parts
-makes it possible to conduct experiments or record observations (behavioural categories) in a way thats objective n reliable
-eg research on attachment (strange istuation) operationalised componenet behaviours such as separation anxiety
-gives psychology credibility placing it on equal terms w natural sciences
ao3 reductionism COUNTERPOINT
not scientific
-accused of oversimplifying complex pehnomena =reduced validity
-expl that work at level of gene/neurotransmitter font incl an analysis of social context w/in which behaviour occurs-this is where behaviour may derive its meaning
-eg physiological processes involved in pointing ones finger will be same regardless of context
-but an analysis of these will not tell us why finger is pointed -may draw attention to some object or person, as an act of aggression etc
-suggests reductionist expl can only ever form part of an expl
ao3
reductionism criticism
-bio reductionism can lead to errors of undertsanding bc it ignores complexity of human behaviour
-eg to treat adhd w drugs in belief the condition consists of nothing nmore than neurochemical imbalances is to mistake the symptoms of phenomenon for its true cause
-ritalin may reduce these symptoms but the condiitons which gave rise to adhd havent been addressed
-wether or not this is true depends on what one thinks as its causation, but since success rates of drug therpay r so ^ variable, the purely biological understanding=inadequate
ao3
enviromental reductinsim is as much methodlogical as its substantive
-much of relevant research in behaviorusit tradition has made use of nonhuamn animals as subjects
-pavlo experiments r good example
-but is human behaviour equivalent/more verison of dogs or skinners rats?
-critics of reductionism say abouyt the social context in which humans r in from start of life n to hard to measure factors like cognition,emotion n intentionality
-in this case also, the reductionist position seems if not clearly incorrect then at least inadequate
