holism n reductionism Flashcards

1
Q

holism

A

-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

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2
Q

reductionism

A

-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

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3
Q

biological reductionism

biological, ocd, depresssion etc

A

-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

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4
Q

Environmental (stimulus-response) reductionism

behaviourist, cognitive, partially slt, phobias

A
  • 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’.
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5
Q

humanistic

A

-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

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6
Q

reductionism triangle

A
  1. social n cultural explanations (influence of social groups on behaviour)
  2. psyhcological explanations (cognitive, behavioural/enviroment)
  3. 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

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7
Q

ao3 holism

lack practical value

A

-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

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8
Q

ao3 reductionist

scientific appr

A

-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

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9
Q

ao3 reductionism COUNTERPOINT

not scientific

A

-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

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10
Q

ao3

reductionism criticism

A

-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

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11
Q

ao3

enviromental reductinsim is as much methodlogical as its substantive

A

-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

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