Holism & Reductionism

Question 1

What is reductionism?

Answer 1

• Behaviour can be explained by breaking it down into simpler component parts

Question 2

What are the levels of explanation?

Answer 2

Highest level - Social & cultural explanations
Middle level - psychological explanations
Lowest level - biological explanations

Question 3

What is experimental reductionism?

Answer 3

• Based on assumption that behaviour can be studied effectively in simple experiments where complex behaviour is reduced to isolated variables
• Allows researchers to study different factors that influence behaviour in controlled manner while establishing causal relationship

Question 4

What is holism?

Answer 4

• Focuses on system as a whole rather than individual parts
• Believes behaviour can only be understood by analysing it as a whole

Question 5

What is Gestalt psychology?

Answer 5

• Adopts holistic approach to perception
• When we perceive something in real world, we do so as a whole rather than a collection of bits and pieces
• What we see only makes sense
  when we consider whole image, rather than individual elements that make up our vision

Question 6

What is humanistic psychology?

Answer 6

• Advocates for a holistic approach
• Argues humans react to stimuli as an
  organised whole, rather than a set of stimulus-response links
• Uses qualitative methods to investigate all aspects of the individual, as well as interactions between people

Question 7

What is cognitive psychology?

Answer 7

• Memory is a complex system
• Networks are made of each unit (neuron) linked with other units
• These links develop through experience & are either strengthened or weakened
• These connected networks behave differently than individual parts