Holism vs Reductionism Flashcards
A psychology student carried out a study of excitement at a theme park. She measured the heart rate of people waiting in the queue for a roller coaster.
The student’s tutor said, ‘Using heart rate as a measure of excitement is an example of biological reductionism.’
Explain why measuring heart rate in this situation could be an example of biological reductionism.
Outline two non-biological ways of measuring excitement that the student could also use in this situation.
- excitement is a complex behaviour
- heart rate is a factor in excitement
questionnaire measuring attitude – questions assess how the participant feels about going on the roller coaster
rating scale of own excitement – the participant could rate their perceived level of excitement on a scale of 1 – 10
Explain one strength and one limitation of a reductionist approach in psychology.
Positive - leads to greater clarity of understanding, e.g. at the chemical, cellular level
Negative - simplistic and ignores the complex interaction of many factors
Briefly outline what psychologists mean by ‘levels of explanation’ (the triangle):
-the lowest levelconsiders physiological explanations, where behaviour is explained in terms of neurochemicals, genes and brain structure;
-the middle level considers psychological explanations (e.g. cognitive and behavioural)
-the highest level considers social and cultural explanations, where behaviour .
Dr Grant and Dr Austin both study people with depression. Dr Grant carries out experimental research to investigate the brain chemistry of people with depression. Dr Austin carries out unstructured interviews with people with depression to find out about their symptoms and various aspects of their lives, including their general behaviour and their relationships.
Referring to the item above, explain what is meant by holism and reductionism.
Holism – focus on the whole system or person
Reductionism – focus on constituent elements or smaller, simpler aspects
- Dr Grant takes a reductionist approach focusing just on biological mechanism
- Dr Austin takes a more holistic approach focusing on broader experiences and circumstances