Interactionist Approach Flashcards
What does the interactionist approach suggest in relation to the nature nurture debate?
that both genetics and environment contribute to behaviour
-suggests it is more important to study how these factors affect each other rather than how much of an individual’s behaviour is a result of nature or nurture
What muskets tend ti be the most persuasive in psychology?
Models that stem from the interactionist approach e.g.the diathesis-stress model, is very relevant in the field of Psychopathology, for example in explaining mental illness. e.g. the diathesis-stress model explains that schizophrenia results from an interaction between a diathesis (predisposition) such as a biological vulnerability, for example, a neural correlate, faulty dopamine system or genetic abnormality) and a stress factor such as an environmental trigger, for example, a dysfunctional family.
What does the holism and reductionism debate focus on?
debate focuses on whether it is more beneficial to look at the whole person, or break down complex behaviours into simpler components
What is the difference between holism and reductionism?
Holistic explanations suggest that human behaviour is best understood as an integrated experience, and that we should consider the complex interaction of different factors, whereas reductionist explanations suggest that human behaviour is best understood by focussing on the smallest, simplest parts involved.
What does holism propose?
that human behaviour should be viewed as the product of different influences, which all interact. In other words, ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’.
What can trying to understand human behaviour by just studying one influence mean? (holism)
that complex behaviour can be misunderstood. So, the idea of holism is that to fully understand human behaviour the whole person has to be studied.
what are examples of approaches in psychology which are more holistic?
Humanistic Psychology which investigates many aspects of the individual as well as the interactions between people.
Reductionism
what does reductionism involve?
It implies that this process is desirable because complex phenomena are best understood in terms of a simpler level of explanation
Why are psychologists drawn to reduction explanations of research?
because reductionism is a powerful research tool, which has led to major discoveries for example treatments for psychological disorders
What is reductionism based on?
-the scientific principle of parsimony: all phenomena should be explained using the most basic (lowest level) principles. -This is often the simplest, easiest and most economical level of explanation.
What is biological reductionism?
the view that all behaviour can be explained at a lower biological level in terms of the actions of genes, neurotransmitters, brain structure and hormones
What are examples of biological reductionism?
-psychopathology- OCD caused by higher levels of dopamine and lower levels of serotonin
What is environmental (stimulus response) reductionism?
the view that all behaviour can be explained in terms of simple stimulus-response links, which involves learning the relationship between a behaviour and a corresponding event in the environment.
What are example, examples of environmental reductionism?
psychopathology-phobias are initiated through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
what do levels of explanations refer to?
the belief that behaviour can be explained at different levels ranging from lower-level (reductionistic) explanations which focus on basic components or units to higher-level (holistic) explanations which consider multiple variables.
