Issues/Debates: holism+reductionism

Question 1

Holism

Answer 1

Need to look at whole story/context

focusses on complexity on influences on behaviour and how they may interact e.g memory processes looked at individually but all work as a whole

(-) makes it hard to test cause and effect because you can’t isolate variables
(+) lots of info
(-) overwhelming amount of info

Question 2

Reductionism

Answer 2

explaining behaviour is best by reducing complex influences into their most simple structures and processes

e.g aggression is caused by genetics (MAOA gene)

(+) allows for seeing cause and effect due to more detail
(-) allows for ignorance of other influences