Lesson 5 - Holism and reductionism

Question 1

reductionism

Answer 1

explaining behaviour by breaking it down into smaller, more fundamental concepts

Question 2

hierarchal structure of reductionism

Answer 2

highest -> lowest
sociological - cultural and social explanations of behaviour
psychological - behavioural and cognitive
biological - physiological explanations

Question 3

types of reductionism

Answer 3

biological - neurons, hormones, and genes
machine - cognitive processes - human thinking impaired to a computer
environmental - stimulus- response, ignoring internal processes

Question 4

holism

Answer 4

highest level of explanation of behaviour, taking account of all aspects of a person’s behaviour

Question 5

+ evaluation of reductionism

Answer 5

+ bio and enviro reduct. are viewed as scientific bcs breaking complex behaviour into smaller parts can be scientifically tested
+bio reduct. has led to development of drugs. SSRIs are more productive than placebos and reduce symptoms for up to three months after the treatment

Question 6

• evaluation of reductionism

Answer 6

-enviro reduct. can mean the true meaning is overlooked- eg. woman w insect phobia when husband had insect nickname . phobia wasn’t due to classical conditioning but expression of marital difficulties
-most research that supports enviro reduce. used non human animals. humans are embedded in cognition emotion and society from when they are born