reductionism v holism Flashcards
what are the 4 types of reductionism
biological
environmental
experimental
machine
what is reductionism
explaining a complex phenomenon in terms of smaller and simpler aspects or studying underlying elements of something, not the whole thing as its broken down
what is holism
focusing on the whole system or person- the broader experiences and circumstances are taken into consideration
what is biological reductionism meaning
Reducing behavior to biology (a physical level) as it is based on the presumption than
we are biological organisms and that’s what governs us. explains in terms of genes, nuerons etc
whats an example of this (psychopathology good ones dont have to use this one but yk)
depression can be explained biochemically as a result of
low levels of serotonin in the synaptic gaps between neurons.
environmental reductionism meaning
stimulus- response reductionism
behaviorists assume beh can be reduced down to these stimulus- response blocks associations and chains of these
conditioning- social learning
whats an example of this
phobias are obtained and
maintained using classical and operant conditioning (through repeated pairings between
the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus to produce an unconditioned
response, and then leading to a conditioned stimulus producing a conditioned response, as
shown through Watson and Rayner’s study of Little Albert).
what is experimental reductionism
breaking down complex behaviors or psychological phenomena into simpler components to study them in a controlled experimental setting.
what is an example of this in memory
Loftus and Palmer (1974) – The Effect of Leading Questions on Eyewitness Testimony.
The study reduces the complex process of eyewitness memory to a simple recall task of estimating car speeds based on a verb used in a question (e.g., “smashed” vs. “contacted”).
Factors like emotional stress, real-life consequences, and the dynamic nature of memory in real-world situations are not considered.
what is machine reductionism
idea that human cognition and behavior can be fully explained in terms of mechanical or computational processes, similar to how a computer works. It is a reductionist approach, meaning it simplifies complex mental processes by breaking them down into basic components, often ignoring emotional, social, and contextual influences.
what is an example of this in memory
Atkinson and Shiffrin’s (1968) Multi-Store Model of Memory (MSM)
The MSM describes memory as a linear system with input, processing, and output- similar to a computer.
Oversimplifies memory, ignoring factors like emotion (e.g., anxiety affecting recall).
what is the order from high (more holistic) to low (more reductionist) of the levels of explanations
sociological
psychological (env red, machine red)
biological (bio red)
chemical
physical
why is levels of explanation a thing
part of reductionism in that they seek to establish a hierarchy as to whether psychology is a science according to specific criteria and methods used to investigate particular behaviors
applies explanations to a phenomena
what is the meaning of parsimony
the argument that the best explanation is the simplest one that fits the evidence
what is a strength of reductionism
considered a scientific approach as it ensures objective testing of specific variables in controlled experiments helping establish causation
whats an example of this in psychopathology
established abnormal serotonin levels as a cause of depression so it allows for the development of targeted treatments like SSRIs
what can we conclude from this
due to reductionism, able to produce medical interventions that have proven to be useful and helped symptoms go away effectively
what’s a disadvantage of reductionism
overly simplistic as it overlooks the complexity of interacting factors ignoring other components that may have a major influence
whats an example of this in cognitive psychology
the multi store model proposes each store has basic features (capacity, duration, encoding), which simplifies memory into a linear, mechanical process
ignores the complexity of how we process meaning, emotions, context, and strategies like chunking
what can we conclude
lacks ecological validity as don’t reflect how things work in real life as doesn’t consider the multitude of factors affecting situations and how everything should be considered to understand and their interactions
what is a benefit of holism
resulted in theraputic interventions that address multiple aspects of an individuals life
what’s an example of this from approaches
person centered therapy (counselling) provides a more personalised treatment considering like intricate nature of mental health issues and their interactions with various aspects of life unlike drug therapies that dont account for individual differences
what can we conclude from this
doesn’t focus on ‘fixing’ someone but instead shifting mindset and understanding a person for who they are- less judgmental and doesn’t reduce down to just biology
whats a drawback of holism
may overlook significant elements by looking at a whole- there may be one that has an undeniably larger influence than others
