Reductionism vs Holism

Question 1

define reductionism

Answer 1

the belief that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into its simpler constituent parts

Question 2

define holism

Answer 2

it only makes sense to study an indivisible system (a whole) rather than its constituent parts

Question 3

what is level of explanation

Answer 3

there are different levels for explaining psychological behaviour with lower forms being more reductionist than those at a higher level (holist)

Question 4

what are the levels of explanation in order form HIGHEST to LOWEST

Answer 4

sociological level
|
individual level
|
physiological level
|
biochemical level
|
molecular level

Question 5

TRUE or FALSE: molecular level is holistic

Answer 5

FALSE it is reductionist

Question 6

does holistic research value QUANTITATIVE or QUALITATIVE data

Answer 6

qualitative to gain a fuller representation of individuals

Question 7

what is biological reductionism

Answer 7

this suggests behaviour is down to things such as genetics, neurochemistry and evolution etc. through understanding these, we can understand broader behaviour

Question 8

what is environmental reductionism

Answer 8

behaviourism reduces all behaviour down to stimulus response, learning and neglects any greater cause of behaviour

Question 9

explain the social psychology link to the reductionism vs holism debate

Answer 9

we consider the causes of why people obey. For example situational factors, dispositional factors, legitimacy or the authority figure + many other influences. Therefore taking a holistic view as to the cause of behaviour. this means we cannot be sure how to change behaviour if there are so many factors

Question 10

explain the addiction topic application to the reductionism vs holism debate

Answer 10

its argued that people with variant of the dopamine receptor gene are more likely to suffer with addiction. this would be considered a reductionist view as it singles out one cause for the entire disorder neglecting wider factors that may influence addiction.
This means that there may be more than just one influence on behaviour

Question 11

what is the strengths of taking a reductionist approach (against holism)

Answer 11

P: the benefit of a reductionist approach is it is more scientific
E: e.g psychologist tend to reduce complex behaviour to isolated variables (experimental reduction)
L: this allows us to see cause + effect relationship

P: the utility of taking a reductionist approach is shown as it has real llife application
E: e.g biological reductionism has led to drug treatment for conditions like OCD
E: SSRIS help reduce anxiety, helping those who suffer from OCD
L: This is only made possible by taking reductionist approach

Question 12

what is the strengths of taking a holistic approach ( against reductionism)

Answer 12

P:human behaviour is more complex than a reductionist approach accounts for
E: this means the success of drug treatments have been variable
E: for example ritalin medicine for ADHD doesn’t work for everyone
L: Therefore purely biological explanation isn’t adequate

P: Many aspects of social behaviour we can’t understand completely and reductionist scale
E: effect of conformity to social roles and deindividuation of prisoners + guards in stanford prison study couldn’t be understood by studying the p.t individually
E: it was interaction between people and group
L: Holistic gives better understanding