Reductionist Flashcards
what is reductionism?
approach that breaks down complex phenomena into more simple components as they believe it is desirable because complex phenomena are best understood in terms of a simpler level of explanation.
what is biological reductionism?
when behaviour is reduced to the action of biological internal factors such as neurons, hormones etc.
what is environmental reductionism?
when behaviour is reduced to stimulus-response associations
what is experimental reductionism?
where a complex behaviour is reduced to a single (isolated) variable for the purpose of testing.
what are the 3 levels of explanation that reductionists use?
lowest level: physiological (biological) explanations, where behaviour is explained in terms of neurochemicals, genes and brain structure
middle level: psychological explanations (e.g. cognitive and behavioural)
highest level: social and cultural explanations, where behaviour is explained in terms of the influence of social group
what concept is reductionism based on?
parsimony - the idea that complex phenomena should be explained in the simplest terms possible.
example of levels: attachment
lowest: attachment can be explained at biological level as Bowlby’s theory links to evolution - strong attachment has advantages in survival
middle: attachment can be explained at a psychological level as Bowlby argues there is a critical period of 2.5 years in which babies must form an attachment
highest: attachment can be explained at a social-cultural level as different parenting styles can lead to different attachment types
evaluation: strength of reductionism
P - One strength of the reductionist approach is that scientists (including psychologists) are drawn to reductionist explanations
E - For ex, most experimental psychology is based on the assumption that human behaviour can be studied effectively in relatively simple experiments, where complex behaviour is reduced to isolated variables (experimental reductionism)
E - This allows researchers to study different factors that influence human behaviour in a controlled manner while establishing casual relationships
L - Consequently both biological + environmental reductionism are viewed as scientific approaches, whereas holism is not.
evaluation: weakness of reductionism
P - Lacks validity as it doesn’t acknowledge other factors that affect behaviour which holism can bring
E - For ex, we can see how the brain responds to particular musical sounds through a scanner, but scanners cant capture on individuals feelings when hearing a piece of music. Just because a part of the brain connected with fear is activated whilst listening to the music doesn’t mean you necessarily feel afraid.
E - Holists are likely to investigate elsewhere, such as look at the memory centre.
L - Whereas reductionists often don’t take into account other explanations as they are so focused on particular parts. Therefore the approach lacks validity.
