Reductionist vs Holism Flashcards
What is meant by Holism in psychology?
The belief that behavior should be viewed as whole, the person’s life experiences, personal factors- humanistic approach.
Or a more interactionalist approach to treating schizophrenia, family therapy and drugs, all factors considered
What is meant by reductionism in psychology
The belief that behavior should be reduced down to a single cause, scientists try to understand behavior to narrow down e.g. biological approach genes. Parsimory- simplest explanation is the best explanation
Levels of explanation
Explanations vary, from fundamental levels focusing on basic components to more of a sociocultural level. At the top, social cultural, social cognition, behavioral, physiological and , at bottom neurochemical.
Biological Reductionalism
Using the analysis of neurochemicals, hormones, genes
Environmental Reductionism
Reducing down to the learnt responses, such as Pavlov and Skinner, stimulus, response and mechanisms
Gestalt psychology
The sum is always greater than its parts
Wolfe research which contradicts reductionism
-A woman who has a fear of insects, found to have made no further progress in overcoming her phobia, it was found that the woman’s husband was nicknamed after insect and their marriage was unstable.
Holistic Approach A03
-Support, Wolfe
-Zimbardo research one participant said he based his behaviors on a movie character, cold hand luke. Must be more cognitive factors.#
-Cannot establish any cause or effect relationships into what causes behavior, no empirical evidence.
Reductionist A03
-Biological reductionism, the success of drug therapies
-Cause and effect can be established
Experimental Reductionism
When a complex behavior is reduced to a simple variable so that it can be tested scientifically
Experimental Reductionism
When a complex behavior is reduced to a simple variable so that it can be tested scientifically
