What is determinism?
Our behaviour is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control.
What is Free Will?
Humans are able to make their own decisions and are not determined by biological or environmental factors.
What is reductionism?
The scientific approach breaks down complex systems, behaviours, or theories into their smallest most fundamental components to understand them. Established causal relationship.
What is Holism?
The view that systems should be studied as a whole rather than focusing on on their constituent parts. Able to predict a whole system.
What is Nature?
The causes of behaviour coming from internal factors. Often referred to as innate and may be present from birth nd unchangeable.
What is Nurture?
The external factors of behaviour. Everything is learnt through interaction.
What is idiographic?
Focuses on the individual and emphasises the unique personal experiences of human nature. Favours qualitative data.
What is Nomothetic?
Psychologists are concerned with establishing general laws based on the study of large groups of people. Favours quantitative data.
What are successful applications?
Where psychologists knowledge has been used for a purpose.
What is scientific?
Where research has been carried out in a controlled, objective, replicable way. Hypothesis are formed and tested.
What is non scientific?
Where the concepts investigated by the approach are unfalsifiable or the methods used are subjective.
What is the biological approach?
Deterministic; Reductionistic; Nature; Nomothetic; Scientific.
What is the behaviourist approach?
Deterministic; Reductionistic; Nurture; Nomothetic; Scientific.
What is the cognitive approach?
Free Will or Deterministic; Reductionistic; Nature or Nurture; Nomothetic; Scientific.
What is the Psychodynamic approach?
Deterministic; Reductionistic; Nurture; Idiographic; Unscientific.
What is the Positive approach?
Free Will; Holism; Unscientific; Successful Application.
