What are the different approaches in psychology?
Biological Approach
Cognitive Approach
Psychodynamic Approach
Humanistic Approach
Learning Approaches
- Behaviourist
- Social Learning Theory
What are the 4 comparisons between the approaches?
Free Will vs Determinism
Nature vs Nurture
How scientific/objective they are
Application to treatment
What is determinism?
The idea that we have no control over our behaviour - all behaviour has an internal/external cause and is therefore predicable
What is free will?
The idea that we have choice over our actions and behaviours - active agents of our environment
What does being on the “nature” side of the nature-nurture debate suggest?
Human behaviour is a result of inherited biological factors
What does being on the “nurture” side of the nature-nurture debate suggest?
Human behaviour is a result of environmental experiences
What side is each approach on for the nature-nurture debate?
Biological approach - NATURE
Learning Approach - NURTURE
Psychodynamic Approach - BOTH
Humanistic Approach - NURTURE
Cognitive Approach - BOTH
Why is the biological approach on the “nature” side of the nature-nurture debate?
Suggests all behaviour is a result of an inherited genetic blueprint
Suggests if we have schizophrenia, we have inherited this gene from our parents
Why is the learning approach on the “nurture” side of the nature-nurture debate?
Suggests babies are “blank slates” at birth
All behaviour is learnt through association, reinforcement or observation & imitation
Pavlov or Bandura’s study
Why is the psychodynamic approach on “both” sides of the nature-nurture debate?
Suggests behaviour is driven by biological drives - Eros & Thanatos (nature)
Also suggests relationship with parents plays a fundamental role in behaviour (nurture) - whether they fixate is determines by indulgence is that stage - result of environmental factors like upbringing which determines our personality later in life
Why is the humanistic approach on the “nurture” side of the nature-nurture debate?
Suggests all our needs are dependent on our environment & experiences - friends & society influence our idea of what our needs are
Too meet safety needs, we need a home - this idea differs to someone with different experiences
Why is the cognitive approach on “both” sides of the nature-nurture debate?
Suggests we are born with an innate schema of things - babies know how to eat (nature)
Schema has also develop through experiences to help understand the world (nurture) - in turn affects our actions
What type of determinism does each approach have?
Environmental, biological & psychodynamic are all forms of “hard determinism”
Cognitive & humanistic approach are all forms of “soft determinism”
What type of determinism does the behaviourist approach have and why?
Is in ENVIRONMENTALLY DETERMINISTIC
Sees all behaviour as a result of past experiences - doesn’t choose our actions, they are learnt
E.g - phobias caused by association & maintained through reinforcement
What type of determinism does social learning theory have and why?
RECIPROCAL DETERMINISM
Suggests our environment influences us - we copy models (determinism)
We have some child as to who/what models we are influenced by (free will)
What type of determinism does the biological approach have and why?
BIOLOGICALLY DETERMINISTIC
Suggests all behaviour is determined by inherited genes & brain structure which we have no control over
E.g - inherit SERT & COMT from parents = likely to develop OCD
What type of determinism does the psychodynamic approach have and why?
Behaviour is a result of unconscious forces that we cannot control that are then rationalised by our conscious mind
These unconscious forces are driven by childhood experiences (fixation) - determine our future personality which we again have no control over
What type of determinism does the cognitive approach have and why?
INTERACTIONIST - soft determinism
Suggests schemas are determined by the environment we are in - results in unconscious bias in our actions (determinism)
Still recognises that we choose our thoughts & consciously process information which then influences our action & how we choose to respond (free will)
E.g - choose memories to pay attention to & rehearse (free will)
What type of determinism does the humanistic approach have and why?
Suggests humans have FREE WILL (no determinism)
Argues we choose what we do and have that freedom of choice
E.g - determine our own career - how we develop, our behaviour & what self-actualisation looks like to us
How scientific is each approach?
Learning theories - SCIENTIFIC
Cognitive Approach - PARTLY SCIENTIFIC
Biological Approach - SCIENTIFIC
Psychodynamic Approach - PARTLY SCIENTIFIC
Humanistic Approach - NOT SCIENTIFIC
How are the learning approaches scientific?
Behaviourism - believe psychology is a “hard” science & all human behaviour should be observable
Both believe in empirical methods in studying human behaviour - bobo doll, Pavlov - high degree of replication & objectivity = reliability
How is the cognitive approach partly scientific?
Sees psychology as a science and also uses experimental methods - brains scans
Can be subjective by using inferences for internal mental processes - not observable & therefore not scientific
How is the biological approach scientific?
Sees psychology as a science & only uses objective, experimental methods - brains scans, post mortem
Analyses DNA & brain structure using standardised procedures & uses hypothesis testing with the empirical method
All experiments are highly replicable & objective - no room for difference in interpretations
How is the psychodynamic approach partly scientific?
Has used brain scans to study the tripartite personality & dreaming - objective, replicable method
Mainly focuses on case studies which involve subjective experiences - not replicable
Lacks falsifiability - Popper argued a true science is falsifiable
