Why is the difference between an individual versus situational explanation of behaviour?
An individual explanation focuses on internal factors within a person that affect behaviour such as genes or personality. In contrast, a situational explanation looks at external factors that affect a person such as environmental context the person is in.
What of the individual situational debate about?
There is a debate over whether our behaviour is more affected by internal factors such as brain activity, genes or unconscious conflicts vs external factors such as family background, culture and education
Give one study that supports an individual explanation of behaviour and one study that supports a situational explanation of behaviour.
- baron cohen study offers an individual exmpoanation of behaviour as it showed how many people with autism/Asperger’s lack theory of mind and find it difficult to identity emotions from eyes.
-milgrams study on destructive obedience showed that situational factors affected obedience levels. The fact that the authority figure had status and the study was carried out at Yale university were factions in the participants environment that made them obey.
Give one strength and one weakness of an individual explanation.
Strength - studies can be conducted on individuals rather than needed a group of people
Weakness - reductionist as it only focuses on individual factors in behaviour e.g personality and genes, does not consider how situational factors can affect behaviour.
Give one strength and weakness of a situational explanation
Strength - useful and practical as it can lead to treatments and techniques that are based on changing the environment e.g using positive reinforcement
Weakness - can be viewed as reductionist as it does not consider how individual differences affect behaviour e.g genes and personality, takes away personal responsibility as it suggests environmental factors are the main cause of behaviour.
What is reductionism?
Reductionism attempts to break down behaviour into constituent parts and using single factors such as individual genes and to account for behaviour. A reductionist view of depression might say it is down to low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.
What is holism?
Holism sees human behaviour as too complex to reduce to single explanations and caused by multiple interacting factors. A holistic view of depression would take into account how family issues, work issues and bereavement and biological factors might contribute to depression.
What are the two positions of the reductionism and holism debate?
There is a debate whether it is better to understand behaviour by reducing it down to one level of explanation/single factors or whether it is better to understand behaviour holistically by considering multiple interacting factors.
Give one study that shows reductionism and one study that show holism
Reductionism - Casey’s study since they don’t considered different levels of explanation for delay of gratification such as family background such as family background or culture. It focused only on how brain activity affects delay of gratification
Holism - Freuds study is holistic as it recognised that Little Hans’ phobia was the product of interacting factors or- unconscious desires and fears, interactions with father and mother, fear of horses.
Give one strength and one weakness of reductionism.
Strength - as reductionist explanations only look at one variable at a time, they can identify cause and effect between variables and are therefore more scientific, reliable and objective.
Weakness - reductionist explanations lack validity because they often miss the wider picture of how different variables interact and come to influence behaviour.
Give one strength and weakness of holism
Strength - validity. The idea that behaviour is the result of an interaction between a number of complex factors is far more reflective of real life, increasing validity.
Weakness - often fails to identify a single cause for human behaviour, this makes it more difficult to apply findings to real life, therefore making it less scientific.
What are the two positions of the freewill determinism debate?
Some argue that human beings are entirely free to act as they choose and bear responsibility for the outcome of their behaviour
In contrast, it can be argued that our behaviour is determined by factors outside out control such as our genes or past experiences.
How does Simon and Chablis support the view that behaviour is determined?
the participants didn’t have any control over their inattentional blindness to the unexpected event such as a gorilla walking across the scene.
How can Hancocks study be supported to the view that we have free will
Since psychopaths use language that psychologically distances themselves from their crimes to lie to others. This can suppose free will.
Give one strength and weakness of the deterministic view of behaviour.
Strength - can lead to interventions e.g if depression is caused by low serotonin levels,
Weakness - seeing behaviour outside of our control, reduces personal responsibility. This can also have legal implications. If true - for example, criminals may argue that they had no control over their behaviour.
One strength and one weakness of free will
Strength - the belief in free will encourages people to take personal responsibility for the choices and actions
Weakness - there is subjectivity in whether we have free will. Some people argue that free will is an illusion. Not scientific.
What are the two positions of the nature nurture debate.
The nature side of the debate sees behaviour being affected by genetic, biological factors we are born with. The nurture side of the debate views behaviour as being affected by how we are brought up - our environment, family, background, etc.
Give one study that supports nature and one study that supports nurture.
Casey’s study supports nature as it suggests our ability to delay gratification is affected by brain activity, and this is stable across the lifespan.
Chaneys study supports nurture as it showed how children learn from the consequences in their environment. They found that children were more likely to take their asthma medication with a positively reinforcing funhaler.
Give one strength and one weakness of the nature side of the debate
Strength - understanding genetic influences on behaviour can be,o us understand genetic predispositions to mental disorders and criminality and treat them. More scientific.
Weakness - reductionist and doesn’t consider how environmental factors are likely to affect behaviour can be+ can lead to people not taking responsibility for actions
Give one strength and weakness of the nurture side of the debate
Strength - the belief that environment affects behaviour leads to practical and useful applications - rewards and role models can be used to change someone’s behaviour.
Weakness - the nurture explanation is reductionist as it doesn’t consider bow human behaviour is likely to be affected by a combination of nature and nurture.
What is an interactionist approach?
An interactionist view approach considers how both nature and nurture interact to affect behaviour.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of an interactionist approach.
A strength is that an interactionist approach is more holistic and can be more valid,
A weakness is that it can be hard to apply
What is socially sensitive research?
Research that has direct impact on the groups it is studying, like race, sexual orientation.
Research that has implications that could change peoples lives
Research that is controversial
Give two examples of socially sensitive research
Gourds review of Yerkes study into whether ethnicity has a correlation on IQ is socially sensitive as this link may not take into account the implications the study has on immigration or education. Yerkes did not take the care he should have done
Freuds study is socially sensitive as he suggested that children have unsconscious sexual feelings such as the Oedipus complex, this should be considered taboo.
