Approaches A03

behaviourism

• ethical issues with animals

• real life application eg gambling

• good scientific methods

• gave psych scientific credibility

• strongly deterministic

• reductionist approach lacks meaning when applied

• research on animals so can’t fully relate

cognitive

• scientific and objective

• machine reductionism

• lacks external validity

• real life application

• less deterministic than others

biological

• scientific methods

• real life application

• can’t separate nature and nurture (DZ show higher concordance than siblings)

• deterministic view

social learning theory

• real life application

• scientific but unethical

• explains cultural difference

• underestimation of biological factors

• over reliance on lab studies (doesn’t reflect everyday)

• same sex imitation research

• issues of causality

psychodynamic

• huge influence on psychology and western contemporary thought

• given rise to one of first talking cures (psychotic conditions?)

• based on study of single individuals who often in therapy

• many theories are untestable

• deterministic

humanistic approach

• not reductionist and considers whole person

• positive approach

• limited application (though Maslow explains motivation)

• untestable concepts

• cultural bias