AQA A Level Psychology Comparing Approaches Essay Plans
6 views 0 purchase
Course
Comparing approaches
Institution
AQA
Concise, detailed essay plans covering the whole AQA A Level Psychology Comparing Approaches subtopic, created and used to achieve an A* in the 2024 Psychology A Level exam series.
Essay: Outline and compare any two approaches in psychology
AO1 Biological
- Behaviour is determined by biological factors e.g.
hormones, genes, neurotransmitters, brain
structure etc.
- E.g. OCD is proposed to be caused by abnormally
high dopamine levels and low serotonin levels
- Often makes use of scientific methods like brain
scanning techniques
Humanistic
- Every individual is unique and wants to achieve
congruence/self-actualisation
- Emphasis on free will, meaning we have full
control over how we choose to behave
- Considers personal experiences, circumstances
and motivation
AO3 x 1 - Biological is reductionist while humanistic is
holistic
- Biological reduces behaviour down to the smallest
components possible e.g. the MAOA-L gene is
thought to lead to aggression
- Humanistic looks at people as a whole rather than
breaking them down into different components
- Biological is more objective than humanistic
AO3 x 2 - Free will vs determinism
- Humanistic believes behaviour is chosen whereas
biological believes it is governed by innate factors
- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (motivation) vs
genes, neurotransmitters, brain structure etc
- Therefore they have different explanations in
relation to how behaviour is determined
AO3 x 3 - Nature vs nurture
- Biological says behaviour is predetermined but
humanistic is environmentally influenced
- E.g. serotonin levels in OCD
- Biological only considers nurture in the context of
phenotypes
AO3 x 4 - Treatment prospects
- Biological approach is able to establish effective
treatments e.g. SSRIs and anxiolytics
- Humanistic approach also led to the emergence of
client-centred therapy
- Both positively contribute to treatment, though
biological effectiveness is supported by more
research compared to client centred therapy
, Essay: Outline the behaviourist approach in psychology. Compare
the behaviourist approach with the social learning approach
AO1 - Operant conditioning: learning through positive
reinforcement, negative reinforcement and
punishment
- Positive reinforcement: rewarding a desired
behaviour with a positive stimulus
- Negative reinforcement: rewarding a desired
behaviour with the removal of a negative stimulus
- Skinner’s rats
- Classical conditioning: learning through repeated
association of a neutral stimulus, unconditioned
stimulus and an unconditioned response
- Pavlov’s dog
AO3 x 1 - Both take a nurture approach rather than a nature
approach
- E.g. Bandura’s bobo doll study – behaviour is
learned from the environment
- Neither approaches consider innate motivations
behind behaviour – mediational processes
- Social learning consider some cognitive processes
while behaviourism does not
AO3 x 2 - Both are environmentally deterministic
- Behaviourism = cause and effect
- SLT = cause, thought and effect
- Both approaches state the environment is directly
responsible for behaviour
AO3 x 3 - Both are relatively deterministic
- Experiments do not consider confounding
motivators for behaviour
- E.g. Pavlov and Bandura only study a cause and
effect relationship between a stimulus and a
behaviour
- Neither approaches entirely accommodate free
will though SLT is soft determinism rather than
hard
AO3 x 4 - Both contribute to psychology as a science
- Behaviourist and SLT methodology is often
replicable, falsifiable, systematic etc.
- Test hypotheses in a way which reflects features
of a science
- Therefore equally contribute to psychology as a
science where the methodology in the
psychodynamic approach for example does not
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller izzyoc1310. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.19. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
