This document provides a comprehensive overview of the approaches and their differences regarding: views on development, nature vs nurture, free will vs determinism, holism vs reductionism, being idiographic or nomothetic and their explanations of mental disorders. The table format of this document...
Comparison of the Approaches
Paper 2, Psychology A Level
Social Learning
Psychodynamic Behaviourist Cognitive Biological Humanist
Theory
Most coherent view, Don’t offer stages, Don’t offer stages, Stage theories Maturation. Sees development of
ties its concepts and see the processes see the processes contributed to Genetically self as ongoing
processes to specific that underpin that underpin understanding. As determined changes throughout life. But
stages and ages. But learning as learning as part of intellectual in a child’s childhood is
Views on very little continuous, appear continuous, appear development, physiological status particularly
Development development once in at any age. at any age. children develop influence important.
genital stage. increasingly psychological and
sophisticated behavioural
schemas as they characteristics.
age.
Freud sees ‘Tabula rasa’ babies Believes we learn Schemas are refined Behaviour is result of Parents, friends, and
behaviour as driven are blank slates at through observation through experience. genetic blueprint we wider society have a
by biological instincts birth. Suggests all and imitation. But innate info inherit from parents, huge impact on the
but relationships with behaviour comes processing though the way it is self.
Nature parents also have a through learned expressed is
vs large role. associations and influenced by the
Nurture reinforcement. environment
(phenotype)
NATURE and NURTURE NURTURE NATURE and NATURE and NURTURE
NURTURE NURTURE NURTURE
Reduces behaviour Breaks up complex Do breakdown Presents people as Explains behaviour Investigates all
to biological drives behaviour into complex behaviour information at a neurochemical aspects of the
and instincts, but stimulus-response to a few key processing systems, or physiological individual including
Freud’s description links for the purpose processes, but do ignores emotion. level. interactions with
Reductionism of personality as a of lab-testing. acknowledge others and wider
vs dynamic interaction mediational society.
Holism between 3 parts is processes and how
more holistic. these interact with
external influences.
REDUCTIONIST and Machine
HOLISTIC REDUCTIONIST More HOLISTIC REDUCTIONIST REDUCTIONIST HOLISTIC
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