Debates

Individual vs Situational

Individual specifically focuses on one person. This is the belief that behaviour is a result of personality and genetics. Situational is the focus on the situation that a person is in leading to behaviour

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Individual vs Situational - Strengths

I - supports scientific research, looks at predisposition to certain behaviour, allows predictions to be made, studies can be conducted on individuals S- provide explanation towards group behaviours can be deviant

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Individual vs Situational - Weaknesses

I- reductionist, can’t be generalised if research is on individual, personality traits do not always lead behaviour, different personality traits and behaviours may emerge under certain situations S - hard to replicate, artificial environment leading

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Determinism vs Free Will

Determinism refers to human behaviour being a product of forces beyond the control of the individual. People have no control over their actions. Free will is the ability to make a choice between certain behaviours.

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Determinism vs Free Will - Strengths

D - isolates variables to make them easier to examine, scientific, society is more willing to accept it's findings because we do not have to accept responsibility for our actions. FW - fit in with society’s legal view of individual responsibility, s

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Determinism vs Free Will - Weaknesses

D - Reductionist, mechanist, implies that behaviour can be predicted, does not account for individual differences FW - The concept of free will may be culturally relative, cannot be tested, unscientific, no clear distinction to the term

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Nature vs Nurture

The degree to which human behaviour is determined by genetics/biology (nature) or learned through interacting with the environment (nurture).

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Nature vs Nurture - Strengths

Help us identify behaviours that are inherited or learned or allow us to consider the relative contributions of inheritance and learning. Also if some behaviours are down to nature or inappropriate upbringing by parents

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Nature vs Nurture - Weaknesses

Reductionist, Cannot prove either side as there is no exact evidence, deterministic, if we assume behaviour is inherited this may lead to some to assume all behaviours are learnt

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Reductionsm vs Holism

Reductionist is the theory that all psychological phenomenons can be reduced to single factor. Holism refers to looking at various factors instead of looking at singular factors.

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Reductionism vs Holism - Strengths

R - detailed research into components that effect behaviour, scientific, open to testing, can be used to explain certain behaviours and disorders H - considers more than one cause, allows for detailed analysis

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Reductionism vs Holism - Weaknesses

R - Simplifies complex behaviours, does not take into account other factors, breaks down complex phenomenon into simple explanations H - Does not mention specific details, non-scientific, does not explain mental illness, over complicates behaviours

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Is Psychology a science?

-Narrow defintion, sciences need to provide precise data from research -Some research not generalisable - case study -Scientific studies - ethical problems - cannot test certain variables - Improvements to studies need larger samples

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Debates

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Card 5

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