AICE Psychology Approaches

Cognitive Approach

- views the human brain as a computer; imputing, processing, and outputting information. Focuses on mental processes - how we think is central in explaining how we behave; concerns the mind-thinking, solving problems, making sense and understanding the world etc; concerned with mental functions such as memory, perception, attention; compares people's mind to computers

Strengths of the Social Approach

- we can see how our behavior is determined by those around us and society - we can discover how likely we are to behave in social situations; we follow a script - holist approach; looks at different levels of explanation

Weaknesses of the Social Approach

- social knowledge may become redundant as society changes - social behavior is culture bound - social behavior is complex, making studying difficult in terms of controlling variables - problems include distinguishing between individual/situational influences

Strengths of the Biological Approach

- use of sophisticated equipment such as an MRI provides an objective/precise way to measure brain structure - uses the experimental method, with scientific apparatuses and controls to determine cause and effect - the use of recording (apparatus) provides consistent (reliable) measurements - human physiological functioning is the same in all cultures

Strengths of the Cognitive Approach

- uses experimental method thus it's scientific - only branch to deal with the mind; some would argue the mind is central to everything in psychology - genuinely engages in how we think

Learning Approach

- Focuses on observable behavior rather than mental concepts in terms of learning - behavior is acquired through learning experiences; focus is on observable behaviors; how conditioning helps to explain changes and how social learning helps to explain changes in behavior

Biological Approach

- views the human body as a biological machine observing behaviors and through experiences - concerns the physiological (or biological) aspect of humans and how these affect our behavior, thought patterns and emotional responses; sees humans as complicated machines; how the body determines behavior

Weaknesses of the Biological Approach

- often reductionist-reduces complex intentions/emotions to a part of the brain - costly and time consuming due to the high tech machinery and lengthy procedures - cause and effect cannot be assumed - supports nature over nurture (reductionism)

Social Approach

- how humans and animals interact with each other - numerous issues that surround human interaction and human relationship; how an individual behaves in relation to other people and how behavior can be modified; we all play a variety of roles in life; we believe we are true to ourselves

Strengths of the Learning Approach

- it introduced the scientific methods in psychology (Skinner, Pavlov) - practical applications

Weaknesses of the Cognitive Approach

- less scientific for we cannot observe the subject matter directly (just inferring) - analogy of a computer is too reductionist for it doesn't give account of other factors - assumes all people's cognitive processes are the same; doesn't account for individual differences

Weaknesses of the Learning Approach

- many of the experiments were done on animals, humans and animals differ - doesn't explain important aspects of human behavior such as memory, problem solving, biological factors - neglects the influence of free-will for it argues behavior is a result of previous conditioning