Holism and reductionism Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Holism and reductionism Deck (11):

What is parsimony?

There is no need to explain behaviours through complex processes, as explanations should be as simple as possible to be more effective


What is the difference between holism and reductionism?

Holism is the idea that to explain behaviour it is necessary to look at many levels of explanation at once, while reductionism focuses on one level of explanation


Define intuitive appeal

The explanation makes sense to us


Give an example, other than humanism, that is holistic

Cognitive neuroscience: The combination of the biological and cognitive approach to study neurological structures, mechanisms, processes, chemistry etc. that are responsible for cognitive processes


What is holism?

Looking at something as a whole, not just aspects of it


What is reductionism?

When something complex is reduced/explained in a simplistic manner


What are the levels of explanation within psychology from most to least holistic?



What is biological reductionism?

In terms of reductionism, biological explanations are the most reductionist because they do not take into account other levels of explanation such as the environment, but it is a more precise and simple explanation as a result


What is environmental reductionism?

This simplifies behaviour to a simple stimulus-response action, which is advocated by behaviourists. It is easier to measure and has the advantage of parsimony, but it also can't explain all behaviour because it can be too simple


What within the schizophrenia unit is holistic and reductionist?

The family dysfunction explanation is holistic, and the genetic explanation is reductionist


How can reductionism be positively evaluated?

It is very scientific