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ISSUES AND DEBATES
PSYCHOLOGICAL SKILLS

9.1 Methods

9.2 Synoptic review of studies

9.3 Issues and debates
A2: Paper 3: Psychological Skills

What are they looking for?

How might it be best to study for this section?
Issues and Debates
Every person
really can solve
crimes!
E P R C S C
NDSUS
Not dinosaurs…..
SILLY uncle Sven.
Issues and Debates
Every
Ethics
Person
Practical issues
Really
Reductionism
Can
Cultural
Solve
Science (Ψ as a science)
Crimes
Comparison of themes
Not
Nature/Nurture
Dinosaurs
Development (how Ψ has
developed over time)
Silly
Social control
Uncle
Usefulness
Sven
Socially sensitive issues
Reductionism
Would
anyone like some cake?
Served in the style of
reductionism?
Or… would you like to see a picture of the
MOST beautiful person in the world….
Reductionism
 After
seeing those pictures define
reductionism.
Definition: Reductionism
 Breaks behaviour into the smallest parts
 simplest explanation
 focuses on just one aspect of behaviour
 isolates variables
 cause and effect
Studies
Classic
Contemporary
Biological Raine:
Brain Abnormality
Brendgen et al:
Social aggression
Learning
Watson and Rayer:
Little Albert
Becker et al:
Eating Disorders
Social
Sherif:
Intergroup Conflict
Burger:
Replicating Milgram
Cognitive Baddeley:
Working Memory
Sebastian and Hernandez-Gil
Developmental pattern of digit
span
Other
Reductionist
Social
Cognitive
Biological
Learning
Clinical
Child
Holism
Issues and Debates- Learning Space
Social
Cognitive
Biological
Learning
Clinical
Child
HOT POTATO
5 minutes:
Own thoughts
5 minutes:
How is it evident in the approach.
5 minutes:
How is it not evident in the approach.
5 minutes:
How is it evident in the approach.
5 minutes:
Factor checker
Share with class.
Reductionist
Social
Latane: equation to calculate how
people will behaviour. Ignores the
interaction between the individual and
the social situation.
Sherif ignore personality characteristics
Holism
The appropriate acknowledges that there are
a range of factors that can influence
behaviour.
Cognitive
Reductionist
Holism
Atkinson and Shifrin: Breaking down
Memory into segments: little
acknowledgement about the interaction
between the memory stores
Brain scans help us to see how cognitive
functions are a results of a more holistic
approach. Eg: interactions between different
areas of the brain is responsible for aspects
such as memory (amnesia patients).
Baddeley: Breaking down working
memory into subsections.
Reductionist
Biological
Scientific methods are usually
reductionists- establish cause and
effect.
Holism
Raine: brain activity was just one factor that
would lead to criminal behaviour.
Reductionist
Learning
Behaviour is the result of previous
learning. (Skinner)
The role models within the environment
influences behaviour (Bandura).
Holism
Later- when you have more time.
AO3
Social
Cognitive
Biological
Learning
Clinical
Child
AO3 
Issues and Debates
Every
Ethics
Person
Practical issues
Really
Reductionism
Can
Cultural
Solve
Science (Ψ as a science)
Crimes
Comparison of themes
Not
Nature/Nurture
Dinosaurs
Development (how Ψ has
developed over time)
Silly
Social control
Uncle
Usefulness
Sven
Socially sensitive issues
EVALUATION
AO3
AO3 
EVALUATION
AO3
AO3 
Psychology as a Science:
Able to establish cause and effect
By conducting a study that has high controls and
investigates a study in a way that there is only one
variable that is manipulating the DV.
Low ecological validity. The research is only
looking at one explanation or variable, it doesn’t
consider a real life setting.
Usefulness:– treatment/intervention through a
simplified explanation of our behaviours we can
establish what causes stress.
Not useful: Often leaves out other factors that
might be important in explaining behaviour. Can
often be overly simplified.
Social Control: when it is used without taking other
factors into consideration it can be used to make
assumptions about the population and can lead to
labelling, interventions
Nature or Nurture Will tend to support either
nature or nurture in how the research in conducted.
Therefore the interactionist approach is not
considered.
Socially sensitive
Possible Exam Questions
Learning Objectives: Checklist
AO3: Evaluate
I can evaluate strength and
weaknesses of reductionism and
can link it to when it has been
evident in research?
AO2: Apply
I can explain how reductionism is
evident in SCBL(CC) studies
AO1: Describe
I can… state the key terms and
key assumptions?
What would the world be like if we used a
reductionist approach in our daily life…..

Meals?
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Entertainment?
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Social interactions?
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Reasons for doing badly on a test?
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Court cases?
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Illnesses?