Which is the lowest level of explanation for a behavior according to a reductionist approach?

Introduction

In psychology, reductionism refers to a theory that seems to over-simplify human behavior or cognitive processes, and in doing so, neglects to explain the complexities of the mind.

Key Behavioral Theories

"The whole is more than the sum of its parts"

Greek Philosopher Aristotle in The Metaphysics

Reductionism can be undesirable if it ignores variables that may be contributing to the subject being theorised. For example, to say that a mental disorder such as schizophrenia is caused by environmental factors, without acknowledging hereditary correlations. However, it also can be useful if it enables psychologists to consider something as sophisticated as human thinking in biological terms, as a series of chemical reactions, and so isolate chemical imbalances which may contribute towards a problem.

Reductionist theories tend to be based on the assumption that everything can be considered in terms of its smallest constituent parts.

In psychology, therefore, we may see the brain in terms of the atoms that it is composed of, and assuming that no other "forces" are influencing them, our behavior and cognitive processes must be based on the way in which these atoms behave and interact with each other. This atomist approach lays the foundation for the biological research in psychology.

Examples of Reductionism

"Reductionist" is a common criticism of many approaches and theories in psychology.

• The biological approach naturally ignores humans' free-will to act as they please when it explains behavior in terms of hereditary tendencies and chemical imbalance.
• In applying scientific methods, the cognitive approach to psychology, too, may be understood to ignore individual differences in animals and humans, which make us think or behave differently to one another. Instead, it attempts to apply generalised theories to human thinking in the hope that all humans think in a uniform manner.

Should we study human psychology and behaviour as a whole? Can complicated behaviours be broken down into simpler components? When we raise these questions, we come across two opposing points of view in psychology.

Reductionism and holism in psychology are two approaches to studying people and behaviour. There is debate about which approach is best for understanding behaviour.

Let’s first look at the definition of holism and reductionism.

Reductionism is the view that aims to break down psychological processes into small and simple elements. It is based on the scientific assumption of parsimony. The concept of parsimony states that the answers to all problems should be the simplest possible explanation.

Holism comes from the Greek word ‘holos’, which means ‘whole’, ‘all’, ‘complete’. Holism holds that we should consider human behaviour as a whole rather than its parts. Many factors contribute to human behaviour, so all aspects must be considered as a whole. Holism can be summed up in the phrase: ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’

Which approaches in psychology are reductionist?

Some reductionist approaches in psychology are biological, behavioural, cognitive, social, and psychodynamic. Rose (1976) proposed several levels of explanation for reductionism. The lowest level is biological explanations (e.g., genes, brain structure). These are followed by psychological explanations (e.g., cognitive, behavioural). The highest level is social explanations.

The biological approach

Biological psychologists attempt to explain human behaviour in terms of endogenous processes by looking at neurochemicals, genes, brain structure, and hormonal activity. This approach is called biological reductionism.

The cognitive approach

This explanatory approach reduces behaviour to cognitive explanations such as the role of mental processes and memory.Cognitive psychologists attempt to explain behaviour by breaking it down into isolated variables. They apply machine reductionism by portraying people as information-processing systems and disregarding emotional influences on behaviour.

Models such as the multi-shop explanation of memory explain memory as such. This explanation divides memory into three stores: sensory, short-term, and long-term.

The behavioural approach

Behaviourism explains behaviour with simple responses: stimuli, response, reinforcement and punishment. This approach is also called environmental reductionism because it explains simple and complex behaviour in terms of stimulus-response.

The social approach

This approach explains behaviour using the influence of society and social groups. For example, cultural norms and social influences shape gender according to the social approach.

The psychodynamic approach

The psychodynamic approach uses the id, ego, superego, and unconscious to simplify complex behaviours. For this reason, it is also referred to as reductionist.

Which approaches in psychology are holistic?

Humanistic psychology and social learning theory are holistic approaches in psychology.

Humanistic psychology

Humanistic psychology is considered a holistic approach. Humanistic psychology considers all facets of a person. Humanistic psychologists believe that holism is an excellent perspective to understand the mind and behaviour.

The proponent of the humanistic approach, Carl Rogers, described the self as:

organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself.

The concept creates awareness of who an individual is and who they can be, leading to self-actualisation. This is a holistic view, and in the humanistic sense, the basis of knowledge is the human psyche.

Social learning theory

Social learning theory is an example of a theory that combines several explanations. It explains learning through observing others and cognitive processes (if we think about behaviour and its consequences, should we imitate it? Will we benefit from exhibiting this behaviour?)

Evaluating holism and reductionism

Each approach has its benefits and drawbacks. Let us examine this using holism and reductionism as examples.

Holism

• Holism considers all factors and components that can influence behaviour.

• Because it considers all aspects that influence behaviour, it can have higher ecological validity.

• Humanistic therapy is useful in therapy because it looks at the person holistically to determine how to help them.

Weaknesses

• Holism does not rely on scientific methods and empirical experiments. It does not isolate variables and does not study behaviour in variables that can be manipulated and studied.

• It does not provide clear explanations for determining cause and effect.

• It is challenging to consider all the factors that can influence complex human behaviours.

• It may overcomplicate behaviours for which there is a simple explanation.

Reductionism

Strengths

• Reductionism supports a scientific approach and aims to make simple generalisations about human behaviour.

• Effective chemical treatments have been developed using a reductionist approach to mental disorders.

Weaknesses

• Biological reductionism overlooks the complexity of human behaviour.

• Reductionism can lead to partial explanations.

Reductionism and Holism - Key takeaways

• Reductionism is a view based on the scientific assumption of parsimony. Reductionism breaks down complex psychological processes into small parts and reduces them to simple explanations.
• Holism argues that people should be viewed as a whole rather than as individual parts and focuses on the interaction of all parts.
• Some examples of the holistic approach are humanistic psychology and social learning theory.
• Some examples of the reductionist approach are the biological approach, the behavioural approach, the cognitive approach, the social approach, and the psychodynamic approach.

What is the lowest level of explanation for a behavior according to a reductionist approach?

What is the lowest level of explanation?

What is the lowest level of explanation for a behavior according to a reductionist approach quizlet?

What is the reductionist approach?