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Flip to reveal answersWhat is a perspective (in psychology)?
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All 11 Flashcards — Different perspectives on behaviour
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Question
What is a perspective (in psychology)?
Answer
A viewpoint or level of explanation used to understand behaviour.
Question
What does the biological perspective focus on?
Answer
The body: brain, genes and hormones.
Question
What does the cognitive perspective focus on?
Answer
Mental processes — memory, attention, thinking and beliefs.
Question
What does the sociocultural perspective focus on?
Answer
The social world: other people, groups and culture.
Question
Reductionist or holistic?
Answer
Reductionist: a behaviour explained at one level only. Holistic: the whole person, using several levels.
Question
Are the perspectives rivals?
Answer
No. They work at different levels, and a full explanation uses more than one.
Question
Explain insomnia biologically.
Answer
Stress hormones and an over-active stress response keep the body alert.
Question
Explain insomnia socioculturally.
Answer
A noisy environment or exam-season pressure disrupts sleep.
Question
Why use more than one perspective?
Answer
Each sees a different part of the picture, so together they explain more.
Question
Deductive or inductive?
Answer
Deductive: start from a theory and collect data to test it. Inductive: start from observations and build an explanation.
Question
Theory or model?
Answer
A theory explains why something happens and can be tested. A model is a simplified picture of how something works.
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Perspective
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