In one line: The same behaviour can be explained in more than one way. Each perspective sees a different part of the picture.
Think of a person who cannot sleep. A doctor sees biology: stress hormones. A therapist sees thinking: worried thoughts that will not stop. A friend sees the situation: a noisy new flat in exam season.
All three are looking at the same sleepless nights. A perspective is the lens each one looks through.
Remember: Same behaviour, different lens.
Change the perspective and you notice a different cause.
Free preview
This is the free notes preview
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
Key idea: Psychology uses three main perspectives, often called approaches. Each asks a different kind of question.
Three perspectives
Biological
Looks inside the body: brain, genes, hormones.
Asks: what physical processes drive this behaviour?
Cognitive
Looks at mental processes: memory, attention, thinking, beliefs.
Asks: how is the mind handling information here?
Sociocultural
Looks outward: other people, groups, culture.
Asks: how do the people and the culture around someone shape this behaviour?
Body · Mind · World
Take a student who becomes very anxious in exams. Biological: her body floods with stress hormones. Cognitive: she reads the exam as a threat and expects to fail. Sociocultural: her family and her school expect top marks.
Exam tip: When you give two explanations, check that they come from different perspectives.
Stress hormones and brain chemistry are both biological.
Feeling unprepared for exams?
Get a clear study plan, practice with real questions, and know exactly where you stand before exam day. No more guessing.
Key idea: No single perspective explains a behaviour fully. Each one leaves something out.
One perspective alone
- Explains a behaviour at one level
- Simple, and easier to test
- Leaves out the other causes
- Called a reductionist explanation
Several together
- Looks at the whole person
- Closer to real life
- Harder to test all at once
- Called a holistic explanation
The anxious student shows why. Stress hormones explain her racing heart, but not why exams set them off and football matches do not. Her beliefs explain that, and her family's expectations explain the beliefs.
The perspectives are not rivals. They work at different levels, and a full account uses more than one.
Use it in an answer: For any explanation, ask: which perspective is this, and what does it leave out?
The part left out is an alternative explanation.
Key idea: Each perspective builds explanations and tests them. There are two directions to work in.
A theory
- An explanation of why something happens
- Can be tested against evidence
- "Anxiety comes from expecting to fail"
A model
- A simplified picture of how something works
- Often drawn as boxes and arrows
- Memory shown as a set of stores
Two routes to knowledge
Start from a theory
Begin with an idea, make a prediction, then collect data to test it (a deductive approach).
"If worry causes poor sleep, students told to write their worries down should sleep better."
Start from observations
Begin with what people say or do, look for patterns, then build an explanation (an inductive approach).
Interview poor sleepers and see what themes appear.
Theory first · Observation first
Remember: Deductive: theory, then data. Inductive: data, then theory.
Memorize terms 3x faster
Smart flashcards show you cards right before you forget them. Perfect for definitions and key concepts.
How this is asked: Perspective is one of the concepts for the 15-mark essay on Paper 1. The essay is set in a context and often begins "One claim ... is that".
Details of studies are not needed. Clear explanations from different perspectives are.
The essay pattern
- Say whether you agree with the claim, and how far.
- Explain the behaviour from one perspective.
- Show what that perspective leaves out.
- Bring in a second perspective, and show how the two fit together.
- Finish with a judgement.
The trap: three separate lists: A paragraph on each perspective, side by side, is description.
Show how one explanation depends on or adds to another.
One claim in the psychology of human relationships is that a single perspective is not enough to explain why some people behave aggressively. Discuss this claim.
Model answer plan
See the answer broken into clear points, with guidance on how each point earns marks.