Summary Comparison of Approaches Table (AQA A-Level Psychology)

Psychodynamic Behaviourist SLT Humanistic Biological Cognitive

Functioning based
Psycho on interaction of Soft Determinism Idiographic
Deterministic Deterministic
drives / forces (case studies) Deterministic
Reductionist
within a person, Reductionist Both study
Applications in Applications in
(unconscious) Nature + Nurture unconscious
Applications in therapy - both therapy
mental processes
Three different therapy Children in study client centred Reductionist
structures of Applications in
Limitations of Focus on humans
personality therapy
methodologies more
Sigmund Freud
Behaviour learnt Determinism Determinism
Behaviourist - Nurture by interaction w/ (hard / soft) Hard
(hard / soft)
- Scientific environment determinism
- Nomothetic Nurture > nature Reductionist
CC / OC Reductionist
Reductionist Include elements (ignore biology)
- Nature S-R bond Scientific
Scientific of nurture Both Nature /
(unconscious) Nomothetic Nurture
Pavlov / Skinner Nomothetic Observational
- Unscientific
methods Applications in Nomothetic
- Idiographic Observational therapy
methods Scientific
Use lab studies
Agree behaviours Applications in
are learned therapy

- Scientific - Not therapy Observe, model,
Social imitate others Deterministic Soft determinism
- Nomothetic - Children in
Learning - Not therapy study behaviour Reductionist Nature / Nurture
Theory How cognitive Nature / Nurture (different ways) Reductionist
- Unscientific - Led to therapy and Scientific (ignore biology)
- Idiographic - Animals in study environmental Nomothetic Nomothetic
- Led to therapy factors interact