The four main perspectives.
 Biological
 Behavioural
 Cognitive
 Socio-cultural
Biological PerspectiveGazzaniga
•Focus on the biological (physiological) influences on behaviour and mental
processes, including the brain and the rest of the nervous system, the
endocrine (hormone) system, the immune system and genetics.
•Assumption all our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are associated with
underlying bodily activities and processes
•Technological progress in this area: Development of techniques such as:
CAT- Computed Axial Tomography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN4E8Y5loAs&feature=related
MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E1GoWhSlho&feature=related
PET – positron emission therapy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZQq7chGoO4
fMRI- functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmQR57V5TVU
•Focus on how behaviour is acquired or modified by environmental
consequences such as rewards and punishments. Its focus is on
observable behaviour and the role of learning in influencing
behaviour.
Behavioural PerspectiveSkinner
•Assumption all behaviour can be explained in terms of learning
processes
•Prominent Psychologists Burrhus Skinner (1904-90) –
Behaviourism theory involved the belief that mental processes
should not be scientifically studied as they were not directly
observable. He also argued that mental processes were of little or no
value in understanding and explaining behaviour. Skinner focused on
explaining rewards and punishments in an individual’s environment
shape, maintain and change their behaviour through a type of
learning called operant conditioning
.Skinner conducted many carefully controlled laboratory experiments
with animals to develop and test his theories.
•Therapy Application Behaviour Therapy focuses on using learning
principles to eliminate unwanted behaviour and brings about desired
change, such as quitting smoking, lose weight, toilet training infants
etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA
Cognitive Behaviour therapy focuses on changing unreasonable
thoughts that underlie unwanted behaviour, rather than changing
the behaviour itself. Few psychologists today call themselves
behaviourists (like that of Watson & Skinner) because of the
simplistic nature of explaining complex human behaviour. The
emphasis is now on both environmental and cognitive factors.
Cognitive PerspectivePiaget
•Focus on how we acquire, process, remember
and use information about ourselves and the
world around us. Understanding how we take in
information and how we treat the information in
order to think, feel and behave as we do.
•Assumption internal mental processes are
important in their own right, as well as
important influences on observable behaviour.
•Method of study Emphasis the need to study
mental processes using scientific methods,
particularly well-controlled experiments.
•Application information processing approach
using a computer analogy (see pg 32),
connectionist approach recognises that different
part of the brain are interconnected by
networks of neurons and are more or less active
at the same time when processing information.
E.g Semantic Network Theory – when large
amounts of information is stored in our long
term memory, it is organised so that we can
efficiently retrieve it when needed.
Socio-cultural Perspective
•Focus on the roles of social and cultural
influences on human behaviour and mental
processes.
•Assumption that socio-cultural factors such
as sex, age, income level and the culture in
which people grow up are important
influences.
•Culture is the way of life of a particular
group of people e.g beliefs, values, attitudes,
customs, ways of behaving, forms of
expression which are shared by most
members of a group of people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAel_qR
fKx8
Each perspective enables almost any topic in psychology to be
looked at in a number of different ways. Example pg 35
The perspectives working
together.
Schizophrenia
Symptoms include disorganised thinking, bizarre or disturbed
thoughts and disorganised behaviour

Biological

Genetics & brain function could explain illness

Behavioural

Environmental factors can reinforce symptoms of
schizophrenia

Cognitive

Thought patterns of people with schizophrenia &
how they mentally process information and act on
information

Socio-cultural

Specific life experiences that more likely to trigger or
aggravate illness
Many psychologists today do not adopt a single perspective. An
eclectic perspective draws on theories, ideas and research
methods from different perspectives.
Glossary Terms
Biological perspective
Behavioural Perspective
Cognitive Perspective
Socio-cultural Perspective
Eclectic Perspective