Comparing the
approaches: Differences
Cognitive
Social
Psychodynamic
Biological
Learning
1. Both assume that early life experiences
have an impact on a person’s behaviour;
Psychodynamic through repression;
cognitive through repression also.
2. It is difficult to measure the processes
involved in both of these approaches as
we cannot see the mental processes
involved- Psychodynamic with ID, ego and
SE, Cognitive with mental processing.
1. Both have therapeutic applications;
Biological provides drug therapy for drug
addicts; cognitive provides CBT to help
schizophrenics, for example.
2. Both assume that a person cannot be
held responsible for their behaviour & so
are likely to be seen as a victim of a
disorder, reducing the issue of labelling.
Cognitive involves faulty processing,
biological the role of hormones.
1. Both are nomothetic i.e. both aim to
generate laws that generalise to all
people. Biological though behaviour being
genetic, social through our social
interactions.
2. Both are more concerned with the ‘here
and now’ rather than past experiences as
biological assumes hormones influence
behaviour and social assumes
socialisation influences behaviour.
1. Both support the nature side of the
nature/nurture debate. Biological through
genes & hormones, psychodynamic
through unconscious processes
2. Both are useful in understanding
gender. Psychodynamic by identifying
with the same sex parent and Biological
through the role of XX/XY chromosomes.
1. Both follow nurture principles.
Cognitive through the environmental
aspects of cues for recall, learning through
classical or operant conditioning.
2. Both use scientific methodology such as
lab studies e.g. Loftus & Palmer, 1974
(cognitive) & Skinner, 1948 (Learning),
each used lab studies in their
experiments.
Similarities
1. Both have scientific aspects; Social
suggests the role of Agency theory
(societies evolved to have agents and
followers); cognitive contains some
biological principles e.g. memory and
forgetting.
2. Both follow nurture principles. Social
through socialisation and social norms,
cognitive through environmental aspects
of cues for recall.
Cognitive
Social
Psychodynamic
Biological
Learning
1. Cognitive is concerned with mental
functioning influencing behaviour,
whereas social is concerned with the
effect our peers have on our behaviour.
2. Social is more concerned with current
events or the ‘here and now’. Cognitive
however is concerned with the effects of
past events in a person’s life influencing
behaviour.
1. Both have nurture aspects. Social
through social norms and socialisation,
psychodynamic through interactions with
the mother and father during the phallic
stage.
2. Both have had a benefit on society.
Social is useful in explaining &
understanding obedience e.g. savage acts
within wars, psychodynamic has provided
psychoanalysis.
1. Psychodynamic is more concerned with
nature (although does have some nurture
elements) e.g. the unconscious and the ID,
Ego & SE, cognitive is more concerned
with nurture e.g. environmental cues.
2. Cognitive is nomothetic (concerned
with groups) whereas psychodynamic is
ideographic (concerned with individuals).
1. Social is nomothetic (concerned with
groups) whereas Psychodynamic is
ideographic (concerned with unique
individuals).
2. Social is more concerned with current
events or the ‘here and now’.
Psychodynamic however is concerned
with development during the phallic stage
influencing behaviour.
1. Biological provides more objective data
as Cognitive processes cannot be
measured objectively, whereas biological
has access to PET and MRI scans for
example.
2. Cognitive is more concerned with
nurture (environmental cues) whereas
biological is more concerned with nature
(the role of genetics).
1. The approaches oppose each other in
the nature/nurture debate. Biological
assumes innate factors influence
behaviour whereas social assumes social
interactions influence behaviour.
2.Social has an element of freewill within
it as we can choose not to follow/ imitate
our peers, whereas biological is
deterministic and suggests that the
behaviour is natural & beyond our control
1. Learning usually involves animal studies
which are generally less generalisable to
humans, whereas social involves humans
making the studies within the approach
more generalisable.
2. Social assumes that behaviour is
learned through peer influence whereas
learning assumes that an older role model
is responsible.
1. Learning is more scientific as Lab
studies with both humans and animals
have been used. Cognitive however is
based on subjective measurements.
2. Cognitive contains some biological
principles e.g. memory & forgetting
(nature), whereas learning is more
concerned with environmental stimuli and
a response (nurture).
1. Biological approach is generally more
scientific as it involves more objective
methods of data collection. The
Psychodynamic approach however is
based on more subjective theory and so is
less scientific.
2. Psychodynamic is more ideographic
(concerned with unique individuals)
whereas biological is more nomothetic
(concerned with groups).
1. Learning suggests that behaviour is
learned from the environment whereas
psychodynamic suggests we are born with
innate drives.
2. Learning is more concerned with
conditioning influencing behaviour
(nurture), whereas Psychodynamic is
more concerned with the influence of the
ID, Ego & SE (nature).
1. Social Learning theory is derived from
both approaches. The assumption is that
we learn from role models within our
social group(s).
2. Both are nomothetic in that they aim to
develop laws and theories that can be
generalised to all people e.g. social
learning theory ( social & learning)
1. Both approaches are deterministic;
Learning is concerned with classical and
operant conditioning; psychodynamic is
concerned with events during childhood.
2. Both are concerned with past
experiences influencing behaviour;
learning through conditioning and
psychodynamic through repression.
1. Both are highly scientific in their
approach as both involve lab studies with
strict controls e.g. Skinner, 1948 (learning)
& Raine et al., 1977 (Biological).
2. Both can involve animal studies
(although humans have been used too)
which are more cost-efficient and more
ethical to use e.g. Skinner, 1948 (learning)
& Randrup & Munkvad, 1966 (biological).
1. Learning is more concerned with
conditioning influencing behaviour
(nurture), whereas Biological focuses on
the role of genes and hormones (nature).
2. Both provide different explanations of
gender. Biological assumes the role of
chromosomes (XX and XY) whereas
Psychodynamic involves identifying with
the same sex parent.