Define reductionism as it applies to social psychology.

Reductionism is the risk of oversimplifying complex social behaviours by reducing them to single factors or ignoring the interaction of multiple influences when drawing conclusions.

What is reductionism in the context of social psychology?

Explaining a social phenomenon at a lower level than the one at which it occurs, such as reducing obedience to individual personality alone.

Why is agency theory considered a reductionist explanation of obedience?

It reduces a complex social event to a single shift into an agentic state, disregarding culture, ideology and the relationship with the authority.

What does comparing the two explanations of prejudice show?

That the minimal group studies produce bias without competition, so competition intensifies prejudice rather than creating it.

Edexcel A-Level Psychology 9PS0

Social Psychology

Topic overview Agency theory and social impact theory Milgram's research into obedience Factors affecting obedience and resistance Social identity theory and realistic conflict theory Factors affecting prejudice and discrimination Individual differences in obedience and prejudice Developmental psychology in obedience and prejudice Designing questionnaires and interviews Types of interview and question Alternate and null hypotheses Sampling techniques Quantitative and qualitative data Analysing quantitative data Thematic analysis of qualitative data The BPS code of ethics and conduct Risk management in psychological research Classic study: Sherif et al. (1954) Robbers Cave Contemporary study: Burger (2009)Contemporary study: Reicher and Haslam (2006)Contemporary study: Cohrs et al. (2012)Key question in social psychology Designing the practical investigation Analysing and reporting the practical investigation Ethics and practical issues in social psychology Nature-nurture, social control and reducing prejudice Reductionism and comparing explanations Culture, gender and social sensitivity

Cognitive Psychology

Topic overview The working memory model The multi-store model of memory Episodic and semantic long-term memory Reconstructive memory and schema theory Individual differences in memory Developmental psychology in memory Laboratory and field experiments Independent and dependent variables Experimental and null hypotheses One-tailed and two-tailed tests Experimental designs Operationalisation, extraneous and confounding variables Order effects and counterbalancing Situational and participant variables Objectivity, reliability and validity Demand characteristics and experimenter effects Measures of central tendency and dispersion Graphical presentation of data Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon Significance, critical values and errors Case studies of brain-damaged patients Classic study: Baddeley (1966)Contemporary study: Schmolck et al. (2002)Contemporary study: Steyvers and Hemmer (2012)Contemporary study: Sebastián and Hernández-Gil (2012)Key question in cognitive psychology Practical investigation in cognitive psychology Issues and debates in cognitive psychology

Biological Psychology

Learning Theories

Topic overview The main features of classical conditioning Pavlov's experiment with salivation in dogs The main features of operant conditioning Properties and schedules of reinforcement Behaviour modification and shaping The main features of social learning theory The four stages of social learning Bandura's original Bobo doll experiments Bandura (1965) and vicarious reinforcement How learning theories explain phobias Systematic desensitisation and flooding Individual differences in learning theories Developmental psychology in learning theories Observational research with humans Animal research and its ethics Chi-squared and levels of measurement Thematic analysis in learning research The scientific status of psychology Classic study: Watson and Rayner (1920) Little Albert Contemporary study: Becker et al. (2002)Contemporary study: Bastian et al. (2011)Contemporary study: Capafons et al. (1998)Key question in learning theories Practical investigation in learning theories Issues and debates in learning theories

Clinical Psychology

Topic overview Diagnosing mental disorders and the four Ds The DSM and ICD classification systems Symptoms and features of schizophrenia Explanations of schizophrenia Anorexia nervosa: symptoms and explanations Obsessive-compulsive disorder: symptoms and explanations Unipolar depression: symptoms and explanations Treatments for schizophrenia and the second disorder Individual differences in clinical psychology Developmental psychology in clinical psychology HCPC guidelines for clinical practitioners Researching mental health Case studies in clinical psychology Interviews in clinical psychology Choosing an inferential test Descriptive statistics, levels of measurement and significance Thematic analysis and grounded theory Classic study: Rosenhan (1973)Contemporary study: Carlsson et al. (2000)Contemporary study: Kroenke et al. (2008)Contemporary study: Williams et al. (2013)Contemporary study: Scott-Van Zeeland et al. (2013)Contemporary study: Guardia et al. (2012)Contemporary study: Masellis et al. (2003)Contemporary study: March et al. (2004) POTS Key question in clinical psychology Practical investigation in clinical psychology Issues and debates in clinical psychology Comparing the classic studies

Criminological PsychologyApplication

Topic overview Biological explanations of crime Social explanations of crime The cognitive interview and ethical interviewing Psychological formulation and offence analysis Cognitive-behavioural treatments for offenders Biological treatments for offenders Factors influencing eye-witness testimony Factors influencing jury decision-making Individual differences in criminological psychology Developmental psychology in criminological psychology Research methods in criminological psychology Sample selection and techniques Reliability and validity in criminological research Objectivity, credibility and ethics in criminological research Analysing data and evaluating practical research Ethical guidelines in criminological research Classic study: Loftus and Palmer (1974)Contemporary study: Bradbury and Williams (2013)Contemporary study: Valentine and Mesout (2009)Contemporary study: Howells et al. (2005)Key question in criminological psychology Practical investigation in criminological psychology Issues and debates in criminological psychology

Child PsychologyApplication

Topic overview Bowlby's theory of attachment Ainsworth and the Strange Situation Research into deprivation Research into privation Research into day care Cross-cultural research into attachment Autism: features, explanations and therapies Individual differences in child psychology Developmental psychology in child psychology Observation in child psychology Questionnaires and interviews in child psychology Issues with self-report in child research Cross-cultural research methods The ethics of researching with children Analysing data in child psychology Classic study: van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)Contemporary study: Cassibba et al. (2013)Contemporary study: Gagnon-Oosterwaal et al. (2012)Contemporary study: Li et al. (2013) child care timing Key question in child psychology Practical investigation in child psychology Issues and debates in child psychology

Health PsychologyApplication

Social Psychology

Reductionism and comparing explanations

3 things to know
Papers 1 and 3

Overview

Recall questions on reductionism and why agency theory is reductionist, how social identity theory and realistic conflict theory differ as explanations of prejudice, and what Burger's replication and later minimal group research show about how understanding develops.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Process

How does social identity theory differ from realistic conflict theory in explaining prejudice?

Process

How did Burger's partial replication demonstrate the development of psychological understanding over time?

Key term

What are levels of explanation and holism?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Define reductionism as it applies to social psychology.
Model answer
Reductionism is the risk of oversimplifying complex social behaviours by reducing them to single factors or ignoring the interaction of multiple influences when drawing conclusions.
2
What is reductionism in the context of social psychology?
Model answer
Explaining a social phenomenon at a lower level than the one at which it occurs, such as reducing obedience to individual personality alone.
3
Why is agency theory considered a reductionist explanation of obedience?
Model answer
It reduces a complex social event to a single shift into an agentic state, disregarding culture, ideology and the relationship with the authority.
4
How does social identity theory differ from realistic conflict theory in explaining prejudice?
Model answer
Social identity theory holds that categorisation into groups is enough to produce bias, while realistic conflict theory requires competition for a real resource.
5
What does comparing the two explanations of prejudice show?
Model answer
That the minimal group studies produce bias without competition, so competition intensifies prejudice rather than creating it.
6
How did Burger's partial replication demonstrate the development of psychological understanding over time?
Model answer
Burger used modified ethical procedures while finding similar patterns of obedience in a contemporary sample, showing how research methods evolve while core findings persist.

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