Psychology 2310A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Aspirin, Operant Conditioning, Rollo May

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2310A/B
• Professor: Katerina Rnic

Document Summary

Biological approaches tend to dismiss/downplay the influence of experience. Psychological or environmental approaches tend to emphasize external factors in the development of disorders. E. g. behavioural theorist john locke: tabula rasa (a blank slate) Common theme: origins of psychological disorders are complex, with no one factor providing a complete explanation. Single-factor explanations: one factor is said to cause the disorder (e. g. genetic defect or single traumatic experience) Usually reflect lack of current comprehensive knowledge of disorders. Instead of revealing the causes, it usually reflects the primary focus of the researcher. Interactionist explanations: behavior is a product of the interaction of a variety of factors. Theories are classified according to level of explanations: E. g. all human behavior, all abnormal behavior, all disorders within a category, or specific disorders. Or theories that attempt to elucidate the influence of a single factor within a more general theory.