5.1.3

Reductionism & Problems with Introspection

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Problems with Introspection & Definition of Reductionism

Introspection is not reliable. Reductionism is an approach that reduces a complex phenomenon such as human behaviour to the simplest explanation possible.

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Problems with introspection

  • Introspection is not reliable. We cannot objectively measure a person’s responses because they are unobservable responses.
  • Although participants could report on their conscious experiences, the processes themselves (e.g. memory, perception) are considered to be unobservable constructs.
  • Introspection is not particularly accurate or valid – most psychologists tend to accept the claim that we have very little knowledge of the causes of, and processes underlying our behaviour and attitudes, a claim which would challenge the value of introspective reports.
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Nisbett and Wilson (1977)

  • Nisbett and Wilson (1977) found that participants were remarkably unaware of factors that had influenced their choice of a consumer item. The problem is particularly acute in the study of implicit attitudes i.e. attitudes that are unknown to us.
    • E.g. a person may be implicitly racist, which influences the way they react to members of different ethnic groups, yet because such attitudes exist outside conscious awareness, self-reports through introspection would not uncover them.
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Reductionism

  • Reductionism is an approach that reduces a complex phenomenon such as human behaviour to the simplest explanation possible. Often, this means looking for a biological basis for behaviour.
  • The advantage of a reductionist approach is that it can give a greater understanding of something by revealing evidence for a cause of behaviour.
  • The disadvantage is that humans and their environments are so complex that the reductionist explanation falls short of giving the whole explanation of the behaviour.

Jump to other topics

1Social Influence

2Memory

3Attachment

4Psychopathology

5Approaches in Psychology

6Biopsychology

7Research Methods

8Issues & Debates in Psychology (A2 only)

9Option 1: Relationships (A2 only)

10Option 1: Gender (A2 only)

11Option 1: Cognition & Development (A2 only)

12Option 2: Schizophrenia (A2 only)

13Option 2: Eating Behaviour (A2 only)

14Option 2: Stress (A2 only)

15Option 3: Aggression (A2 only)

16Option 3: Forensic Psychology (A2 only)

17Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

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