2.1 Evaluate two approaches in psychology
2.2 Analyse the application of these approaches to an aspect of human behaviour …show more content…
In addition there are significant therapeutic applications of this approach. However it can be argued that behaviourist explanations are reductionist, ignoring biological factors, emotions and mental processes, deterministic and due to laboratory experiments have low ecological validity (McLeod, 2013). Furthermore, behaviourism supports the nurture side of the nature –nurture debate in psychology, with the assumption that all behaviour is learnt from the environment. 90 (287)
The Behaviourist approach would explain criminal behaviour based on their assumption that behaviours have been learnt in the same way as all other behaviours, from childhood through their environment, also referred to as learning theories (Sammons, 2009). Differential Association Theory and Social Learning Theory offer explanations for offending and highlight peer groups, family, and media sources such as video games as probable sources of criminal and anti-social behaviour (Sammons, 2009).