Stage 1 and 2 Psychology Levels of Explanation

Stage 1 and 2 Psychology Levels of Explanation

Aspects of Importance (4) • knowledge and understanding; • application to social issues and/or personal growth; • methods of investigation; • ethical issues. 2

Levels of Explanation (4) • • Biological processes Basic psychological processes Person enacting the behaviour Socio-cultural processes 3

Framework (two dimensions) Aspects of Importance (4) knowledge application methods ethics Levels (4) biological basic processes person sociocultural 4

Levels of Explanation Biological level explanations • • Stimulus/response Drugs Hormones Nerve damage 5

Levels of Explanation Basic processes level explanations • Psychological processes that are universal (or at least very widespread) across humans – Cognition (memory and thinking) – Learning 6

Levels of Explanation Person level explanations • individual differences in behaviour 7

Levels of Explanation Socio-cultural level explanations • influence other people exert on behaviour; behaviour in social and cultural contexts 8

Human Behaviour • Biological factors – Brain activity – Drug effects • Basic Processes – Attention – Perception – Word finding • Person characteristics – Intelligence – Personality • Social and cultural context – Audience number and identity – Social meaning of interaction 9

Tasks • Advertising is based on psychological processes • View the advertisements, bearing the 4 levels of explanation of behaviour in mind 10

Task • What physiological responses might this ad stimulate? (Biological bases of behaviour) • How memorable is this ad likely to be? (Basic processes) • What type of person is this ad targeting? (Person characteristics) • Would this ad offend any groups of people? (Socio-cultural factors) 11

End Session Prepared by Drs. Julie Robinson and Carla Litchfield, and the Psychology Subject Advisory Committee. Copyright SACE Board of South Australia.