Four Psychological Perspectives

Social/Cultural Psychology
Throughout the textbook, we have learned and discussed the four different perspectives of psychological science: Biological Psychology, Behavioral Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, and Social/Cultural Psychology. Carole Wade, Carol Tarvis, and Maryanne Garry explain in our textbook, Psychology (2014), that through these four perspectives, one can see the different methods and theories of learning about how and why individuals act and think the way they do and how they are affected by and organism’s physical and mental states and their external environment. Out of all the branches of psychology that were discussed in the textbook, Social/Cultural Psychology has the most benefit and is supported by the most evidence.
The first of these that was studied is Biological Psychology. This perspective shows how events in an individual’s life affects their behavior, feelings, and thoughts. Some researchers may study how the individual produces perceptions, memories, shows certain behaviors, and how their mind and body responds to illness and health. Biological Psychology also includes Evolutionary Psychology which explains how behaviors influenced by genetics have been adapted and reflected in many of our behaviors today. The second perspective, Behavioral Psychology, goes into depth about how the environment and experiences affect the behavior of human beings. Most psychologists in this field study only what they can observe and measure directly in the environment. Social-cognitive Learning Theorists believe that people learn by observing and imitating others, thinking and focusing on events occurring at that moment in time, and by adapting their behavior to the environment. The third perspective of Psychology studied is Cognitive Psychology. This type really digs into people’s minds trying to figure out how people develop reasoning and language and how they remember, solve problems, and even form beliefs. Cognitive Psychology is one of the most interesting perspectives and has inspired tremendous research on the delicate and intricate workings of the human mind. Lastly,
The article “Behaviorism vs. Cognitivism” by Michael Atkisson explains how these two movements both focus on why the person acts the way they do based on physical laws and how Cognitivism is only a reaction to Behaviorism. These two branches can almost be classified as one branch. Both of these focus on the human mind in similar ways that the other branches do not. Cognitive Psychology relies more on specifics of the human mind while Social/Cultural Psychology is always morphing and changing individuals due to the changing cultures in today’s society. Biological Psychology deals more with physiology and how the nervous system and hormones work according to Simply Psychology’s article “Biological Psychology.” The experiments in this field have low ecological validity, have little room for the free-will of the individual, and often over-simplify the complexity of the physical systems of the human body and how they interact with the environment. Social/Cultural Psychology allows individuals to exercise their free-will and goes along with the cultures and roles of the group(s) being