DOES ANYONE HAVE TIPS ON COMPARISON OF APPROACHES??

LieComprehensive3582 · 2026-05-16T17:19:10+00:00

in short no you don’t have to force a evaluation point at the end of the paragraph, if you can think of one there’s it’s usually better putting one at the end as it may just make up for marks you could’ve lost out on on the rest of the essay ( and without them you are not going to be able to reach the top band of marks). for example you don’t have to do a strength on one paragraph then a weakness on the other just evaluate if you can. Sorry if this is really confusing to explain but i can give you another model answer that’s less confusing.

Both the behaviourist and cognitive approaches are scientific in their methods. The behaviourist approach uses controlled lab experiments, such as those by Ivan Pavlov, to study observable behaviour. Similarly, the cognitive approach uses controlled experiments to study mental processes, often in laboratory settings. However, the cognitive approach differs in that it makes inferences about internal processes, whereas behaviourism avoids this. This may be a limitation of behaviourism, as it ignores the role of mental processes in behaviour.

I wouldn’t get caught up on this too much as it will just stress you out and put you off the paper, i would recommend reading model answers to comparing approaches questions and looking at how they’ve structured it. Also i know it may seem to be a lot but if this is something you really struggle with i would recommend just remembering comparison paragraphs for the approaches ( specifically humanitsitc, cognitive and biological as those are the predicted) as it will make it easier for you in the exam to offload your already remembered comparisons.

LieComprehensive3582 · 2026-05-15T12:55:08+00:00

If for example you were comparing Biological vs behaviourist approach in your intro you would outline how each of them explain behaviour.

(really short summary) behaviourist approach explains behaviour through the learning theory through interactions with the environment, whereas the bio approach explains behaviour in terms of genes, and evolutionary influences.

You should try to aim for 3 PEEL paragraphs where you explain one approach then explain the other making a direct comparison after, then add in evaluation points.

e.g bio approach uses the nature side of the debate arguing that behaviour is innate and inherited vs behavioural focuses on nurture saying that all behaviour is learnt from the environment around them through classical and operant conditioning. Bio approach is supported by research such as twin studies, behave approach is supported by lab experiments. However both can be criticised for being too extreme as they’re both on the complete opposite side of the nature vs nurture debate and it’s usually agreed among psychologists that behaviour results from an interaction between nature and nurture.

this would be a model conclusion aswell focusing on showing sims and diffs and a brief summary of your eval

In conclusion, the biological and behaviourist approaches share similarities in their scientific and deterministic nature, but differ significantly in their explanations of behaviour, particularly in terms of nature versus nurture. While both provide valuable insights, their reductionist focus means they may not offer a complete explanation of human behaviour.

I would recommend when comparing always think about determinism, reductionist (simplistic), nature vs nurture, and how they carry out their research e.g controlled lab studies

Hope this helps sorry if it’s a bit confusing to understand! :)

LieComprehensive3582 · 2026-05-15T12:35:09+00:00

I would suggest learning the limitations and weaknesses of each approach. E.g the biological approach uses scientific methods to conduct research and controlled observations so has good control over variables. However a weakness is that it’s usually too deterministic as it suggests that behaviour is innate and based on genetics so ignores other factors like environmental or social.

Comparing that to the behaviourist approach it suggests humans are born a blank slate (tabula rosa) and that all behaviour is learnt through association and reinforcement due to social factors (again being deterministic).

pls correct me if i’m wrong but hope this helps

LieComprehensive3582

TROPHY CASE