IB Docs (2) Team
Contrasting approaches
On Paper 2, you may be asked to "contrast" two approaches. For example, the question could be:
* Contrast two explanations of one disorder.
* Contrast two approaches to the explanation of one health problem.
* Contrast two approaches to the understanding of interpersonal relationships.
This page looks at strategies for contrasting approaches.
Structuring the response
The key to this essay is that critical thinking is focused on showing the differences between the two approaches or explanations.
The essay should start off with a simple introduction that clearly identifies the two approaches/explanations you will use. It is important that the two that you choose have enough of a difference that you will be able to write a strong essay. Choosing, for example, a genetic and a neurochemical explanation (e.g. the Serotonin hypothesis) will make it difficult to write an effective contrast essay.
This is then followed by a brief description of the first approach and one study. There should be some evaluation of the study, in line with the assessment rubric. The same is then done with the second explanation/approach.
The next paragraph is the most important in the essay, showing an understanding of the difference in the approaches. When contrasting the two approaches, focus on the assumptions that are made and how they carry out their research. An example is below.
Finally, there is a brief conclusion.
Biological
A. Biologists take a reductionist approach to explain behaviour - e.g. serotonin is the origin of depression.
B. Biologists have difficulty explaining why there are differences in the way that behaviour is manifested.
C. Biological arguments are more deterministic.
D. Biologists often study human behaviour using animal models.
E. Biologists rely on a positivist approach to research. They rely on experimental research that is done under highly controlled conditions with the goal of increasing internal validity to determine a causal relationship.
F. Biologists take a universal approach to research; if serotonin is the reason for depression, it is argued that this theory may be generalized to all people, regardless of culture since biological systems are the same in all humans.
Sociocultural
A. Sociocultural psychologists take a more holistic approach to explain behaviour - e.g. vulnerability models of depression
B. Sociocultural psychologists recognize that behaviour is linked to cultural norms and explanatory models. They can account for differences in symptoms across genders and cultures.
C Sociocultural arguments argue that we have a degree of agency over our behaviour.
D. Sociocultural psychologists rarely use animals to understand human behaviour. They recognize human behaviour as highly complex with regard to cultural, social, and environmental factors.
E. Sociocultural psychologists do use experimental research, but much of their research is qualitative in nature with the goal of increasing ecological validity. The focus is less on causality and more on generating possible explanations for behaviour. Findings are correlational.
F. The sociocultural approach often makes use of purposive samples with the goal of looking at the factors involved with a population with regard to a specific behaviour. Although such research may give insight into other populations, it is not generally the goal to generalize to "the whole human population."
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