Lesson 4.3.1.4

4.3.1.4 Holism and reductionism Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.3.1.4, Holism and reductionism: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Psychology (7182), Unit 3: Issues and options in Psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which stance in psychology argues that human behaviour should be analysed as an integrated whole?

    • Determinism
    • Nomothetic
    • Holism
    • Reductionism

  2. What term describes breaking down complex psychological phenomena into simpler constituent parts?

    • Idiographic
    • Reductionism
    • Interactionism
    • Holism

  3. Explaining psychological conditions using only neurochemical levels or genetic factors is known as what?

    • Machine reductionism
    • Environmental reductionism
    • Psychic determinism
    • Biological reductionism

  4. Explaining behaviour purely in terms of learned stimulus-response links is known as what?

    • Biological reductionism
    • Psychic reductionism
    • Environmental reductionism
    • Structural reductionism

  5. Which level of explanation sits below the whole individual person?

    • Societal level
    • Biochemical level
    • Behavioural level
    • Cultural level

  6. Which psychological movement famously advocated holism using the phrase 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts'?

    • Behaviourism
    • Gestalt psychology
    • Biological psychology
    • Psychodynamics

  7. Which issue is a major limitation of using highly reductionist explanations in psychology?

    • Subjective bias
    • Low reliability
    • Lack of testing
    • Loss of complexity

  8. A researcher explains depression entirely in terms of serotonin levels. Which approach is this?

    • Social sensitivity
    • Holism
    • Biological reductionism
    • The idiographic approach

  9. A researcher explains a child's fear of dogs entirely as classical conditioning after a bite. Which approach is this?

    • Holism
    • The nomothetic approach
    • Environmental (stimulus-response) reductionism
    • Social sensitivity

  10. A psychologist explains a person's behaviour through their social context, relationships and personal history considered together. Which approach is this?

    • Reductionist
    • Holistic
    • Nomothetic
    • Experimental

  11. Combining genetic vulnerability, environmental stress, and family context to explain schizophrenia is known as what model?

    • Cognitive deficit model
    • Double-bind theory
    • Dopamine hypothesis
    • Diathesis-stress model

  12. What is a major scientific advantage of taking a reductionist approach in psychological research?

    • Subjective detail
    • Testable variables
    • Holistic understanding
    • High ecological validity

  13. A study finds that memory is affected by sleep, emotion and stress acting together. Which approach does this illustrate?

    • Biological reductionism
    • Holism
    • Environmental reductionism
    • The nomothetic approach

  14. What research method isolates single variables to establish cause and effect in reductionism?

    • Unstructured interview
    • Controlled experiment
    • Case study
    • Thematic analysis

  15. Which level of explanation focuses on neurochemistry and brain structures?

    • Cultural holism
    • Gestalt psychology
    • Biological reductionism
    • Environmental reductionism

  16. What is a main scientific advantage of adopting a reductionist approach?

    • High ecological validity
    • Subjective meaning
    • High testability
    • Holistic detail

  17. What factor is ignored when explaining depression solely through biological reductionism?

    • Genetic predisposition
    • Brain chemistry
    • Social context
    • Neurotransmitter levels

  18. Which approach combines different levels of explanation to explain complex human behaviour?

    • Interactionist approach
    • Biological reductionism
    • Environmental reductionism
    • Hard determinism

  19. Why are holistic explanations in psychology difficult to test empirically?

    • Too many variables
    • Small sample sizes
    • Observer bias
    • Lack of validity

  20. What process does breaking behaviour into smaller components allow researchers to perform?

    • Empirical testing
    • Introspection
    • Unstructured observation
    • Qualitative analysis

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