Approaches

	Behavioural	Evolutionary	Cognitive	Psychodynamic	Biological
Principle	All behaviour is acquired through learning and behaviour is all that should concern psychologists. Explains behaviour in terms of conditioning.	Explains behaviour in terms of selective pressures that have shaped it (characteristics have been naturally selected). Behaviour is essential for survival.	Thinking shapes our behaviour.	Early experiences have a lasting effect on our behaviour and personality. This focuses on the id, ego and superego.	Explains behaviour in terms of physical bodily processes.
Strengths	Provides clear predictions of the rewards or consequences of association between two variables.  Scientific approach. Explains individual differences.  Includes social influences.	Able to explain behaviours that seem dysfunctional, i.e. anorexia.  Difficult to disprove.	Lends itself to scientific research.	Recognises importance of unconscious factors. Difficult to disprove.  Made an impact on psychology.  Case studies to support.	Provides clear predictions.  Very scientific. Strong counter-arguments to the nurture side of nurture vs nature.  Treatments are effective.
Limitations	Factors like emotion, expectations and higher-level motivation are not included.  Based on research with none humans and is reductionist.  Research is conducted in contrived laboratory settings.  It is determinist. Ignores that learning is inherited and varies between species.	Doesn't acknowledge importance of cultural influences on behaviour.  Reductionist and determinist.  Research done with non-humans.	There is a lack of evidence for abstract concepts like memory.  Social and cultural factors are often ignored.	Vague concepts that can be used to explain anything but don't predict a lot. Difficult to test. Unrepresentative samples and techniques. There are other concepts which seem more scientific.	Reductionist. Doesn't explain how mind and body interact. (consciousness and emotion). Over simplistic.