Several levels of explanation
Explore how several kinds of explanation can inform the same event.
The picture in words
- Biological
- Bodily activity contributes to the response.
- Cognitive
- Interpretations and expectations give the event meaning.
- Social
- Other people and the setting shape the situation.
Reading the illustration
Follow each spoke back to the same presentation. The three perspectives ask different questions about one event.
Try a question
How could these three perspectives help explain nervousness before a presentation?
Show the explanation
A researcher could examine bodily arousal, expectations about the performance and the presence of an audience. Each perspective contributes a different question.
Read the sources
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-1-what-is-psychologySelected rendered passages: Empirical evidence and methods passages.