1. Psychology’s Biggest Questions and Enduring Themes
AP Psychology
Psychology’s Biggest Questions and Enduring Themes

2. Psychology’s Biggest Questions and Enduring Themes
Nature vs Nurture
Idiographic vs Nomothetic
Free-will vs Determinism
Stability and Change
The Mind-Body Problem
Person vs Situation
Reductionism vs. Holism
Science vs Common Sense

3. Nature vs Nurture
This debate within psychology is concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited (i.e. genetic) or acquired (i.e. learned) characteristics.
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Nature is that which is inherited / genetic. Nurture which refers to all environmental influences after conception, i.e. experience
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4. Free-will vs. Determinism
The determinist approach proposes that all behavior is determined by previous choices and thus predictable.
Free will assumes that we are free to choose our behavior, in other words we are self determined e.g.. people can make a free choice as to whether to commit a crime or not (unless they are a child or they are insane).
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5. The Mind-Body Problem Video links
One of the central questions in psychology (and philosophy) concerns the mind/body problem.
Is the mind part of the body, or the body part of the mind? If they are distinct, then how do they interact? And which of the two is in charge?
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6. Reductionism vs. Holism
Reductionism is the belief that human behavior can be explained by breaking it down into smaller component parts.  Holism refers to any approach that emphasizes the whole rather than their constituent parts. In other words ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’. 
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7. Reductionism vs. Holism
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8. Reductionism vs. Holism
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9. Science vs. Common Sense
Science uses an empirical approach. Empiricism (founded by John Locke) states that the only source of knowledge comes through our senses – e.g. sight, hearing etc. 
The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.[2] To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry is commonly based on empirical or measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.
Common sense, then, is something which everybody uses in their day-to-day lives, guides decisions and influences how we interact with one another.
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10. Idiographic vs Nomothetic
The term “nomothetic” comes from the Greek word “nomos” meaning “law”. Psychologists who adopt this approach are mainly concerned with studying what we share with others. That is to say in establishing laws or generalizations. .
The term “idiographic” comes from the Greek word “idios” meaning “own” or “private”. Psychologists interested in this aspect of experience want to discover what makes each of us unique.
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11. Stability and Change
Stability vs. Change, deals with the issue of whether or not personality traits present during present during infancy endure throughout the lifespan.
Some developmental psychologists argue that personality traits seen in infancy persist through a person's entire
Change theorists argue that personalities are modified by interactions with family, experiences at school, and acculturation.
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12. Person-Situation Debate
A theoretical disagreement in psychology about the influence of personality and situational factors on behavior.
There are some main questions that are asked in this debate.
Is behavior controlled by our personality or by the situational factors around us?
Is personality formed from situational factors that influence us or innate traits that we are born with?
Is a person's behavior a result of their personality or the situational factors they are presented with?
This debate is particularly strong between personality psychologists (who use a personality trait approach to understanding individual behavior) and situationists who believe that behavior is decided and governed by the situational factors that are present.
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