In the context of psychology, how do epistemological and ontological positions differ in their approach to understanding human behavior?

Epistemology asks how we can know about human behavior, while ontology asks what kinds of things exist that shape it. For example, an epistemological position might say we learn through experiments or interviews, whereas an ontological position might claim that thoughts and emotions are real, inner forces that drive actions. A researcher who believes behavior is caused by unconscious drives (an ontological view) will look for hidden motives, while one who thinks behavior is shaped by cultural context (an epistemological view) will focus on social observations. Thus, epistemology deals with the methods of studying behavior, and ontology deals with the nature of the underlying causes. In practice, a study of stress might use surveys (epistemology) to discover patterns, but the theory that stress is caused by genetic predisposition (ontology) explains why those patterns exist.