3.2.1 Approaches in Psychology Flashcards
What was wundts aim?
In 1879 Wundt marked the beginning of scientific psychology, his aim was to analyse the nature of human consciousness under controlled conditions.
His method was known as introspection.
Origins of psychology key terms ( introspection, structuralism and psychology)
~INTROSPECTION- documenting human consciousness as it happened/ the study of the human mind.
~STRUCTURALISM- breaking down human consciousness into basic structures: thoughts, behaviour and sensations.
~PSYCHOLOGY- the scientific study of the mind, behaviour and experience.
Evaluate the work of Wundts ( strength highly controlled)
One strength of wundts work is that he used a highly controlled procedure.
He strictly controlled the environment in which introspection took place, and he standardised his procedure so that all participants received the same information and were tested in the same way.
This is good as it increases the overall reliability of the study and increases the replicability so that other Psychologists can find consistent findings as wundts did.
Evaluate the work of Wundts (strength contribution to society)
One strength of Introspection is that it has had a useful contribution to society.
Wundts work has been influential in many psychological domains, his introduction of the scientific method and use of introspection has inspired other psychologists to apply it to more complex mental processes such as emotions, learning, language etc.
Therefore the concept still has some useful applications to psychology today
Evaluate the work of Wundts (weakness subjective)
One limitation is that aspects of Wundts research are highly subjective.
Wundts found the participant observations were subject to bias as they relied on participants, revealing their own private subjective experience, and participants may not have reported all of their thoughts.
Therefore it could not be replicated and was therefore seen as unreliable, this meant that Watson was able to argue that introspection should play no part in a scientific psychology and behaviourism became the dominant approach in psychology.
Evaluate the work of Wundts ( weakness -scientific)
A limitation of introspection is that it is not a scientific or valid way of measuring behaviour, as it is based on implicit thoughts and emotions, which is potentially outside of conscious awareness, and therefore it is inaccessible to the methods used.
Explain how wundts method are or are not scientific
~RELIABLE- Wundts ask the participants to focus on every day stimulus ( same object everyday) and studied the reliability of the thoughts
~OBJECTIVE- participants can choose what thoughts to reveal to the researcher (demand characteristics)
~FALSIFIABLE- Wundts results could not be proved false as you can’t see other’s minds.
What is the behaviourist approach? AO1
The behaviourist approach emphasises that all behaviour is learned and is not innate (natural).Watson and skinner used experimental methods in the research which involved controlled lab studies using animals as they believe they can generalise the learning processes to humans as they are similar. They believe behaviour can be learned in two ways, classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
What did Pavlov propose and what was his research? AO1
~Pavlov (1927) proposed classical conditioning which is learning through association.
~Research - Pavlov showed how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell, if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time, as they were given food. Eventually, Pavlov’s dogs learned to associate the sound of the bell (neutral stimulus) with the food (unconditioned stimulus) , and would produce the salvation response every time they heard the bell.
What did skinner propose and how does his research support this
~Skinner (1938) proposed operant conditioning which is learning as an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment, The behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.
~research - skinner investigated operant conditioning using a skinners box. A rat was placed inside a special cage, when the rat pressed a lever a food pellet fell into the cage (reward). A reward led to the consequence being repeated, if pressing a lever would meant an animal would avoid an electric shock. The behaviour would also be repeated.
The behaviourist approach key terms ( positive +negative reinforcement, punishment )
Skinner proposed that operant conditioning can happen in 3 ways
~POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT- receiving a reward when behaviour is performed , which increases the probability of the behaviour being repeated.
~NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT-avoiding something unpleasant when a behaviour is performed,which increases the probability of the behaviour being repeated.
~PUNISHMENT- an unpleasant consequence of behaviour which makes a behaviour less likely.
Evaluate behaviourism (strength real world application)
One strength is behaviourist laws of learning, have a real world application.
The principles of conditioning have been applied to a wide range of real-world behaviours and problems for example, in prisons and psychiatric wards the token economy system is used as a reward for appropriate behaviour,the tokens are then exchanged for privileges (operant conditioning).
This increases the value of the behaviourist approach as it has a widespread application
Evaluate behaviourism ( strength scientific method)
A strength of the behaviourist approach is that it emphasises on the scientific method. This method helps researchers reach more accurate conclusions on the behaviourism E.G. it insures that investigative methods are objective, systematic and replicable. This suggests the reliable data with credible scientific bases is produced.
Evaluate behaviourism (weakness- environmental determinism)
One limitation is behaviourism is a form of environmental determinism. This approach sees all behaviour, as determined by past experiences that have been conditioned and ignores any influence that free will may have on behaviour.
Skinner argued that free will is an illusion and external influences guide behaviours.
This is an extreme position and ignores the influence of conscious decision-making processes on behaviour ( suggested by cognitive approach).
Evaluate behaviourism ( weakness- nature)
A limitation of the behaviourist approach is that it ignores nature as an explanation for behaviour because behaviourist’s emphasise that nurture (our upbringing) influences our behaviour, but ignores nature (our biology).
It has been suggested that behaviours such as aggression are due to biological factors, such as a faulty MAOA gene. However, behaviourists would state that this is due to conditioning, they suggest when A person behaves aggressively and is punished they will stop being aggressive. Therefore the behaviourist approach needs further research to encourage a role for nature.
What is vicarious reinforcement
Indirect learning that takes place when an individual observe someone else’s behaviour, this behaviour is more likely to be imitated if it is seen to be rewarded.
What is the mediational process?
Cognitive factors which influence learning and come between stimulus and response.
There are 4 mediational processes which play a crucial role in learning :
-ATTENTION- whether behaviour is noticed
-RETENTION- whether behaviour is remembered
-MOTOR REPRODUCTION- the ability to perform the behaviour (from the observer)
-MOTIVATION-the will to perform the behaviour, usually depending on whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished.
What is identification?
When an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like the role model as they.
A person views someone as a role model if they posses similar characteristics to the observer, attractive and have high status.
What is modelling and imitation?
~Modelling from the observers perspective- imitating the behaviour of a role model
~Modelling from the role models perspective- modelling the precise demonstration of a specific behaviour that may be imitated by an observer.
~imitation - copying the behaviour of others
What research supports SLT?
Study A: Bandura et al. (1961)
Aim -was to investigate if children would imitate aggression of an adult
Procedure - Experimented on children aged 3-6 (72 children). Bandura recorded the behaviour of young children who watched an adult behave aggressively towards the Bobo doll. In investigation 1 The adult hit the doll with a hammer and shouted abuse at it. In investigation 2 the adult was non aggressive to the bobo doll. When these children ( investigation 1) were later observed playing with various toys, including a bobo doll, they behaved much more aggressively towards the doll and the other toys, Then the kids who had observed a non-aggressive adult.
Conclusion- children imitate specific behaviour that they witness. Boys were generally more aggressive than girls.
Evaluate social learning theory ( strength - cognitive factors)
One strength is SLT emphasises the importance of cognitive factors. Behaviourists explanation of learning cannot offer a comprehensive account of human learning on their own because cognitive factors (characteristics of the person that affect learning) are omitted.
Humans store information about the behaviour of others which help them to make decisions.
This shows that SLT provides a more complete explanation of human learning than the behaviourist approach as it recognises the roles of mediational processes.
Evaluate social learning theory ( strength Real world application)
Another strength is that SLT has real world application. SL principles can account for how individuals learn from those around them as well as the role of the media and this could explain how cultural differences are transmitted. This has proved useful in understanding a range of behaviours, such as how children come to understand the gender role by imitating role models in the media.
This increases the value of social learning theory as it can account for real-world behaviour
Evaluate social learning theory ( weakness demand characteristics)
One Limitation is as SLT relies on evidence from contrived lab studies. Many of Banduras ideas were developed through observations of children’s behaviour in lab setting and this raises the problem of demand characteristics. The main purpose of of the doll is to hit it however the children in these studies may have been behaving as they thought it was expected.
Therefore the research only tells us a little bit about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life.
What is the cognitive approach?
The cognitive approach aims to study internal mental processes such as memory, attention and perception. In order to do this inferences must be made as mental processes are private, and cannot be observed, so cognitive psychologists study them indirectly by making assumptions about these internal mental processes.
Most often psychologist use lab experiments to gain empirical data and control the conditions of the participant.
