4.2.1 - Approaches Flashcards
Introspection
The examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes.
Structuralism
A theory of consciousness that seeks to analyse the elements of mental experiences
Developed by Wilhelm Wundt
Conditioned
Learned
Unconditioned
Natural
Classical Conditioning
A type of learning that happens unconsciously through association(involves stimulus and response).
Operant Conditioning
A method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behaviour (learning is an active process)
Positive reinforcement
Receiving a reward when certain behaviour is performed - increased likelihood behaviour will happen again.
Negative Reinforcement
Occurs when an animal/human avoids something unpleasant - increased likelihood behaviour will happen again.
Punishment
Unpleasant consequence of a behaviour - decreased likelihood behaviour will be performed again.
Behaviourism
The psychological approach of observing and controlling behaviour.
Inference
An assumption about mental processes. Psychologists cannot directly observe a mental process such as memory so have to infer from behaviour.
What did Ivan Pavlov do?
Found dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a. Bell if it was repeatedly presented at the same time as they were given food.
Cognitive Approach
Investigates memory, perception, thinking
Information processing model/approach
Suggests that information flowed through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages that include input, storage and retrieval.
What is a schema?
Mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing
May be unhelpful as:
→ can distort our interpretations of sensory information
→ faulty conclusions/unhelpful behaviour
→ can lead to perceptual errors
What is Cognitive Neuroscience?
The scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes. (Combination of biological and cognitive approach)
Experiment
Involves the manipulation of an independent variable to measure the effect on the dependent variable
Vicarious reinforcement
It is indirect learning. It is when an individual observes the behaviour of others. They may imitate behaviour but in general imitation occurs only if behaviour is seen to be rewarded (reinforced) rather than punished
What is SLT
Social Learning Theory - the bridge between Behaviourism and the Cognitive Approach.
According to Bandura there are 4 Mediational Processes. What are they?
1.Attention
2.Retention
3.Motor Reproduction
4.Motivation
What is attention as a mediational process?
The extent to which we notice certain behaviours.
What is Retention as a mediational process?
How well the behaviour is remembered.
What is Motor Reproduction as a mediational process ?
Ability of the observer to perform the behaviour.
What is Motivation as a mediational process?
The will to perform the behaviour. Often determined by whether the behaviour is rewarded or punished.
How did Bandura investigate social learning theory?
Bobo doll experiment
What was Banduras experiment in 1961?
He recorded the behaviour of young children who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards a Bobo Doll. The adult hit the doll with a hammer and shouted abuse at it. When these children were later observed playing with the various toys, including the Bobo Doll, they behaved a lot more aggressively towards the doll and the other toys than those who had observed a non-aggressive adult.
What was Bandura and Walters experiment in 1963?
Showed videos to children where an adult behaved aggressively towards the Bobo Doll.
One group of children saw the adult praised for their behaviour.
A second group saw the adult punished for their aggression towards the doll by being told off.
A third group (control group) saw the aggression without any consequences. When given their own Bobo Doll to play with, the first group showed much more aggression, followed by the third group, then the second.
What are assumptions in the Biological Approach?
-Everything psychological is at first biological
-The mind lives in the brain
-All thoughts feelings and cognitions have a biological basis
What do behaviour geneticists study?
Whether behavioural characteristics are inherited in the same way as a physical characteristics
What are monozygotic twins?
identical twins, share 100% DNA