5. approaches in psychology Flashcards
Introspection
The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images, and sensations
Behaviourist approach
A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning
Association through classical conditioning
Pavlov’s 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.
Gradually, Pavlov’s dogs learned to associate the sound of the bell (a stimulus) with the food (another stimulus) and would produce the salivation response every time they heard the sound.
Thus, Pavlov was able to show how a neutral stimulus can come to elict a new learned response through association
Operant conditioning
B.F. Skinner
He suggested that learning is an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment. In operant conditioning, behaviour is shaped by its consequences
Social learning theory
A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors
Imitation
Copying the behaviour of others
Identification
When an observer associates themselves with a role mode and wants to be like the role model
Modelling
Observer’s and role model’s perspectives
Observer’s perspective: imitating the behaviour of a role model
Role model’s perspective: the precise demonstration of a specific behaviour that may be imitated by an observer
Vicarious reinforcement
Reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour. This is a key factor in imitation
Mediational processes
Identified by Bandura
Cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response
― Attention
― Retention
― Motor reproduction
― Motivation
Attention
Mediational processes
The extent to which we notice certain behaviours
Retention
How well the behaviour is remembered
Motor reproduction
The ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
Motivation
The will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished
Cognitive approach
This approach is focused on how our mental processes (e.g. thoughts, perceptions, attention) affect behaviour
Internal mental processes
‘Private’ operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response
Schema
They are developed from experience and act as a mental framework for the interpretation of incoming information received by the cognitive system
― Babies are born with simple motor schema for innate behaviours such as sucking and grasping.
― As we get older, our schema become more detailed and sophisticated
Inference
The process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour
Cognitive neuroscience
fMRI and PET scans; Bucker and Peterson LTM
The scientific study of those biological structures that underpin cognitive processes
― Emergence of fMRI and PET scans means scientists have been able to systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes
― e.g. Buckner and Peterson used research involving tasks that required use of episodic and semantic memory and were able to show that these different types of LTM were located on opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex
Biological approach
A perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function
Genes
They make up chromosomes and consist of DNA which codes the physical features (e.g. eye colour, height) of an organism and psychological features (e.g. mental disorder, intelligence). Genes are transmitted from parents to offspring (inherited)
Biological structure
An arrangement or organisation of parts to form an organ, system, or living thing
Neurochemistry
Relating to chemicals in the brain that regulate psychological functioning. Much of our thought and behaviour relies on chemical transmission in the brain.
An imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain has been impicated as a possible cause of mental disorder
― Low levels of serotonin in OCD
― Overproduction of dopamine in schizophrenia
Genotype
The particular set of genes that a person possesses
