A1 Approaches Flashcards
`Who was William Wundt?
William Wundt was the first person to call himself a psychologist. He caused psychological experimentation under experimental conditions to become the preferred method of studying human behavior. His approach was referred to as structuralism and his technique as introspection. This is because he aimed to study structure of the mind, and he did so by investigating sensation and perception (introspection).
What is introspection?
The process and manner by which a person gains knowledge about his or her own mental and emotional states.
What is empiricism?
The belief that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience. It is generally characterized by the use of the scientific method.
What was the four step structure of the scientific method?
1) Objective, systematic and replicable observation of a correlation/psychological concept and how it s affected by specific variables
2) Building, refining or falsifying upon these initial observations
3) Development of a scientific theory
4) Controlled, scientific testing of that theory
What is the pneumonic you use to remember the scientific method?
Old Biddies Don’t Tweet
O- Observation
B- Building on the observation
D- Development of a theory
T- Testing
How do genetics relate to the biological approach in psychology?
Certain mental disorders can be indicated genetically. This means they are inherited. For example, the COMT and SERT may be indications of an individual having OCD or Anorexia Nervosa disorder.
How is IQ related to genetics?
It is believed that 60-80% of an individual’s IQ is inherited.
How is Schizophrenia related to genetics?
Schizophrenia is 47% inherited.
How has the use of the biological approach presented weakness?
In the 1961 Sandberg misunderstanding of the XYY chromosome.
How did S______g misunderstand the XYY chromosome?
Sandberg
The Y chromosome is associated with the production of Testosterone. Testosterone is associated with aggressive and competitive behavior. Therefore, when a murderer was found with the extra Y chromosome, it was assumed that those with XYY were more aggressive and dangerous. As of this, many men with the gene were hospitalized or even incarcerated. It was later discovered that people with the gene only had 10% more testosterone and were not more aggressive, but rather taller and more susceptible to acne.
Why are genes not always accurate in describing behavior?
As genotype can be affected by environment and other factors, so that the phenotype is not always the same.
What are the four different neurotransmitters often used in the biological approach?
Oxytocin, Serotonin, Dopamine and Cortisol
What is the function of Oxytocin?
Oxytocin causes us to form bonds and relationships. Often caused by skin on skin contact or interactions with babies/baby animals. The chemical makeup of love can often be decoded by having large amounts of serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin.
What is the function of Serotonin?
Serotonin creates relaxation/ satisfaction. People with depression often lack this, as do people with insomnia and people with anxiety disorders. It is often released after we eat, which can also explain why people with binge eating disorder become addicted to eating.
What is the function of Dopamine?
Dopamine causes stress, but this is often pleasurable stress, that can be seen as drive or excitement. There is often an excess of Dopamine in people with anxiety disorders, OCD and anorexia nervosa. If we are born with the COMT gene ( a gene that aids the production of catechol-O-methyltransferase, COMT) you could have an excess of dopamine, as COMT regulates dopamine production.
What is the function of Cortisol?
Cortisol is the main stress hormone in the body. It enters cells (it can enter every type of cell) nad causes a release of sudden energy. It causes fight or flight, fear and anxiety, but because of its depletion of cell’s energy store, it causes aging and stress related illness (can also contribute to alzheimers).
What is a schema?
It is part of mediational processing. It helps us make decisions and process our surroundings, it is usually derived from past experiences.
What is one criticism of Wundt’s approach?
A scientific approach is not always appropriate, some psychologists argue that behavior shouldn’t be observed using such scientific methods.
What is one criticism of introspection?
Introspection is not particularly accurate. Nisbett and Wilson (1977) claim that we have very little knowledge of the causes of, and processes underlying, our behavior and attitudes. This is because attitudes exist outside conscious awareness, so introspection would not uncover them.
What is one positive of William Wundt’s approach/ Introspection?
Introspection is still useful in scientific psychology. For instance Hunter et al 2003 used introspection as a way of making “happiness” a measurable phenomenon.
What is one positive of classical condition?
Classical conditioning has been applied to therapy, for instance in systematic desensitisation.
What is one positive of the behaviorist approach?
I was based on laboratory experiments, using controlled variables, which allows us to establish a direct cause and effect relationship. For instance, operant conditioning was based on Skinner’s Box, and classical conditioning on Pavlov’s Dog.
What is one issue with the laboratory studies that the behaviorist approach was based on?
They are over-reliant on non-human animal research. SOme argue that this does not accurately represent human behavior and free will. However, Skinner argued that free will was just an illusion (determinism).
What is modelling?
When models provide examples for behavior that can be observed by the individual and later reproduced by them in imitation.
What is imitation?
The learning of a behavior via the imitation of a model
What is identification?
Identification refers to the extent to which an individual relates to a model and feels that he or she is similar to that person. In order to identify with a model, observers must feel that he or she is similar enough to them that they would be likely to experience the same outcomes in that situation.
What is vicarious reinforcement?
When individuals learn about the likely consequences of an action and then adjust their behavior accordingly, via seeing the action carried out by someone else.
What was the procedure of Bandura et al?
Children were either shown an aggressive adult model or a non-aggressive adult model. they were then exposed to a life-sized bobo doll.
What were the findings of Bandura et al?
Children who observed the aggressive model were physically and verbally aggressive towards the model, while the children who observed the non-aggressive adult showed nearly no aggression towards the doll. One third of the children who observed the aggressive model copied the verbal aggression.
