approaches 1-4 Flashcards
Who is the father of psychology?
Wilhelm Wundt
What did Wundt devise?
Introspection
What is introspection?
Systematic & experimental way to study mental processes by breaking down conspicuous awareness into basic structures
How did he study introspection?
- self reporting (lab-high control)
- say everything while doing activity/thinking about something
- talk even if ideas aren’t clear
- mustn’t hesitate
- fragmented sentences
- doesn’t need to justify thoughts.
What did Wundt realise about introspection?
Hard to study
So encouraged alternative methods/approaches
What did Watson say about introspection?
-subjective and bias data (varies depending on person)
::hard to establish general principles
He believes psychology should study phenomena that can be observed and measured —> behaviourist approach
What were the strengths of introspection?
+helped develop other approaches (behaviour, cognitive)
+very scientific can form hypothesises
+finds out what causes behaviour, ::can be used to predict it
+Wundt believes consciousness can be broken down into measurable, internal mental processes: perception, senses, experiences
What are the weaknesses of introspection?
-Watson: subjective data :: not objective or reliable
-Wilson: isn’t scientific or accurate (little knowledge ABT behaviours outside conscious thought eg rasicm)
-doesn’t explain how mind works/how thoughts are generated
can’t be properly observed ::not very scientific
What does the behaviourist approach believes?
Basic processes that govern learning all the same in all species
What is a benefit of the behavioural approach in terms of studying/experiments?
Animals can replace humans in experiments
Who founded classical conditioning?
Pavlov
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association
What are the five principles in relation to Pavlovs research?
- Stimulus generalisation
- discrimination
- extinction
- timing
- spontaneous recovery
What is stimulus generalisation?
When a stimulus that is similar to the original condition stimulus has the same effect
What is discrimination?
Stimuli similar to the original condition stimuli won’t produce a conditioned response (done by with a holding on condition stimulus)
What is extinction?
Conditioned response isn’t produced as the condition stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus (food)
What is meant by timing?
No association happens as the time between the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus is too long
What is meant by spontaneous recovery?
Condition stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are paid
Link is made more quickly
What are the strengths of classical conditioning?
+ Research support: (Pavlov and dogs, Watson and Reyner and Little Albert)
+ Treatments for psychological disorders
Flooding and systematic desensitisation for phobias
What are the weaknesses of classical conditioning?
-Lab settings, lacks ecological validity
-Evidence is limited so it doesn’t explain new behaviours in adults (young children and animals in studies)
-Menzies:Studied hydrophobia, 2% had a negative experience
50% of people with dog phobia I have never had a bad experience with a dog
-deterministic, ignores free will:: incomplete and inconsistent
Who founded operant conditioning?
Skinner
What is operant conditioning?
When behaviour is shaped and maintained by consequences
reinforcement, punishment
What is meant by reinforcement in operant conditioning?
Consequence that makes behaviour more likely
Positive: reward
Negative: removing something unpleasant
What is primary reinforcement?
Reward that meets natural needs (e.g. taken away hunger)
What is secondary reinforcement?
Something that meets all needs (e.g. money)
What is punishment?
Behaviour that is followed by an unpleasant consequence
What is the difference between positive and negative punishments?
Positive: adding something unpleasant
Negative: taken away something pleasant
Describe skinners experiments
Skinner box
Loudspeaker, lights, lever, door, floor that can be electrified
A hungry rat
Accidentally presses the lever, food pellet reward (positive reinforcement)
Or presses the lever to avoid something unpleasant (negative reinforcement: electric shock)
What are the other principles of skinners experiment?
Extinction: no longer gets reward:: stops pressing
Spontaneous recovery: mix quick link after getting pellet when pressing the lever
What are the schedules of reinforcement in skinners experiments?
- Continuous reinforcement: always getting reward when lever is pressed
- fix interviewer: only during a fixed time
- fixed ratio: fixed number of lever presses result in a pellet
What are the strengths of operant conditioning?
+ Research evidence: token economy in prisons and hospitals
Paul & Lentz used it for Schizophrenia which made behaviour more appropriate
+ skinner box, controlled, discovers cause and effect relationship
+ nurture, due to environmental factors and stimuli rather than nature, allows us to manipulate factors and learn what effect they have on learning
What are the weaknesses of operant conditioning?
- Ignores free will:: deterministic
- Ignores biological approach, other approaches must be considered (ignore the nature)
- ethical issues, bad effect on psychological and physical health on the rats, argued that it’s not generalisable to humans
What are the overall strengths of the learning approach?
+ Scientific credibility: controlled lab settings, objectivity, replicable
+ real life applications: token economy systems, flooding and systematic desensitisation
What are the overall weaknesses of the learning approach?
-Environmental determinism, Skinner: behaviour is determined by the sum of reinforcement history and free will is an illusion.
:: All behaviour is determined by past experiences
-ethical issues, stressful conditions may have effected how the animals reacted
-criticised by the biological approach, schizophrenia is caused by genetics And it isn’t learned so other approaches need to be considered
Who Founded the social learning theory?
Bandura
What Is the social learning theory?
It explains how behaviour can be learnt
What are the four key aspects of social learning theory?
- Modelling
- imitation
- identification
- vicarious reinforcement
What is imitation in SLT?
- Characteristics of the model are observed
- observers perceived ability to perform behaviour shown
- observed consequences of the behaviour
What is modelling in SLT?
Live or symbolic model from which the observer learns by imitation
What is meant by identification in SLT?
Extent to which the model is relatable/similar
The more similar the more likely the outcome will be the same
What is Vicarious reinforcement in SLT?
Individuals learn from the consequences of others that they observe
What is mediation processes in SLT?
Internal cognitive processes,
(Thoughts that happen between stimulus and response)
Mental representation with likely outcome of consequences is formed
What are the steps of mediation processes?
Attention (have to notice it)
Retention (have to remember it)
Motor reproduction (have to be able to do it)
Motivation ( have to want to do it)
Describe the Bobo doll experiment (what is included)
36 males
36 females
37-69 months old
Describe the Bobo doll experiment method
Half watched aggressive adult models, and the other half watched non-aggressive adult models
-verbal aggression (pow)
-after exposure children were made frustrated, showing nice toys but not allowed to play with them
-then taken to a room with toys and the Bobo doll
They were observed for 20 minutes
What were the results of the Bobo doll experiment?
- Same behaviour displayed as observed
- 33% said pow
- 0% so the verbal aggression (observed non-aggressive group)
- follow-up study: model that got rewarded for aggression increased likelihood of children being aggressive (vicarious reinforcement)
- Boys were more aggressive
- greatest aggression was when the model was the same gender
What is the conclusion of the Bobo doll experiment?
Aggression can be learned through social learning
e.g. mediational processes, observation, modelling, identification, vicarious reinforcement
What are the strengths of the social learning theory?
+ Understanding of how criminal behaviour is learnt (especially via vicarious reinforcement)
+ more effective when the model is similar as it’s easier to visualise
Fox: computer game with similar models lead to players being more likely to engage in similar behaviours
+ More comprehensive views, importance of behavioural and cognitive factors in learning new behaviours
+ less deterministic, reciprocal determinism: we influence environment and vice versa, as we choose the models (free will)
What are the weaknesses of the social learning theory?
-Lacks ecological validity, lab study:: demand characteristics,
-Ignores other potential influences, biological (testosterone?)
-Doesn’t consider cause-and-effect
Increased association with peers increases likelihood of delinquent behaviour in young people, poor behaviour isn’t caused by SLT alone, must consider that there could be poor/deviant attitudes before interacting with delinquent groups
