Approaches Flashcards
Which approaches does the Learning approach include?
- Social learning approach
Learning approach:
- Behavioural approach:
Classical / Operant conditioning
What are 3 assumptions of the behavioural approach?
- Focuses on behaviour that can be observed and measured.
- All behaviour is learnt through experiences.
- We can study animal behaviour and use the same principles for humans.
How is classical conditioning learnt and what is it?
Through association.
Where we learn to associate a reflex response to a neutral stimulus.
Explain Pavlov’s research on classical conditioning.
Aim: see if dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell ringing.
Method: He rang a bell whilst presenting the dog with food. He repeated this several times.
Results: They learnt to associate the sound of the bell with the food and started salivating to just the sound of the bell.
How is operant conditioning learnt and what is it?
Through reinforcement.
If we are reinforced for behaviour it makes it more likely that we’ll repeat that behaviour.
Explain the 2 types of reinforcement.
- Negative: taking something bad away.
- Positive: getting a reward for behaving in a certain way.
Define punishment.
Not a form of reinforcement.
Receiving a negative consequence as a result of behaviour and makes it less likely that you’ll repeat it.
Explain Skinner’s research on operant conditioning.
He produced the “Skinner box”.
He observed the rat’s behaviour whilst in this box;
- In some of his experiment if the rat pushed the lever he was given a food pellet, this was providing the rat with positive reinforcement.
- In others, if the rat pushed the lever it stopped the electric current from the grid, providing negative reinforcement.
What are 2 strengths of the behaviourist approach?
- Scientific, as observable behaviour.
- Practical application. e.g. in schools
Explain 3 weaknesses of the behaviourist approach.
- Ethical issues, use of animals.
- Problems when trying to generalise findings from animals to humans.
- Deterministic.
What are 2 assumptions of SLT?
- Agrees with the behavioural approach; all behaviour is learnt through experiences.
- Learning takes place through observation and imitation.
Explain what’s the Social Learning Theory.
It suggests that behaviour is learnt through observing a role model’s behaviour and imitating it.
They’re + likely to imitate it if the role model is being rewarded for it (vicarious reinforcement).
Also if they identify with the role model. (modelling)
What is the role of meditational processes?
These internal mental processes determine whether a response is learnt.
What are the 4 meditational processes in SLT?
- Attention: extent to which a person pays attention to what they’re observing.
- Retention: How well the behaviour is remembered.
- Reproduction: Behaviour has to be realistic so the person can physically be able to repeat it.
- Motivation: if there was vicarious reinforcement, they’re more likely to imitate it.
Explain Albert Bandura’s research (1961) on imitation.
Aim: see if children (3-5) would observe and imitate aggressive behaviour.
Method: 2 groups of children. One saw an aggressive role model with a bobo doll. The other saw a non-aggressive role model. Children were then made to wait outside a room full of toys including a bobo doll, before allowed in.
Results: (One) were more aggressive themselves and others weren’t aggressive towards the bobo doll.
Explain 3 strengths of the Social Learning approach.
- It has practical application, criminal behaviour understanding.
- There’s evidence to support (Sprafkin, 1975), 6 years old watched an episode of Lassie. Helping puppies or not.
- It’s less deterministic.
What are 2 weaknesses of the Social Learning approach?
- Lab experiments, demand characteristics.
- It’s reductionist.
What are the 3 overall assumptions of the psychodynamic approach.
- Place an emphasis on the unconscious mind.
- Focus on that most behaviour stems from early childhood experience.
- 1 of most influential psychologists in this area is Sigmund Freud (Austria, 1856).
How does Freud describe the role of the unconscious?
He compares the human mind to being like an iceberg, most of the iceberg being under water, he says most of the human mind is unconscious.
Describe the iceberg analogy.
Conscious: things we are aware of.
Pre-conscious: things we are aware of but have no control about.
Unconscious mind: part of our mind we cannot access. This is where all our deep desires and traumatic memories have been repressed to.
What is our personality made of?
Id, Ego and Superego.
Define the Id.
(0-18months) this is the demanding, selfish part of our personality, we’re born with this part, it’s the pleasure principle.
Define the Ego.
(18months - 3 years) this is the part that manages the conflict between the id and the superego, it’s the reality principle.
Define the Superego.
(3 - 6 years) moral part of personality, part that tells us what is right and wrong, this is the morality principle.
What happens if the Id is more in control?
It can lead to psychotic behaviour. e.g. murder, rape
What happens if the superego is in more control?
It can lead to neurotic behaviour. e.g. OCD, anxiety
What are defence mechanisms?
These are what the ego uses unconsciously to try and protect us from distress and anxiety, the overuse of these can be maladaptive and lead to abnormalities.
Define the defence mechanism of Repression.
First defence mechanism discovered by Freud. Unconscious mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious.
Define the defence mechanism of Denial.
Anna Freud (1936) proposed denial involves blocking external events from awareness because it’s too much to handle, the person just refuses to experience it.
Define the defence mechanism of Displacement.
It involves getting feelings, frustrations, and impulses on people or objects that are less threatening.
What does Freud say about the psychosexual stages?
There are 5 stages of child development: oral, anal, phallic, genital and latency.
There’s a different conflict at each stage that they must resolve, if we’re frustrated or over-indulged within any of these stages we become fixated in that stage and that can affect our adult behaviour.
Describe the oral stage and explain if fixated, how it affects adult behaviour.
(0-1 years) Focus of pleasure is on the mouth.
Chain smoking, biting nails…
Describe the anal stage and explain if fixated, how it affects adult behaviour.
(1-3 years) Focus of pleasure is in the anus.
Anal retentive - perfectionist Anal expulsive - messy
Describe the phallic stage and explain if fixated, how it affects adult behaviour.
(3-5 years) Focus of pleasure is on genital area. Boys go through the Oedipus complex and girls through the Electra complex.
Possible homosexuality.
Describe the latency stage and explain if fixated, how it affects adult behaviour.
(6-11 years) Repress earlier conflicts.
No effect on adult behaviour.
Describe the genital stage and explain if fixated, how it affects adult behaviour.
(12 years) Sexual desires become conscious with the onset of puberty.
Difficulty with relationships.
What is a strength of the psychodynamic approach?
It has practical application, it has led to effective therapy for abnormality of psychoanalysis. This involves dream analysis, which is all about uncovering repressed traumas from the unconscious mind and working with the therapist to resolve this issue. This then cure their anxiety.
What are 4 weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach?
- Unscientific and unfalsifiable.
- It’s deterministic.
- It places too much emphasis on the past.
- It’s out of date.
Explain the 4 overall assumptions of the humanistic approach. (person-centred approach)
- Every individual is unique.
- Everyone has free will.
- People should be viewed holistically.
- The scientific method is not appropriate to measure.
What is free will?
It’s that we decide and choose our our course of action.
Explain what is self actualisation.
It’s when an individual achieves it’s full potential. When someone achieves it there is the ultimate feeling of well-being + satisfaction, not everyone achieves it.
Describe Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
He believed that a person could achieve self-actualisation through a series of stages.
- Self-actualisation ← self-esteem ← belonging an love needs ← safety ← biological needs.
What did Carl Rogers said about the focus on the self?
He identified 2: perceived-self (you feel) and ideal-self (you wish to be).
What is congruence?
When the perceived self and ideal self become the same or vey similar, they become more consistent. The greater the gap between them the greater the incongruence.
