approaches Flashcards
who is Wundt and what did he do?
- opened first psychology lab
- founded introspection
- made psychology a distinct scientific principle
what is introspection?
- focus on looking inward on a person
- breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts images and sensations
who supported introspection?
- HUNTER ET AL
- MODERN INTROSPECTION
- studied happiness in teenagers using introspection
- surprised by a buzzer noise and asked to record inner thoughts and emotions at that exact time
-found teenagers were generally unhappy but were happier when focused on a task
what is the social learning theory?
- same beliefs as behaviourists - that all behaviour Is learnt
- believe it is a social process
- believes learn through observation and imitation of role models
-indirect learning through vicarious reinforcement (seeing someone else being rewarded)
what is the key study of the social learning theory?
Bandura Bobo dolls
Bandura bobo dolls study method
- aim is to see if exposure to violence has an effect on young people
- little boy was the participant
- a model beat up a doll violently in-front of the boy and then the boy was sent in with the doll to see how he reacted
Bandura Bobo dolls study findings
- the little boy also acted violently towards the doll
- he was attracted to the gun even though wasn’t used by the model
-children that observed an aggressive adult behaved more violently towards the doll than those who had not
what are the 4 meditational processes?
- attention
- retention
- motor reproduction
- motivation
what is a meditational process?
four cognitive factors which Bandura said influence learning and production of behaviour
what are the main assumptions of the biological approach?
- all behaviour is innate
- behaviour is determined by genetics and neurones
what Is a genotype?
a persons genetic makeup
what is a phenotype?
the way that genes are expressed through physical / psychological and behavioural characteristics
what is biochemistry?
- concerned with how the chemicals in our body work (neurotransmitters and hormones)
what is a neurotransmitter?
a chemical that relays impulses from one cell to another across a synapse (gap between neutrons)
what is the link between evolution and behaviour?
- natural selection in evolution
- desirable behaviours that led to survival are more commonly passed on through genes to future generations
what is a biological structure?
the arrangement/ organisation of parts to form an organ, system or living thing.
what 3 biological structures are looked at in psychology?
- brain structures
- nervous system
- endocrine system
what is a nervous system?
-primary internal communication system. collects, processes and responds to the external environment
what is an endocrine system?
-a network of glands which work together to regulate the body functions
what are key assumptions of behaviourist approach?
- behaviourists rejected introspection as too vague
- research should be scientific
what are key assumptions of behaviourist approach?
- behaviourists rejected introspection as too vague
- research should be scientific (focus on observable behaviour that can be measured)
- all behaviour is learnt(normal and abnormal) through conditioning
what is classical conditioning?
- learning through association
- 2 stimuli are associated with one another
- involuntary responses
what is operant conditioning?
- learning through positive/ negative reinforcement
- behaviour is shaped by its consequences
- voluntary responses
what study links the classical conditioning?
PAVLOV-
aim; looked at salivation and food development to see if dogs could be conditioned to salivate to different stimuli
- method; when food was presented, pavlov rang a bell
- the dogs then gradually associated the bell with food
- dogs would then salivate to sound of the bell
PAVLOV step by step
food(UCS) = salivation(UCR)
bell ringing (neutral stimulus NS) = no response
food and bell = UCR salivation - whilst being conditioned
CS(bell) = CR (salivation)
what study links to operant conditioning?
SKINNER-
aim; to use experimental methods to study how consequences of behaviours affect learning
method; every time the rat pecked a disc in the ‘skinner box’ , it was rewarded with food - rat repeated behaviour due to positive reinforcement
what is reinforcement?
- a consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated
- can be either positive or negative
what is positive reinforcement?
receiving a reward when performing a certain behaviour which increases the likelihood of repeating
eg.praise from a teacher from putting up hand in class
what is negative reinforcement?
occurs when someone avoids something unpleasant by performing a certain behaviour
eg. completing homework to avoid being told off
what are some strengths of the behaviourist approach?
-CAN BE APPLIED TO REAL WORLD SITUATIONS
-can be used to encourage/ discourage behaviour eg. in schools using sticker charts (positive) and detention (negative)
-behaviourist approach is practical
INCREASED APPLICATION
based on well controlled research
-used observable methods and lab setting
-behaviour was broken down into stimulus-response which helped to see the direct cause and effect
INTERNAL VALIDITY
what are some weaknesses of the behaviourist approach?
-criticised for use of animals
-not only is its seen as unethical as animals were kept underweight to ensure they were hungry
-animal studies cannot be generalised to humans as they are much more complex .
LOW GENERALISABILITY
-behaviourists may have oversimplified behaviour by breaking it down into stimulus response
-may need to look at inner processes was well to gain fuller picture such as biological factors(genes/hormones)
LOW VALIDITY
what are the key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
- believes that early childhood experiences shapes behaviour
- looks at different dynamics that influence behaviour behaviour and personality
what are the 3 structures of personality?
- ID
- EGO
- SUPEREGO
what is the ID personality structure?
- pleasure principle
- selfish and follows desires
- unconscious drives
- seen from birth
what is the EGO personality structure?
- reality principle
- balance between ID and SUPEREGO
- conscious drives
- can be seen from around age 2
what is the SUPEREGO personality structure?
- moral principle
- strong moral judgement and wants to do the right thing
- conscious drives
- from about age 5 can be seen
what are defence mechanisms?
-unconscious strategies used by the EGO to manage conflict between the ID and SUPEREGO
- help to reduce anxiety
- often distort reality
- if used long term is seen as psychologically unhealthy
what is repression as a defence mechanism?
- unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts
eg. blocking past experience of abuse
what is denial as a defence mechanism?
- refusing to accept reality of a situation ( avoids dealing with painful emotions)
eg. acting as if trauma never happened
what is displacement as a defence mechanism?
- when a person cannot direct their thoughts/ feelings towards the person they hold responsible
- take it out on someone/something else
what are the psychosexual stages of development?
(OAPLG)
- oral
- anal
- phallic
- latency
- genital
what actually are psychosexual development stages?
5 developmental stages that each child undergoes.
At each stage there is a different conflicted the outcome determines future development
what is the ORAL psychosexual stage of development?
0-1 years old
-focus is on pleasure in the mouth( sucking/biting things)
result of unresolved conflict is smoking, nail biting and sweet sucking
what is the ANAL psychosexual stage of development?
1-3 years old
- focus is on pleasure of anus
- pleasure is expressed through withholding/ expelling faeces
anal retentive- perfectionist/ obsessive
anal expulsive- thoughtless/messy
what is the PHALLIC psychosexual stage of development?
-occurs at ages 3-5 years old
OEDIPUS COMPLEX AND CASTRATION ANXIETY -son unconsciously wants to sleep with mother
-father is the sons key rival
ELETRA COMPLEX AND PENIS ENVY-daughter unconsciously wants to sleep with father and as a result hates mum
what is the LATENCY psychosexual stage of development?
occurs at ages 6-12 years old
what is the GENITAL psychosexual stage of development?
occurs at 12 years old
-sexual desires become conscious
result of unresolved conflict may lead to difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
what actually are psychosexual development stages?
5 developmental stages that each child undergoes.
At each stage there is a different conflicted the outcome determines future development.
what are the main assumptions of the cognitive approach?
- best understand of behaviour is by looking at internal mental processes
what is a schema?
- a package of knowledge/framework of beliefs and expectations that helps us to make sense of information and organise it in the brain.
why are schemas useful?
- can help us to make shortcuts when interpreting large amounts of information
- can help us fill in the gaps when not all details are knowing. in new situations
what is cognitive neuroscience?
the scientific study of brain structures an d their influence on cognitive thought processes.
what are the key assumptions of the humanist approach?
- everyone is in control and has free will
- consciously choose our own behaviour
-humanists reject scientific studies and focus more on subjective personal experience
what is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
- psychological needs that help a person reach self actualisation
- most basic needs at bottom eg. sleep, food
- most complex needs at top eg. confidence
what did carl Rodgers suggest?
suggested the importance of self-concept in psychological health.
self concept is the way that a person sees themselves
what is congruence?
when an individuals concept of themselves is equivalent to their ideal self.
what is incongruence?
a large gap between a persons self concept and ideal self
leads to negative feelings of self worth
what is client centred therapy?
used to help address a clients problems
-aims to help give clients a more positive regard
how did psychology emerge as a science?
- Watson and skinner
- believed that for something to be scientific it needed to be visible so criticised Wundt’s introspection
- used observable methods that were measurable in a lab
what is vicarious reinforcement?
indirectly experiencing reinforcement through observing the consequences of others actions
what is identification in SLT?
when you associate yourself with the role model
what is imitation in SLT?
copying the actions/behaviour of others
what are some strengths of SLT ?
- the SLT recognises the importance of cognitive factors
what are some weaknesses of SLT?
-evidence that supports SLT was gathered in a lab
-lab is an artificial setting and could lead to ps responding to demand characteristics
-may have only behaved violently as felt that was what they were meant to do.
LOW INTERNAL VALIDITY
Doesn’t consider biological factors
-nurture side of NN debate is ignored
-states that all behaviour is learnt and doesn’t look at any influencing genes/ hormones (not scientific)
LOW VALIDITY
what are some strengths of the biological approach?
- can be used for treatment
-understanding of genes/ hormones and their relation to behaviour can be used to help with treatment of mental illness eg. anti depressants
-can help relive symptoms (+ve impact on society)
REAL LIFE APPLICATION
use of scientific methods
-objective, reliable data, high level of explanation which reduces bias
eg.scanning techniques
INCREASED VALIDITY
what are some weaknesses of the biological approach?
the biological approach is deterministic
-means that genes/ hormones are a direct cause of behaviour not individual choice or free will
-this contradicts the legal system which is based upon the idea of free will
-doesn’t reflect human complexity
LOW APPLICATION
nature vs nurture of twins is hard to seperate
-twin studies are used as main evidence for genetic influence
-there will always be environmental influences on an individual which cannot be removed ( a cofounding variable that effects results)
LOW VALIDITY
what are some strengths of the psychodynamic approach?
-Freud’s research has led to psychoanalysis
-this has been used widely to access a persons unconscious and has claimed to be successful for patients with anxiety
-can be applied to modern day life
REAL LIFE APPLICATION
what are some strengths of the psychodynamic approach?
-Freud’s research has led to psychoanalysis
-this has been used widely to access a persons unconscious and has claimed to be successful for patients with anxiety
-can be applied to modern day life
REAL LIFE APPLICATION
-psychodynamic approach has helped to explain human behaviour in real life.
-has had a huge influence on psychology and contemporary thought
-has been used to explain personality and moral development
-psychodynamic approach has had a positive impact on psychology
INCREASED APPLICATION
what are some weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach?
-the psychodynamic approach lacks testability/falsifiability
-the concepts are not open to empirical testing so cannot be deemed reliable or be disproved.
-many concepts are said to occur when unconscious meaning it is very difficult to test
LACKS VALIDITY
- the psychodynamic approach is based upon case studies
- cannot use the findings to explain behaviour of everybody and make general laws due to being idiographic.
- LOW GENERALISABILITY
what are some strengths of the cognitive approach?
-the use of scientific methods adds credibility
-based upon objective research (factual) from lab studies
-emerge of cognitive neuroscience has helped enhance the scientific basis of psychology
INCREASED INTERNAL VALIDITY
- has been applied to a wide range of modern contexts both practical and theoretical
- eg. its contribution to AI and robot development
- has also helped with mental illness by being applied to treatment eg.depression
- REAL WORLD APPLICATION
what are some weaknesses of the cognitive approach?
- the cognitive approach uses computer models to explain thought processes
- reduces the complexity of human mind to standard computer operations (machine reductionism)
- disregards the influence of emotion on processing
- using computer models gives limited explanation
- LACKS VALIDITY
- can be criticised for being too abstract/ theoretical
- relies on mental processes rather than observable behaviour
- harder to see the cause and effect on certain behaviours
- also, mental processes research usually includes artificial tasks/stimuli
- REDUCES EXTERNAL VALIDITY
what are some strengths of the humanist approach?
-the humanist approach is holistic not reductionist
-looks at human behaviour as a whole instead of breaking it down into smaller components
-believes a person can only be understood by looking at the individual as a whole
-better understanding of behaviour
INCREASED VALIDITY
-the humanist approach is optimistic
-the approach adds the focus back onto people themselves and promotes a positive image of humanity
-humanist approach is based upon the foundation that humans are self determining and have free will
INCREASED ETHICS
what are some weaknesses of the humanist approach?
- humanistic approach has cultural bias
-emphasis on free will and personal growth which only applies to more individualist societies such as UK and US
-collectivist societies have more focus on groups
-cannot be generalised to all cultures
LOW GENERALISABILITY - humanist approach rejects science
- methods are much more subjective not scientific
- can be criticised for not being factual/ accurate
- LOW VALIDITY
