approaches Flashcards
behaviourists are only concerned with what type of behaviour
objective and measurable
who founded behaviourism
John b Watson
behaviourists believe we are born as what
tabula rasa (blank slates)
why did behaviourism emerge
behaviourists criticised Wundt and introspection as unscientific as we cannot observe/ measure internal mental processes
behaviourists distinguish between two types of conditioning
classical conditioning and operant
inspired by Darwin and evolution, behaviourists believe ? can replace ? in studies of learning
animals, humans
what is classical conditioning known as
learning by association
who studied classical conditioning and name the study
pavlov, pavlovs dogs
describe the study of pavlovs dogs
before conditioning food is an unconditioned stimulus producing an unconditioned response which is salivation
when presented with a bell dogs do not salivate - the bell is a neutral stimulus
after conditioning the dog has learned to associate the sound of the bell with food + salivates meaning the bell has become a CS and salivation a CR
what is operant conditioning also known as
learning through reinforcement
who studied operant conditioning and what is the name of the study
skinner, skinners rats
what is positive reinforcement
being rewarded for a behaviour
what is negative reinforcement
avoiding an unpleasant consequence of behaviour
what is the purpose of positive + negative reinforcement
to encourage behaviours to be repeated
what is punishment
the unpleasant consequence of a behaviour
what was the positive reinforcement in skinners study
pushing the lever released a food pellet which was the reward
what was the negative reinforcement in skinners study
pushing the lever stopped electric shocks (unpleasant consequence)
give examples of positive + negative reinforcement and a punishment
PR - completing your hw on time and gaining an achievement point
NR - keeping your coat off in the building to avoid detention
P - receiving a detention for having your phone out in class
name a strength of behaviourism
practical application, can be seen and used in real life e.g CBT used for treating depression, systematic densensitisation used for treating phobias
name three limitations of behaviourism
ignores cognition - cognitive psychologists believe the BA is too simplistic + dismisses complex internal processes such as the 4 meditational processes so incomplete explanation
token economics simplifies human behaviour too much
supports nurture not nature - underestimates biological influences such as hormones or genetics and the effects they have on our behaviour e.g testosterone linked to aggression both prevalent in men
who pioneered SLT
Bandura
what approach does SLT agree with
the behaviourist approach we learn directly through experience
what did Bandura suggest
that we learn INDIRECTLY by observing and copying others behaviours
when was banduras first bobo doll study and what did it investigate
1961, the effect of modelling
which group of children behaved the most aggressively towards the model and why (modelling)
group one as they had the aggressive role model and that impacted their behaviour
when was banduras second bobo doll study and what did it investigate
1963, the effect of vicarious reinforcement
which group of children behaved the most aggressively towards the doll and why
group two as they saw the model praised for their aggressive behaviour and thus encouraging them to act the same way
which group of children behaved the least aggressively towards the bobo doll and why
(vicarious reinforcement)
group one, as the model was punished for its aggressive behaviour deterring the children from acting the same way
what is vicarious reinforcement
seeing others reinforced for their behaviour
what are the four meditational processes and name them
attention - must pay attention to a behaviour in order to reproduce it
retention - we must remember the behaviour in order to reproduce it
motor reproduction - we must be capable of reproducing the behaviour to reproduce it
motivation - must want to reproduce the behaviour to reproduce it
what is identification
the process of picking a suitable role model
role models are likely to be ?
gender specific
modelling is ?
the physical re-enactment of behaviour
modelling is also ?
indirectly copying behaviour
name one factor making us more likely to identify with someone
gender, higher status, similarities
give two strengths of SLT
practical application - helps to explain criminal behaviour e.g if they had been exposed to a model who commits crimes
considers behavioural + cognitive factors - bandura considers the cognitive mediational factors that must happen for learning to take place and so more comprehensive explanation of human learning
give one limitation of SLT
supports nurture but underestimates nature - underestimates the influence of biological factors and therefore offers an incomplete explanation
the cognitive approach emerged as a contrast to what and believes what
a contrast to behaviourism and believes we can and should study internal private processes that we can’t see
cognitive psychologists study internal mental processes ? by making ? based on observable behaviours
indirectly, inferences
name two applications of cognitive neuroscience
MRI’S , AI’S
what is an inference
an educated guess
what is schema
packages of information built by experience and learning that influence cognitive processing
what is the benefit of schema
schema helps us to learn and interpret new information quickly
true or false - babies are born with very basic schema
TRUE
what is the drawback of schema
it can lead to perception errors as information is learned quickly
what two types of models do cognitive psychologists rely on
theoretical and computer models
theoretical models are ? an example is ?
abstract (based on ideas), e.g. the processing model for memory
computer models are based on ? and have given us technology such as ?
concrete examples , siri & alexa
what is cognitive neuroscience
the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on cognitive functions
cognitive neuroscience is possible with the use of ? and helps us learn the functions of different brain areas such as ? & ? which are associated with ?
brain scanning technology, Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, speech
what is a more recent development of cognitive neuroscience and what is it used for
brain fingerprinting and can be used to determine whether eyewitnesses/suspects are lying or innocent
name two strengths of the CA
practical application - has been applied to other areas of psychology such as psychopathology used to help treat depression through ellis’ ABC model
scientific + objective - uses controlled settings to give reliable and unbiased data
name two limitations of the CA
machine reductionism - there are differences between a computer and a human e.g humans experience emotions computers do not and this affects processing
underestimates biology - the original approach does not account for many behaviours that are influenced by biology e.g. hormones + genes
internal mental processes are studied using ?
direct observation
the biological approach views everything psychological as having a ?, they see the mind and the brain as ?
biological basis, inseparable
how can we study whether behavioural characteristics are inherited in the same way as physical characteristics?
by using twin and kin studies
? twins share 100% of their DNA ? twins share 50% of their DNA
monozygotic, dizygotic
how can we determine the likelihood that behavioural characteristics are inherited
through concordance rates which measure the extent to which both twins share a characteristic
if mz twins have ? concordance rates for a characteristic than dz twins we can conclude this characteristic has a ?
higher, genetic basis
what is genotype
the genetic makeup of an individual
what is phenotype
how genetic material is expressed determined by the environment
what did Darwin propose
evolution and natural selection
what is natural selection
the process whereby those with characteristics that aid survival live longer and are more likely to reproduce passing on this favourable characteristic
name two strengths of the Biological approach
very scientific - highly controlled experiments helps researchers replicate the experiment under the same conditions meaning findings are reliable
practical application - led to effective treatments of mental illnesses / disorders by developing drugs for illnesses such as depression and OCD e.g. CBT
give one limitation of the biological approach
supports nature underestimates nurture - only focuses on biology as an explanation of human behaviour, doesn’t take into account behavioural + cognitive approaches which says that our behaviour can be shaped with our enivornment
who founded the psychodynamic approach
sigmund freud
how does the psychodynamic approach differ to others
focuses on the unconscious mind
what is the conscious
what we are currently aware of right now
what is our preconscious
what we are not currently aware of right now but easily recalled
what is our unconscious
everything we have learned/ experienced that we do not have conscious access to
freud said our personalities are ? what are these three parts
tripartite, id ego & superego
what is the id
the id is present at birth & it is based on the pleasure principle and impulses
what is the ego
formed around 2 years, based on the reality principle and acts as the mediator between the id and superego
what is the superego
formed around 5 years & based on the morality principle and inhibitions
when we encounter threats or trauma the ? employs ?
ego, defence mechanisms
defence mechanisms are helpful in the ? but not in the ?
short term, long term
name three defence mechanisms
repression - forcing a memory out of the conscious mind into the unconscious
denial - refusal to acknowledge an aspect of reality
displacement - transferring negative feelings from their source to a substitute target
name the 5 psychosexual stages
oral, anal, phallic, latent, genital
when is the oral stage and what is its focus and consequences if not completed
oral stage (0-1)
focuses on the mouth e.g. breastfeeding, dummies
its consequences are oral fixations e.g nail biting & over eating
when is the anal stage and what is its focus and consequences if not completed
anal (1-3)
focuses on the anus/bowel movement e.g. potty training
its consequences are anal personalities either retentive (controlling perfectionist) or expulsive (thoughtless + messy )
when is the phallic stage and what is its focus and consequences if not completed
phallic (3-5) focuses on the genitalia
conflicts are oedipus & Electra complex
its consequences are phallic personalities (narcissistic, ego driven)
when is the latent stage and what is its focus and consequences if not completed
latent (5 - puberty )
Caused by earlier conflicts that have been repressed
focuses on social/ intellectual development
no known consequences
when is the genital stage and what is its focus and consequences if not completed
genital (puberty + )
focuses on sexual desire as it becomes conscious to the mind e.g. seeking heterosexual relationships
its consequences are difficulty forming relationships
what is the Oedipus complex?
boys in the phallic stage experience incestuous love for their mothers and hate for their fathers
but boys fear their father believing if they found out about their feelings the father would castrate them
this leads to castration anxiety
to resolve this boys then identify with their fathers growing up
what is the Electra complex
girls in the phallic stage experience incestuous love for their fathers and hatred for their mothers
the girls also experience penis envy( believing their mothers castrated them at birth)
realising they will never have a penis girls replace this want with the want for a baby
what is the case of a little Hans an example of and how
little Hans is an example of the oedipus complex he was a boy with a fear of being bitten by a horse so his father took him to his friend sigmund freud who concluded Hans had displaced his castration fear from his father onto the horses
so he can identify with his father
what is a strength of the psychodynamic approach
its practical application in psychoanalysis
give two limitations of the psychodynamic approach
reliance on case studies - making the approach unreliable and unrepresentative
untestable concepts - it is unscientific as many of Freuds concepts occur at an unconscious level making them difficult to test suggests Freuds theories were pseudoscientific rather than established facts
what was the humanistic approach developed in response to
a response to freud who they stated focused on the ‘sick half’ of the mind
what is the humanistic approach interested in
healthy development and growth
what does the humanistic approach focus on and what does the make it
the importance of our subjective experience and believes in free will
making it a person centred approach
name two humanist psychologists
Maslow and rogers
name the 5 levels of maslows hierarchy of needs in order and give examples of each
self actualisation - desire to become the most one can be (top of hierarchy)
esteem e.g. respect, self esteem, status
love and belonging e.g. friendship, intimacy, family
safety needs e.g. personal security, employment
physiological needs e.g. air, water, food ,shelter
what are the lowest 4 levels of maslows hierarchy known as
deficiency needs all 4 need to be met before one can work on self actualisation
self actualisation is a ? need
growth
when our self ? and ? self do not match we are experiencing ?
concept, ideal, incongruence
where does incongruence come from
lack of parental affection and unconditional regard as a child
rogers said we can only achieve personal growth if we are experiencing what?
congruence
what is rogers solution to solving incongruence
client centred therapy
name 3 strengths of the humanistic approach
emphasises individual choice and responsibility - strongly advocates/believes in free will
not reductionist but holistic - places focus on the whole individual which is what makes the approach ‘person centred’
practical application - maslows needs widely used
name 3 limitations of the humanistic approach
ungeneralisible/ unrealistic - not many will be able to achieve self actualisation can be seen as an unrealistic goal
emphasis on conscious awareness -limits scope of the approach
ethnocentric - cultural bias
