Approaches Flashcards
thwhat’s the behaviourist approach and what does it state?
The behaviourist approach is a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable- it is not concerned with observing mental processes. The behaviourist approach states that everyone is a blank slate and behaviour can be explained by experience.
What are the 2 important forms of learning in behaviourism?
- Classical conditioning
2. Operant conditioning
what is classic conditioning?
classical conditioning refers to learning through association.
who demonstrated classical conditioning? and what did he show?
Pavlov showed classical conditioning. He showed how dogs could be conditioned to salivate the sound of a bell if the bell was presented at the same time they were given food . Eventually the dogs learned to associate the sound of a bell with food leading to them to salivate every time they heard a bell.
what are the different conditions involved within classical conditioning
- neutral stimulus
- unconditioned response
- conditoned stimulus
- conditioned response
- conditioned stimulus
give an example of classical conditioning
NS-FLYING UCS-TURBULENCE UCR-FEAR/PANIC CS-FLYING CR-FEAR/PANIC
what is operant conditioning?
operant conditioning refers to learning through reinforcement/consequences. Meaning that behaviour is shaped by reinforcements/consequences.
what are the principles of operant conditioning
- positive reinforcement
- negative reinforcement
- positive punshiment
- negative punishment
how does positive reinforcement influence behaviour
positive reinforcement is when something good is added, making us repeat the behaviour
how does negative reinforcement influence behaviour
negative reinforcement is when something bad is taken away, making us repeat the behaviour again
give an example of positive reinforcement
A mother gives her son praise or doing his homework and gives him £5.00 as a present- from this good thing added, he continues to do his homework (repeating the behaviour) .
give an example of negative reinforcement
Parents complain to their child when the child doesn’t clean their room. The child therefore starts cleaning their room to make the complaining stop- from this bad thing being taken away, the child repeats their behaviour of cleaning their room in order to avoid the complaining.
how does positive punishment influence behaviour
positive punishment,it when something bad is added making us never want to repeat the behaviour again
how does negative punishment influence behaviour
negative punishment is when something nice is taken away to make us never do it again
give an example of positive punishment
a boy forgets to do his homework, as a result he gets a double detention. From this bad thing being added, he learns to never not do his homework again
give an example of negative punishment
a child hits someone with his favourite toy, his toy then gets taken away from him as a punishment. Because its a good thing being taken away from him he learns not to hit people again.
who demonstrated operant conditioning
Skinner
what did skinner research
Skinner put rats into a ‘Skinner box’- within the box their was a lever. The rat explored the box and found the lever which when pressed it released a pellet of food- It did not take long for the rat to realise this- once they did, they continued to press the lever as it taught the rat to repeat the behaviour (positive reinforcement) . However, he then swapped the food for an electric current- Rats stopped pressing lever as realised the lever gives out electric current, therefore taught the rat to not press the lever (negative reinforcement)
what are the strengths of the behaviourist approach (learning theory)
1.A strength of the behaviourist approach is that it’s based on well controlled research. Behaviourist focused on the measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings allowing for all extraneous variables to be removed .For example - SKINNER- was able to demonstrate how reinforcement influenced animal behaviour (controlled lab experiment)
therefore acting as a strength as it suggests that the behaviourist approach/ behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility.
2.Another strength of the behaviourist approach is that it can be/ has been applied to real world behaviours and problems. Operant conditioning has been used sucsessfully within institutions: prisons, psych wards, to help with behaviours - (rewarding appropriate behaviour). Classical conditions has also been used to help explain phobias.
Therefore acting as a strength as it suggest that the bavhioursit approach has wide spread application
what are the weakness of the behaviourist approach
1.One weakness of the behaviourist approach is that it only focuses on past experiences. Skinner stated that everything we do is due to our reinforcement history and our past conditioning experience determine the outcome of what we do. However, this stands to ignores the concept of ‘free will’ and what influence that could have on behaviour.
This therefore is a weakness as it ignores the influence of concious-desion making (as stated within the cognitive approach) and fails to consider the role of free will, it states that we do not have control over our actions and that the behaviours we develop are governed by external experiences.
- Another weakness of the behaviourist approach is that os may be over-simplified as it attempts to reduce all aspects of human behaviour down to just one level of explanation. For example, the Behavioural approach reduces complex behaviours down to learning through our environment,through association and through rewards and punishment.
This therefore stands to be a weakness as it ignores all biological and cognitive factors and oversimplifies human behaviour to just ‘nuture’
what is social learning theory?
social learning theory is the theory which states that behaviour is learn through the observation and imitation of others and it focuses on the cognitive process.
what are the four cognitive processes that SLT focuses on and explain then in terms of SLT
- attention- the extent to which we notice behaviours
- retention-how well behaviour is remembered
- motor reproduction-the ability to perform the behaviour
- motivation-the will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished.
what are the cognitive processes called within SLT
meditational processes
is set learning directly or indirectly? and why?
SLT is learning indirectly. Its indirect as the experience id not happening to you, you are observing it happen to someone else
who were the mediational processes identified by?
Bandura
what is vicarious reinforcement and how does it link to imitation?
VR is Reinforcement that occurs through the observation of someone else being reinforced for a behaviour which isn’t experienced directly. This is a key factor of imitation as imitation will mostly only take play if positive reinforcement occurs from the observed behaviour
what is imitation
Imitation refers to copying behaviours from models
who are people, especially children, Lilley to imitate
role models
what is a role model
A person you look up to and want to copy/ copy behaviours
who are people more likely to identify with?
role models
what is identification
identification is when an observed associates themselves with a role model and wants to be/be like the role model
what is the process of imitating a role model called, who is it shown by and can you explain it
the process is called modelling.
Modelling can come from 2 perspectives: role model and observer
Modelling from the observes: imitate the behaviour of a role model
Modelling from the role model: The precise demonstration of a specific behaviour which may be imitated by the observer
how does someone become a role model to someone else
someone becomes a role model to someone else when they posses similar characteristics to the person observing them and/ or are attractive and have high status.
whats a strength of SLT
Strength: SLT recognises the importance of cognitive factors in learning-> SLT provides a more complete explanation of human learning than the behaviourist approach by recognising the role of meditational processes.
Strength: SLT can explain cultural differences in behaviour. Different cultures have different social norms of how to behaviour, therefore showing that SLT can account for real world behaviour as it shows how children (and people in general llearn from others around them and their environment.
Increasing the value of SLT and it can account for real world behaviour
what are the limitations of SLT
Limitation:
Limitation: The evidence which SLT is based on was gathered through lab studies.
Lab studies create a false/artificial environment and increase chance of demand characteristics. For example, within Bandura’s study it has been suggested that the children only acted the way they did because they were simply following the behaviour which they thought was expected. This therefore suggests that the research SLT is based upon lacks ecological validity.
Limitation: Doesn’t take in biological factors, only states that the behaviour is learned through observation and experience.
what is the cognitive approach
the cognitive approach states that our behaviour is determined by the way we process information from our environment. It focuses on how mental processes can affect behaviour
what process do cognitive psychologists look at and name them
They look at internal processes
which are;
- perception
- attention
- memory
- language
- thinking
- problem solving
what do cognitive psychologist do in order to understand what’s going on in people’s mind on the basis of their behaviour
they make interferences–> Which means they make a logical conclusion on the basis of evidence
what are schemas and what approach do they fit into?
Schemas are ‘packages’ of ideas and knowledge about a certain person, place, object .They are generated through experience, becoming more sophisticated through time.
they fit into the cognitive approach
what are the positive and negatives of schemes
POSITIVE: Schemas help to enable us to process lots of info quickly, preventing us from becoming overwhelmed
NEGATIVE:Schemas can distort our interperation of things & lead to overgeneralisation
give an example of a schema
you have a schema of a chair having 4 legs and is something you sit on
this allows you to know its a chair, and you have learnt this through experience
whats the difference between adult and childhood schemas?
CHILD: Baby’s born with motor schemas for specific behaviour e.g. sucking,grabbing
ADULT:In adulthood our schemas become more developed, detailed . A mental representation for everything is developed.
what can schemas act as
mental shortcuts- allows us to take in lots of info quickly + prevent sensory overload
what do psychologists use to help us understand internal mental processes , how does it help
theoretical and computer models.
This idea is based on the way computers work it helps as it shows how the input and output of a computer can act in a similar way to human behaviour.
WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE COGNITIVE APPROACH
STRENGTH
: The cognitive approach has high scientific validity.
It uses highly controlled methods of study in order to allow researchers to infer cognitive processes at work.This has involved the use of lab experiments to produce reliable, objective data.
STRENGTH
: The cognitive approach has real life and practical application.
Cognitive principles have been used in the treatment of depression and has made important contribution to artificial intelligence and the development of ‘thinking machines’
suggesting CA is a valid explanation for behaviour
WHAT ARE THE WEAKNESS OF COGNTIVE APPROCH
W:The cognitive approach is based on ‘machine reductionism’
doesn’t take into account the effect human emotion can have on the cognitive system, effecting behaviour
what is the biological approach
The biological approach believes behavior to be as a consequence of our genetics and biological factors. It states that all of our thoughts, feelings and behaviour have a biological cause.
what is neurochemistry and how can an imbalance in neurochemicalseffect behaviour.
neurochemistry refers to the action of chemicals in the brain in which much of our thoughts and behaviour relied on chemical transmission.
An imbalance of neurochemicals has been suggested to cause mental illnesses effecting behaviour. For example, a overproduction of dopamine can result in szchiopherina
whats are monozygotic twins
identical twins, share 100% of the same genes
what are dizygotic twins
non-identical twins, share 50% of the same genes
what kind of people do biological phycologists do study on in order to look at the importance of inheritance/gentic basis
twins
whats concordance rates
concordance rates refers to the probability of a pair of twins sharing the same characteristics
a pair of monozygotic twins are likely to have a higher coordance rate than a pair of dyzigotic twins, what does this indicate?
it indicates that biology plays a large part in terms of characterists being genetic,
the monozygotic twins have a higher concordance rate, because they share 100% of the same DNA- showng how traits could be gentic
whats a geneotype?
refers to your particular gentic makeup, DNA
whats a phenotype?
the set of observable traits, which can be determined by gene and environment
do identical twins have to have the same phenotype?
NO. Phenotype result from interactions between genes and the environment
whats evolution
What are the strengths of the biological approach
STRENGTHS: one strength of the biological approach is that it has real world application
The understanding of neurochemical processes in the brain has helped with the treatment of mental disorders through drugs. For example, antidepressant drugs have been promoted to help clinical depression helping to increase levels of serotonin
STRENGTHS: one strength of the biological approach is that is uses scientific methods of investigation
.For example, highly presice scanners are used such as FMRI’S AND EEG’s to help measure & research neural processes in ways which are not open to bias- increasing the reliability of the data surrounding the biological approaches
WHAT ARE TRHE WEAKNESSES OF THE BIOLOGICAL APPRAOCH
WEAKNESSES:one weakness is the biological approach is determinist. Meaning that it only see human behaviour to be governed by internal and gentic causes, which are out of our control –> however, there is evidence to show how the environment can effect a persons behaviour. For example,e phenotypes are controlled by the enviornement
Therefore, the biological approach can be seen as too simplistic & ignorant towards other factors.
who is Wilhelm Wundt and explain what he did
Wilhelm Wundt is known as father of psychology.
He took Descartes and Locks idea and wanted to test it scientifically so He Set up a lab in Leipzig, Germany where he developed technique of introspection by looking at only those aspects of behaviour that could be strictly controlled under experimental conditions- such as reaction time, and aspects of sensation and perception.
what did Descartes and locks suggest and who are they?
They’re 2 philosophers
Descartes- He stated that the mind is separate from the body
John Locke- ‘Tabula rasa’- we’re all born as a blank slate
what was wundts aim
To study the structure of the human mind
what is introspection?
The breaking down behaviours into their basic elements
what was wundts procedure?
He presented participants with carefully controlled stimuli, such as a visual image or auditory tone, and then asked them to provide a description of the inner processes, (they’re thoughts, feelings, emotions) they were experiencing as they looked at the image or listened to the tone.
what conclusions could Wundt make from his procedure?
From this Wundt could make general assumptions and could predict how the mind works
This allowed for comparison between the different participants response to the same stimuli, establishing general theories about perception (and other processes)
was wundes Research scientific?
MAINLY YES
He provided a platform for psychology to build upon
IT WAS Replicable/ Reliable
-He studied in scienfitc controlled conditions, control of variables, standardised instructions- allowed for comparison.
IT WAS Objective- He Analysed perception & self-report
Theory deduction- He was able to provide general theories for the structure of the human mind and this approach paved the way for the acceptance of psychology as a distinct
BUT
IT WAS ALSO Not replicable- as he used himself and his co- workers so it’s not objective- as involved bias. Also, not replicable as instructions may not be taken all in the same way – therefore not replicable as may broad terms
