Approaches Flashcards
Origins of psychology
-Wundt and introspection
-Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) is cited as one of the founders of psychology as he created the first experimental psychology lab in Germany
-He created introspection. This was where participants were asked to reflect on their own cognitive thoughts/processes and describe them. It involved observing your own conscious thoughts or emotions
Origins of psychology
-Scientific method
-Wundt’s scientific method consisted of;
1. All behaviours as seen as being caused (determined)
2. If behaviours are determined, then it should be possible to predict how human beings would behave in different situations
-Structuralism= The study of the structure of the human mind, by breaking down behaviours into their basic elements
-The scientific method refers to the use of investigate methods that are: objective, systematic and relaible
Origins of psychology
-The emergence of psychology as a science
-Wundt’s approach to studying mental/ emotional processes relied on empiricism; meaning knowledge and abilities come from observation and experience alone
-This approach believes that all behaviour is determined and can therefore be predicted
-The Hypothetico-Deductive model= Theory -> deriving a hypothesis-> empirical testing against reality -> amending or agreeing the theory
-There are 5 features that were used to develop the other theories; falsifiable, replicable, objective, general laws and systematic
The Biological approach
-The influence of genes
-Behavioural genetics try to identify whether behaviour like intelligence, aggression, personality and mental illnesses are inherited in the same way as our physical characteristics
-Sometimes when explaining behaviour an interactionist approach should be taken, which looks at our nature (biology) and nurture (environment)
-The closer the genetic relationship, the greater the vulnerability
The Biological approach
-Biological structures and neurochemistry on behaviour
-Neurochemistry concerns all of the chemical processes that take place in the brain
-The makeup of your neurochemistry may have an effect on your behaviour. Serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine are known to influence our behaviour
-The biological structures (neuroanatomy) involve the size and activity of the brain
-The structure and design of your brain can have an affect on behaviour, for example females have a 20.4% larger Broca’s area than men
The Biological approach
-Evolution and behaviour
-Charles Darwin suggested that all of our behaviour, in our minds and body, have been acquired through a process known as natural selection and survival of the fittest (only the fittest people/animal will survive)
-According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, natural selection ensures that only those behaviours that are adaptive will be naturally selected and passed down through generation
-Seligman suggested that there was biological preparedness to phobias on certain things (such as phobia to snakes)
The Biological approach
-Evolution and behaviour
-Charles Darwin suggested that all of our behaviour, in our minds and body, have been acquired through a process known as natural selection and survival of the fittest (only the fittest people/animal will survive)
-According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, natural selection ensures that only those behaviours that are adaptive will be naturally selected and passed down through generation
-Seligman suggested that there was biological preparedness to phobias on certain things (such as phobias)
The Biological approach
-Genotype and Phenotype
Genotype- A genetic constitution of an individual which is there unique make-up
Phenotype- The observable characteristics of an individual, such as morphological or biochemical features
Learning approaches
-Behaviourism
-The main assumption is that all behaviour is learned and we all have the capacity to learn from birth. From this viewpoint, a person is the product of their environment and born a blank state (tabula rasa)
Learning approaches
-Behaviorism (operant and classical conditioning)
Classical conditioning- Learning by association, two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal
Operant conditioning- Skinner’s theory is that the likelihood of future behaviour is determined by the consequences of past behaviour
Behaviorism
-Types of reinforcement/ reinforcers
Primary reinforcers = Occur naturally and do not need to be learned e.g the need for water, food and air
Secondary reinforcers = A stimulus that reinforces a behaviour after it has been associated with a primary reinforcer e.g giving a dog a treat when he completes a skill correctly
Positive reinforcement = Increasing the frequency of a desired behaviour by giving pleasant consequences
Negative reinforcement = Increasing the frequency of a desired behaviour by removing something unpleasant
Punishment = Decreasing the frequency of an undesired behaviour by giving unpleasant consequences
Learning approaches
-Social Learning theory
1.Imitation = Copying the behaviour of a role model without understanding the behaviour e.g. a son shouting racist abuse but not understanding what it means
2.Identification = Copying behaviours and understanding behaviours e.g. a son knowing what racist abuse is and the consequences of it
-Role model identification-a deeper level of identification
3.Modelling = This focuses on learning by observing others. It is used to uncover evolved behaviour
4.Vicarious reinforcement = This occurs when an individual observes a role model being rewarded for a behaviour. They are then motivated to imitate this behaviour in the hope of receiving a similar consequence
5.Vicarious punishment = Learning through seeing someone get punished from behaviour
Social learning theory
-Mediational processes
-Mediational processes determine the extent to which you will copy the behaviour
-They are cognitive elements
1. Attention = How much attention you have to the wanted behaviour
2. Retention = Remembering the technique of the behaviour
3. Reproduction = Physically reproducing the behaviour
4. Motivation = Motivated to do so (the wanted behaviour)
Social learning theory
-Bandura’s research
-Bandura aimed to see whether aggression could be modelled to younger children by an adult role model and whether children were more likely to imitate same-sex role models
-There were 3 rooms with 24 children in each, with 1 having an aggressive model, 1 with non-aggressive models and 1 with no model
-Children who observed the aggressive models resulted in more aggressive responses
-Boys who copy males who are physically aggressive
-Girls copied women who were more verbally aggressive
Cognitive approach
-The study of internal mental processes
-The main assumption of the approach is that all behaviour is driven by internal mental processes, and this is known as cognitive primary (all behaviours/emotions have their roots in thought (cognitive) processes)
-Inference = An educated guess about how something works, even though you can’t see it
