Approaches

Question 1

How to evaluate approaches acronym

Answer 1

DREAMS

Question 2

how to evaluate approaches

Answer 2

Determinism vs free will
Reductionism vs holism
Evidence
Applications
Methodology
Scientific methods

Question 3

Define science

Answer 3

gaining knowledege through the use of obje

Question 4

Wilhelm Wundt AO1

Answer 4

-father of psychology
-set up the first psychology lab in Germany in 1879 and published one of the first books on psychology
-helping to establish psych as an independent branch of science from philosophy
-he used a control environments to establish general theories about mental processes
-he used scientific method to study the structure of sensation and perception using
introspection
- he argued that human experiences should be analysed in terms of its components
-His work and ideas were then later developed by cognitive psychologists who study our mental processes.

Question 5

Strength of Wundt research AO3

Answer 5

-Wudt can be praised for moving away from philosophical roots
-he used controlled environments with a standard procedure to study thoughts, feelings and sensations
-such as using the same stimulus every time and giving the ppts the same standardised instructions
-this therefore increased the ability to replicate the pieces of research and increased psychology’s status as a science

Question 6

limitation of Wundt research AO3

Answer 6

-it was replicable but not reliable
-this is because introspection focuses on a ppts subjective experience and therefore findings varied greatly from person to person
-making it difficult to establish consistent general principles of human behaviour
-behaviourist psychologist such as watson believed psychology should only study behaviour that could be observed and measured scientifically
-as a result of this the behaviourist approach was born which used more empirical and objective methods,such as carefully controlled lab experiments to study human behaviour
-increasing the scientific status of psychology as a subject

Question 7

further limitation of Wundt research AO3

Answer 7

-some aspects of his research would be considered unscientific today
-wundt relied on ppt self reports on their mental processes
-such data is subjective and varied from person to person
-this makes it difficult to establish general principles of human behaviour and predict further outcomes
-therefore some of wundt’s early efforts to study the mind. were flawed and would not meet the criteria of scientific study

Question 8

describe introspection

Answer 8

-introspection focuses on present experiences
-an indiv. conscious experience is systematically analysed
-indiv. focuses on an object whilst listening to a stimulus eg.metronome and took an analysis
-analysis is broken up into components of thoughts,images and sensations

Question 9

within the learning theory there is which two theories

Answer 9

behaviourist approach
social learning theory

Question 10

what are the assumptions on human behaviour-behaviourist

Answer 10

-humans are born as a blank slate
-all behaviour is learnt and therefore can be unlearnt
-free will is not possible

Question 11

two theories in the behaviourist approach

Answer 11

-classical conditioning -association
-operant conditioning -maintenance

Question 12

AO1 for classical conditioning

and draw out the process

Answer 12

-Ivan Pavlov suggested that behaviour is learnt through stimulus, response and association
-in a controlled environ. Pavlov showed that dogs can be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell
NS (bell) –> no response
UCS (food) –> UCR (salivation)
NS + UCS are associated repeatedly –> UCR (salivation)
CS (bell) –> CR (salivation)

Question 13

AO1 for operant conditioning

Answer 13

-Skinner suggested behaviour is maintained through consequence

-positive reinforcement=when behaviour is rewarded so behaviour is repeated to bgain same reward=Hungry rats were placed in a box and every time they pressed down the lever the rat was rewarded with food so the behaviour of pulling the lever was repeated and rats were conditioned via PR to get the same pleasant outcome

-negative reinforcement=performing a behaviour to avoid an unpleasant consequence so the behaviour is repeated to avoid the negative consequence again=Skinner ran an electrical current along the floor to shock the rats,the rat would move around until it knocked the lever.The lever stopped the shocks and so the rats repeat this behaviour to avoid the consequence of pain

Question 14

AO3 for the behaviourist approach
DRMS

Answer 14

-criticised for environmental determinism
-as it states the an indiv. is controlled by external factors such as learning through association, stimulus and response that inevitably cause behaviour
-eg. Pavlov/skinner
-therefore it neglects the role of free will and choice that indiv. have which could lead them to believe that they have no control over their behaviour
-limiting the behaviourist explanation of human behaviour

-criticised for reductionism
-reduces complex human behaviour to simple basic units of eg. CC/OC
-neglects the holistic approach which would take in to account how a person’s culture and social context would influence and explain human behaviour
-may lack validity as it does not allow us to understand behaviour in context

-criticised for animal bias
-because it uses animals to investigate human behaviour
-eg. pavlov/skinner
-human behaviour may be complex than animals as they have higher mental functioning
-therefore there are issues generalising the findings of the research, casting doubt on the theory…

-praised for its scientific methods
-such as lab experiments to investigate human behaviour
-eg. Pavlov/skinner using objective/empirical techniques
-eg. Pavlov measured the amount of saliva the dogs produced during conditioning -increases the overall internal validity of the theory
-raising psychology’s status as a science

Question 15

Assumptions of the Social learning theory

Answer 15

-learning is through observing a model and imitating a model
-considers cognitive factors involved in learning behaviour so we have free will
-we learn behaviour directly or indirectly

Question 16

4 stages of observational learning

Answer 16

Identification
Imitation
Vicarious reinforcement
Modelling

Question 17

Identification definition

Answer 17

-An individual associates themselves with a role model due to similarity/status and wants to be like the role model
-Therefore a person is more likely to imitate the behaviours of these models

Question 18

imitation definition

Answer 18

an individual observes a behaviour from a role model and copies it

Question 19

vicarious reinforcement

Answer 19

If a person sees a model rewarded for a particular behaviour then it increases the chance that the observer will imitate behaviour to receive the same reward

Question 20

modelling definition

Answer 20

-The process of imitating the behaviour of a role model
-From a role models view, they are precisely showing the observer a specific behaviour to be imitated

Question 21

4 stages of mediational processes

Answer 21

Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation

Question 22

Attention definition

Answer 22

-learning occurs when they attend to a model’s behaviour
-e.g. children must observe what the model is doing in order to reproduce the models behaviour.

Question 23

Retention definition

Answer 23

-To reproduce the modelled behaviour they must store the memory of this behaviour in LTM
-Allowing the behaviour to be retrieved

Question 24

Reproduction definition

Answer 24

-Individuals must have the skills and capabilities to be confident they could reproduce the models behaviour

Question 25

Motivation definition

Answer 25

-vicarious reinforcement
or
-they identify with the model

Question 26

Bandura’s Bobo Doll study AO1

Answer 26

Aim: see whether aggressive behaviour could be learned through observation
Sample: 36 boys and 36 girls 3-5 years
Procedure: In the non-aggressive condition, the children observed the model continued to assemble the toys in a quiet manner ignoring the bobo doll.

In the aggressive condition, the children observed the model and after a minute the model started acting aggressively towards the bobo doll.

The “model” performed new aggressive behaviours not expected of children e.g. hitting it on the head with a mallet, or punching it in the nose repeatedly. Verbal aggression included shouting phrases such as “sock him in the nose.”

Question 27

AO3 of Social Learning Theory DAS+

Answer 27

-praised for going beyond the behaviourist approach and considers that humans have an element of free will in their learning. All human behaviour is a result of external causes but we also have the ability to make conscious decisions about whether or not to imitate a behaviour and who we choose to model behaviour from. Therefore the SLT expl. of human behaviour could be considered superior to approaches that take a hard determinism stance

-Practical applications. Used by the government to control how the media portray certain behaviours e.g. restricted the advertisement of cigarettes and alcohol in order to reduce this negative behaviour. Therefore, the SLT explanation of human behaviour is an important part of applied psychology as it helps to promote positive behaviours in the real world.

-A strength of the SLT explanation of human behaviour is that it uses scientific methods. Based on objective and empirical techniques such as Bandura’s Bobo Doll lab experiment, which had high control over extraneous variables such as using the same model in each condition. Therefore, it could be argued that this increases the overall internal validity of the SLT explanation of human behaviour, therefore raising Psychology’s scientific status

-An alternative explanation is the Biological explanation. This suggests that human behaviour is due to genes or hormones rather than learning through observation. For example, the Social Learning Theory underestimates the role of hormones in Bandura’s research as one consistent finding was that boys were often more aggressive than girls regardless of the situation they were in. This difference could be explained by hormones (levels of testosterone between girls and boys). Therefore the Social Learning Theory is not the only explanation of human behaviour that should be considered.

Question 28

Assumptions of humanistic psychology

Answer 28

-all humans can determine their own behaviour and have free will
-all humans have an innate need for self actualisation to reach their full potential; and will reach this provided they have the right environment
-each person is rational/conscious and not dominated by unconscious instincts
-a person’s subjective experience and understanding of the world is of greater importance to understanding the person than objective reality

Question 29

feature one of humanism: free will

Answer 29

-Humanism argues free will is possible
-Humans are self-determining so our behaviour is due to our choices
-we can reject any internal/external influences such as, genes or unconscious motives
-We have free will to make choices to enable personal change and growth so we are free to choose how we act
-Due to this, humanistic psychology are concerned with the unique/subjective experience of individuals
rather than general laws of human behaviour gained through scientific methods

Question 30

feature two of humanism: self actualisation

Answer 30

Humanism believes all humans have the need to achieve their full potential

Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs:
a range of needs a person requires for survival and growth
The more basic needs have to be met before higher needs can be achieved.

*physiological needs that are required for survival e.g. food, water and sleep
*Safety needs include having a home, security of a job and good health
*Love and belonging are linked to giving/receiving acceptance/love such as having family/friends
*Esteem needs include seeking the respect of others, achievement & self confidence
*Self-actualisation is the highest level and is not a need we seek because of something we are lacking but for personal growth

We aim to fulfil our potential and this will continue to change throughout our lives
We can move up and down the hierarchy if needs are lost

Question 31

feature 3.1 of humanism: congruence

Answer 31

-Humanism argues that for a person to achieve personal growth there needs to be a focus on the self
-Rogers suggests the concept of the self and the ideal self

PERCEIVED SELF
-This refers to how we view ourselves in terms of what I am and what I can do
-This self-concept comes from our own experiences of the world and through how other significant people (e.g. parents, peers) view us and how they treat us

IDEAL SELF
This refers to the person we feel that we should be or the person that we want to be

CONGRUENCE
Congruence occurs when there is match between your perceived self and your ideal self. If this occurs, it enables a person to show personal growth and achieve their goals

When there is a MISMATCH between the perceived and ideal self we are in a STATE OF INCONGRUENCE; they are likely to have low self-worth and poorer psychological health

Rogers would suggest a person should go through counselling to close the gap by developing a more healthy view of themselves or a more realistic or achievable ideal self

Question 32

feature 3.2 of humanism: conditions of worth

Answer 32

-If a person has issues of low self-esteem/ worthlessness in adulthood these may be a consequence of our early childhood due to conditions of worth
-In childhood, parents place limits on their love
-These conditions of worth influence the person in their development as they can believe they can only accept themselves or be happy when they reach these expectations that have been set by others, or in some cases themselves
-This can also lead to incongruence

-Counselling can help them deal with these issues as the therapist creates an environment where the person can feel
-unconditional positive regard
-The therapist must accept the client’s feelings and experiences and avoid making judgements about their value/validity
-This helps resolve the conditions of worth and help guide the client towards self-actualisation by helping them focus on their authentic self

Question 33

Humanistic psychology AO3

Answer 33

-strength is that it takes a holistic approach to explaining behaviour. It takes into account how a person’s subjective experience would influence/explain their whole behaviour.Whereas reductionist approaches such as behaviourism reduce complex human behaviour to a consequence of stimulus response associations.Therefore, humanism is seen as a more valid way of understanding human behaviour in a real life context than the more reductionist expl.

-A further strength is that it has practical applications. This is because the principles of the theory, that indiv. have the free will to choose their behaviour has revolutionised counselling techniques and has led to the treatment of Person-Centred Therapy. PCT can be used to treat abnormalities in the real world, such as depression by helping the individual to achieve congruence and self-actualise. Therefore, the humanistic expl. of human behaviour is an important part of applied psychology as it helps to treat people in the real world

-One limitation is that it is bound by culturally relativism. Many of the concepts of humanism such as self actualisation/personal growth are associated with individualistic cultures. Collectivist cultures such as India emphasise the needs of community and working as a group. Therefore it is possible that this approach does not apply universally and is limited to western cultures

Question 34

The influence of humanistic psychology on counselling

Answer 34

-Roger’s PCT is an important part of modern day counselling
-His work has transformed therapy by introducing a variety of techniques

Roger’s referred to the ‘patient’ as a ‘client’ because he saw the individual as an expert on their own condition
Therefore, PCT is NON-DIRECTIVE, and the client is encouraged to exert FREE WILL and discover solutions to their own problems

Roger’s PCT has been praised as a forward-looking therapy as it focuses on present problems rather than dwelling on the past like Psychoanalysis

The aim of PCT is to increase the person’s feeling of self-worth, reduce incongruence between the self and ideal self and ultimately help them to become a more fully functioning person

In order for the therapy to be successful, Roger’s emphasised the importance of creating a warm, supportive and non-judgemental atmosphere where the individual can achieve personal growth and congruence. To do this, the therapist must show: genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard

Roger’s PCT skills are practised in the UK and US, not only in clinical settings, but also throughout education, health and social work

Question 35

briefly evaluate the influence of humanistic psychology on counselling

Answer 35

*Forward-looking in comparison to psychoanalysis which is backward looking
*More positive as individual is ‘expert’ and has free will in comparison to psychoanalysis whereby the therapist is the ‘expert’ (directive therapy)
*Only effective on mild conditions such as, anxiety and self-esteem

Question 36

Psychodynamic approach assumptions

Answer 36

-Behaviour is due to unconscious motives
-It focuses on past experiences – especially the relationships with our parents and childhood conflicts in creating behaviour and personality
-Our understanding of ourselves is distorted by defence mechanisms

Question 37

Feature 1 Psychodynamic approach: the role of the unconscious

Answer 37

Conscious: The part of the mind that we know about and aware of

Preconscious: The part of the mind that is just below the conscious mind – and includes thoughts and ideas which we may become aware of during dreams or ‘slips of the tongue’ (Freudian slip)

Unconscious: part of the mind that contains info we are not consciously aware of such as repressed memories, protects our conscious self from anxiety, drives much of our behaviour such as our personality and behaviours

Question 38

Feature 2 Psychodynamic approach: the structure of personality

Answer 38

Tripartite: Id, ego, superego

Id: pleasure principle
-unconscious part of the mind
-present at birth
-focus is on self (selfish) and expects immediate gratification
-If this is too overpowering for the ego it can produce a selfish personality

Ego: reality principle
-rational and conscious part of the mind
-forms from 18 months to 3 years
-balances the demands to reduce conflict between the Id and Superego by using defence mechanisms

superego: morality principle
-Forms between 3-6 years
-Arises through identification with same-sex parent
-It is our internalised sense of right and wrong based on parental values
-If this is too overpowering for the ego it can produce an anxious personality or feelings of guilt

Question 39

Feature 3 Psychodynamic approach: defence mechanism

Answer 39

-Ego has a difficult job balancing the conflicting demands of the Id and Superego so it uses the defence mechanisms
-These are unconscious and stop the Ego from becoming overwhelmed with the conflicts
-However, defence mechanisms can distort a person’s reality and overuse can affect behaviour so they are not a long term solution

Question 40

Describe what is meant by the term defence mechanism?

Answer 40

Unconscious strategies that the ego uses to manage the conflict between the Id and Superego
e.g. Repression forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind

Question 41

Repression AO1

Answer 41

Forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind to the unconscious
e.g. forgetting the trauma of your favourite pet dying

Question 42

Denial AO1

Answer 42

Refusing to acknowledge an unpleasant aspect of reality
e.g continuing to turn up for work even though you have been sacked

Question 43

Displacement AO1

Answer 43

Transferring feelings from the true source of distressing emotion onto a less threatening substitute target
e.g. slamming the door after a row with your mum

Question 44

Are defence mechanisms chosen or not

Answer 44

Not chosen
Unconscious

Question 45

Feature 4 Psychodynamic approach: the psychosexual stages

Answer 45

-Freud suggests that we are born with an Id
-when we are born the Id has innate sex energy that wants satisfaction
-Therefore, Freud suggested that all children progress through 5 developmental stages as a way to explain how the Id gets sexual satisfaction from birth

-The child must resolve conflict at each stage before they can progress to the next stage
-If they do not resolve the conflict they become ‘fixated’ which can lead to certain behaviours in adulthood

Question 46

The psychosexual stages

Answer 46

Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latency
Genital

Question 47

Oral psychosexual stage

Answer 47

Gratification for the id is gained from the mouth such as from dummies, thumb sucking and the mother’s breast

Oral fixation – smoking, biting nails, sarcastic and critical in the future

Question 48

Anal psychosexual stage

Answer 48

Gratification for the id is gained from the anus such as expulsion or withholding of faeces

Anal retentive personality – perfectionist, obsessive

Anal expulsive personality – thoughtless, messy

Question 49

Phallic psychosexual stage

Answer 49

Gratification for the id is gained from exploring their own genitals

The child will need to identify with it’s same sex parent and take on their values, attitudes and behaviours to resolve the conflict at this stage

Phallic personality – narcissistic, reckless, problems with authority

Question 50

Latency psychosexual stage

Answer 50

Earlier conflicts are repressed

Question 51

Genital psychosexual stage

Answer 51

Sexual desires become conscious alongside puberty

Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 52

Psychodynamic approach AO3

Answer 52

The psychosexual stages have psychic determinism. This is because the feature suggests that an individual is controlled by external/internal factors such as fixations occurring during specific stages that inevitably cause behaviour, such as oral fixations resulting in behaviour such as smoking. Therefore, it neglects the role of free will, and choice that individuals have (suggesting free will is an illusion); this could leave individuals feeling like they have no control over their behaviour. Limiting the appropriateness of using the psychosexual stages to explain human behaviour and development

A limitation of the structure of personality is that it does not use scientific methods and therefore lacks scientific rigour. This is because the key concepts such as the unconscious and the Id, ego, superego are abstract concepts, which cannot be objectively/empirically tested and falsified – they cannot be observed objectively. Therefore, it could be argued that this decreases the overall internal validity of the psychodynamic approach expl. of the structure of personality, as well as human behaviour – which could additionally reduce Psychology’s scientific status

A strength of this is practical applications. This is because the principles of the theory, that behaviour is caused by the unconscious mind has led to the treatment of psychoanalysis, which can be used to treat abnormalities in the real world, such as depression/anxiety by dealing with conflicts hidden in the unconscious. Therefore, the psychodynamic expl. of human behaviour is an important part of applied psychology as it helps to treat people in the real world

Question 53

Assumptions of the biological approach

Answer 53

-All human behaviour is at first biological, the mind lives in the brain
-Physical factors such as our hormones, neuroanatomy, nervous system and the inheritance of genes can all explain our behaviour
-Argues that an individual’s genotype and phenotype will determine how we behave

Question 54

feature 1 biological approach: influence of genes on behaviour

Answer 54

The genetic expl. argues that behavioural characteristics such as intelligence, personality and mental illness are genetically inherited the same way as physical characteristics such as eye colour or height

Therefore, behaviours will run in families

-e.g. the genetic expl. would argue that OCD is due to the inheritance of one/many maladaptive genes e.g. SERT

-The genetic expl. would argue the closer the genetic link to someone with OCD, the greater the risk a person would inherit OCD
-The genetic probability of sharing a behaviour is measured by concordance rates.
-The higher the concordance rate found, then the stronger the evidence for a genetic basis of behaviour
-This is shown in twin studies where monozygotic twins have been found to have a concordance of 87% compared to concordance rates of 47% for dizygotic twins for OCD

Question 55

genotype definition

Answer 55

-A genotype is a specific set of genes that an indiv. has inherited from their biological parents and is unique to them
-Genotypes can give a predisposition to disorders

Question 56

phenotype definition

Answer 56

-genotype interacts with the environment
-This is how our genes are expressed through physical, behaviour and psychological characteristics
-they are observable traits or behaviours shown by an individual

-e.g. identical twins may look slightly different perhaps because one has exercised more or has dyed hair which is due to their environment

Question 57

feature 2 biological approach: influence of biological structure on behaviour

Answer 57

A biological structure is an organ, such as the brain or a system, such as the nervous system or endocrine system

You can use your knowledge of the biological explanation of OCD, biological explanation to addiction and schizophrenia

The brain is one biological structure that can influence behaviour

Abnormalities in size, shape or function in certain areas of the brain can lead to certain behaviours
e.g. the enlarged ventricles in the brain can increase the likelihood of experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia

Question 58

feature 3 biological approach: influence of neurochemistry on behaviour

Answer 58

neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger in the brain that passes info from one synapse to the other to produce behaviour/emotion
There are a range of neurotransmitters in the brain that communicate these messages, when there is an imbalance it can cause abnormal behaviour

An imbalance of the neurotransmitter dopamine has been linked with the development of Schizophrenia and an imbalance of serotonin has been associated with the development of depression, anxiety and OCD

Question 59

feature 4 biological approach: evolution and behaviour

Answer 59

Charles Darwin created a theory called natural selection.This theory suggests that any genetically determined behaviour that increases an individual’s chances of survival/reproduction will continue to be passed onto future generations (naturally selected) e.g. intelligence and aggression

This process takes places ‘naturally’ – so nobody ‘decides’ what is selected.It happens because the indiv. who possesses certain beneficial traits will have increased chances of survival and therefore will be able to pass on the beneficial traits to their offspring (reproductive success)

Evolution can explain a range of behaviours, for example aggression:
-Being aggressive will in our ancestry, have been advantageous in terms of survival and increasing reproduction
-Perhaps, because aggression would have increased their chances of gaining resources such as hunting food which would be attractive to a mate
-therefore this aggressive behaviour has been naturally selected and passed on

Research into the genetic basis of behaviour has found that one-third of men have the ‘warrior’ gene (MAOA) which has been linked to aggressive behaviour

Question 60

Biological Approach AO3

Answer 60

biological determinism. This is because the approach states that an indiv. is controlled by internal factors such as genes and neurochemicals that inevitably cause behaviour e.g OCD is due to the inheritance of one/many maladaptive genes e.g. SERT. Therefore, it neglects the role of free will, and choice that indiv. have, this could leave indiv. feeling like they have no control over their behaviour. Limiting the biological explanation of human behaviour

biological reductionism. This is because the approach reduces complex human behaviour down to simple basic units for example, genes and neurochemicals e.g. an imbalance of the neurotransmitter dopamine has been linked with the development of Schizophrenia. This neglects a holistic approach, which would take in to account how a person’s culture and social context would influence and explain human behaviour. Therefore may lack validity, as it does not allow us to understand the behaviour in context

Uses scientific methods to investigate human behaviour.It is based on objective/empirical techniques such as brain scans and gene mapping. Therefore, it could be argued that this increases the overall internal validity of the behaviourist explanation of human behaviour, therefore raising Psychology’s scientific status

Question 61

Assumptions of cognitive approach

Answer 61

-It is our mental processes that affect behaviour e.g. our thoughts, memories and perceptions and these should be studied scientifically (lab experiments) allowing inferences to be made
-The mind works like a computer in that it has input from the senses, which is processed and then produces an output such as, specific behaviour
-Argues we have schemas that drive our behaviour including what we pay attention to, how we interpret events and what we remember

Question 62

Feature 1 of cognitive approach: study of internal mental processes

Answer 62

-internal mental processes can be studied scientifically by investigating memory, perception and thinking
-The cognitive approach believes that we actively process and organise info we receive rather than respond passively to our environment, as behaviourism suggests

Cognitive psychologists suggest that our internal mental processes are ‘private’ and cannot be observed, so are studied indirectly by making inferences about what is going on inside the mind based on an individual’s behaviour

Question 63

what is meant by inferences?

Answer 63

The process where cognitive psychologists go beyond the immediate evidence to draw logical assumptions about how internal mental processes drive our behaviour
based on observed behaviour, but not directly inferred
This can be from the use of experimental procedures

Question 64

Feature 2.1 of cognitive approach: use of computer models to explain behav.

Answer 64

-Cognitive psychologists argue that the mind functions like a computer
The information-processing model applies the idea of the human mind functioning like a computer
-e.g. Info may enter the brain but how we respond/act depends upon how we process the information
The model is a three stage process which explains behaviours:

Input= We receive the Information from the environment via our senses e.g. sight, sound smell and it is encoded

Information processing= The information is now processed, we store the information as a memory

Output= The appropriate behaviour/emotion is performed or retrieval of information occurs

Question 65

Feature 2.2 of f cognitive approach: use of theoreticals models to explain behav.

Answer 65

Theoretical models are part of the assumption that the human mind is like a computer

Models can be used to provide testable theories about mental processing and these can be studied scientifically and inferences made

-Cognitive psychologists take a behaviour and look at the processes that happen ‘behind the scenes’, they will then describe this process in a series of steps.
-One important theoretical model is the Multi-Store Model which suggests that memory has separate unitary stores, each with different coding, capacites and durations and that information flows through memory in a linear way
-This theory has been studied scientifically, for example Miller used a controlled lab experiment to investigate the capacity of STM in which he used the digit span technique, adding one digit each time until participants could no longer recall the number.
-This experiment has been replicated many times and the findings that participants can recall 5-9 items has been found to be reliable, inferring that the capacity of STM is limited

Question 66

Feature 3 cognitive approach: the role of schemas

Answer 66

• Schemas are a form of internal mental processes
• They are mental representations (collection of ideas)
• That are created through unique knowledge and experience
• Held in our LTM and can include beliefs such as stereotypes
• Schemas can change through life/become more detailed through
  experience

Question 67

Why are schemas beneficial

Answer 67

Schemas are beliefs that are based on past experience which can help us to predict what might happen

Schemas help us make quick decisions, because they are a useful mental shortcut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by information from the environment

Question 68

why are schemas not beneficial

Answer 68

Schemas can cause biased recall/EWT, as we may recall what we expect to see according to our schema, rather than what we have actually witnessed

Negative schemas may make an individual vulnerable to depression

Question 69

Cognitive approach AO3

Answer 69

It is a form of soft determinism. It sees human behaviour as being caused by internal factors (internal mental processes), however, would suggest that indiv. have some choice over their behaviour (unlike the biological approach which would suggest we have no choice). This could be beneficial as indiv. may feel more in control and feel it is possible to alter these faulty thought processes e.g. in those suffering with depression, making the cognitive explanation of human behaviour a more positive approach

Uses scientific methods. The research is based on objective/empirical techniques such as brain scan techniques and lab experiments to investigate internal mental processes and inferences, which have high control over extraneous variables. This allows us to establish cause and effect between internal mental processes and behaviour. Therefore, it could be argued that this increases the overall internal validity of the cognitive explanation of human behaviour, thus raising Psychology’s scientific status

As the cognitive approach uses controlled experiments to conduct the research, this could be an issue when studying internal mental processes such as memory as the research may lack ecological validity and mundane realism as controlled settings and artificial tasks may not be representative of internal mental processes in the real world. Meaning it is difficult to generalise the research findings beyond the setting of the study to how our internal mental processes operate in everyday life reducing the external validity. This therefore weakens the support the research findings provide as a cognitive explanation of human behaviour

Question 70

explanation of cognitive neuroscience

Answer 70

-Cognitive neuroscience is scientific study of brain/neurological structures, mechanisms, processes, chemistry that are responsible for cognitive/mental/thinking processes

-This is a theory that has recently emerged as technology has advanced -enabling psychologists to use a number of brain imaging techniques, such as fMRI and PET scans
-to investigate how brain activity might underpin mental processes (memory and mental disorders)
-This is achieved by comparing people with a disorder to those without a disorder to identify the physical basis for cognitive processes in the brain

Cognitive neuroscience believes that computer models are important in understanding how individuals think

Question 71

Research example for Cognitive neuroscience

Answer 71

-Tulving’s research is one example of Cognitive Neuroscience in action
-Whilst ppts completed tasks requiring the use of their episodic and semantic memory, the use of PET scans lead Tulving to discover that different parts of the LTM are located in different areas of the brain (opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex)