approaches

Question 1

hint: 8 included

order of approaches. old to newest.

Answer 1

wundt “introspection”
Freud “psychoanalysis”
Watson and skinner “behaviourist”
rodger and maslow “humanist”
Elizabeth Loftus “cognitive”
Bandura “Social Learning Theory (SLT)
Darwin “Biological”
“Cognitive Neuroscience”

Question 2

who is Wilhelm wundt?

(marks 2-3)

Answer 2

Wundt is considered the father of psychology, as he deviated psychology from its originator: philosophy, and established itself as its own creditable subject; by utilising scientific methods and minimising extraneous variables.

Question 3

what did Wundt do?

Answer 3

• opened the first psych lab in Leipzig, Germany
• developed ‘introspection’, investigating consciousness and awareness
• wrote the first psychology textbook
• introduced empirical methods to psychology - crediting it as a science

Question 4

what is introspection?

Answer 4

The study and reflection of one’s own cognitive and emotional processes

Question 5

What are the features of a science?

scientific proccess (includes 6)

Unsure if this will be questioned, but it is better to know them for evaluation points

Answer 5

predictability, control, falsifiability, replicability, objective, generalisibility

P.C.F.R.O.G

Falsifiability: The only way to prove a theory is correct is to find evidence to (sufficient) disprove it
Karl Popper (1934) “No matter how many instances of white swans we may have observed, this does not justify the conclusion that all swans are white”

Question 6

Psychodynamic

What are the main assumptions of the Psychodynamic approach?

hint: At least 4

Answer 6

• began with Sigmund Freud
• Our behaviour is driven by unconscious motives
• childhood is a critical period in development
• mental disorders arise from unsolved, unconscious conflicts originating in childhood

Question 7

Psychodynamic

What is Freud’s Tripartite Model of Personality ?

Answer 7

freud suggestsed we have three characters within our mind.

Id (the pleasure principle) - “I want it now!”
Ego (reality principle) - “i need to do a bit of planning to decide” - reduces the conflict between id and superego
Superego (morality principle) - “You can’t have it, it’s not right”

Question 8

Psychodynamic - Tripartite Model of Personality

Are we Born with an Ego?

Answer 8

Id is present at birth - a newborn baby is selfish
Ego at age 2 - child becomes aware that other people have feelings and it can’t always have its way
Superego at age 5 - a sense of morality is passed on by parents (mainly same-sex parent)

Question 9

Psychodynamic - Tripartite model of the mind

What is Freud’s Tripartite Model of the Mind ?

hint: 3

Answer 9

Conscious: the part of the mind we are aware of
Subconscious: thoughts and memories not accessible at all times, but easily recalled in dreams
Unconscious: deep, shameful part. Biological drive and instincts; full of repressed threatening thoughts, memories and feelings.

Question 10

Psychodynamic - tripartite model of personality

What is evidence of tripartite model of the Mind?

Answer 10

“Freudian slip”/ parapraxes

E.g. Calling your teacher mum

Question 11

Psychodynamic

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 11

The mind defending itself from the constant disagreements of the id, ego and superego.

Question 12

Psychodynamic

What are examples of defence mechanisms?

hint: 3

Answer 12

Repression - forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind
Denial - refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality
Displacement - transferring feelings from source of distressing emotion onto a substitution target

Question 13

Psychodynamic - Psychosexual stages

What are “Psychosexual stages”?

Answer 13

Freud suggested there are 5 stages of development that we need to individually progress and work on in order to develop.

Question 14

Psychodynamic - psychosexual stages

What are the psychosexual stages in order?

hint: 5 stages | Orange Apple Pear LemonGrass

Answer 14

Oral (0-1) oral activities such as chewing, sucking
Anal (1-3) potty training
Phallic (3-5) repressed sexual desires like the Oedipus and electra complex
Latency (6-puberty) children spend more time and interact mostly with same sex peers
Genital (11+ years/ puberty onwards) attracted to opposite sex peers

Question 15

Psychodynamic A03

3 evaluation + counter points of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 15

+ ^^ generalisability for explaining behaviour - wide range including gender, personality and abnormal development. Has a GREAT influence in 21st Century
+ ^ ecological validity, used in therapies to access the unconscious e.g. psychoanalysis, dream analysis and free association.
BUT it is very reductionist to limit human behaviour to 3 characteristics e.g. ID, Ego. Superego.
+ used case studies like little hand to prove the Oedipus complex. Conducted observations, recording them accurately, which provided rich detailed and valid data.
BUT it cannot be tested empirically as it very difficult to prove wrong (falsifiability).
BUT case studies are unique (idiographic vs nomothetic approach) and therefore cannot be applied to the wider population.

Question 16

Behaviourist

What are the main assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 16

• Focuses on measurable observable behaviour
• Introduction of more control and objectivity; more lab studies
• Believe that basic processes apply to all species and therefore animals are used in experiments

Question 17

Behaviourist - Classical conditioning

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 17

A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired. The response is initially elicited by the second stimulus, until it is elicited by the first stimulus alone.

Question 18

Behaviourist - Classical conditioning

Name a psychologists animal study
into classical conditioning (include their findings).

Answer 18

Ivan Pavlov.
He noticed that food would elicit salivating in a dog (unconditioned response), and after presented a tuning fork (neutral stimulus), which produced no salivation. After pairing the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus together several times (which elicited an unconditioned response), the dog would begin salivating at the sound of the tuning fork alone. The salivation had now become a conditioned response to a conditioned stimulus, the tuning fork.

Question 19

Behaviourist - Classical conditioning

Name a psychologists human study done on classical conditioning (including their findings).

Answer 19

Watson and Raynor.
Little Albert would cry (unconditioned response ) at a loud sound produced (unconditioned stimulus), but would show no fear towards a white rat (neutral stimulus).
After pairing the loud noise with the rat repeatedly, Little Albert would cry (conditioned response) at the sight of the white rat (conditioned stimulus).

Question 20

Behaviourist - Operant conditioning

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 20

A process where animals and humans learn to behave in a way as to obtain reward and avoid punishment.

Question 21

Behaviourist - Operant conditioning

Name a psychologists animal study done on operant conditioning (include their research).

hint: 4 definitions.

Answer 21

BF skinner.
Suggested that learning is an active process controlled by the consequences of behaviour.
Skinner placed a hungry rat in a box and while exploring the environment the rat accidentally pressed the lever and receiver food pellets (rewards). The rat repeatedly pressed the lever as a result, this is known as positive reinforcement.
Skinner would also play loud unpleasant noises which would only be stopped by pressing the lever, increasing the lever pressing this is known as negative reinforcement.
Skinner would also electrically shock the rat if they pressed the lever, leading to a decrease of decrease lever pressing this is known as punishment.
He also found that learning could be extinguished if a reinforcement was removed. The rat would unlearn the connection between the lever and rewards.

Question 22

Behaviourist

Name an application of behaviourism used in the real world.

Answer 22

Gambling.
Reinforcement is only given after an unpredictable number of responses produced (e.g. only receiving the reward, 10,12,13 times after the lever is pressed). This prolongs the behaviour and makes it less likely to extinguish.

Question 23

Behaviourist A03

Evaluate Behaviourism as an approach, and give counter points in response.

bonus: give 4 real world applications

Answer 23

• Behaviourism is conducted on observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings.
  BUT how can we generalise animal studies to the complexity of human behaviour (we are not passive responders to our environment - we have conscious thoughts)
• Emphasised importance of objectivity and replication.
• Gave psychology greater credibility + status as a science.
  BUT the behaviourist approach argues that all past behaviour is as a result of conditioning. How much of our behaviour are we able to control? (Free will vs determinism).

Applications:
Token economies (prisons and psychiatric wards)
Treatment of phobias
Gaming
Gambling