Approaches Flashcards
Origins of psychology AO1
Wundt and introspection - Wundt established first psychology lab in Germany 1879 and used introspection to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations - structuralism
Standardised procedures so could be replicated, marked separation of modern scientific psychology from its broader philosophical roots
Psychology as a science -
1900s behaviourists rejected introspection - subjective and varies person to person - cant be observed and measured
1930s behaviourist approach dominated - skinner, focus on learning
1950s cognitive approach used scientific methods to study mental processes using lab studies
1990s biological approach led to technological advances
Origins of Psychology AO3
+wundts methods are scientific - recorded introspections within controlled lab environment and standardised procedures - same information and tested in same way - forerunner to later approaches!
-some aspects arent scientific - pps self report private mental processes some were subjective and didnt want to reveal thoughts - establishing general principles not possible as general laws predict future behaviour so wundts efforts naiive and doesnt meet criteria of science
+research in modern psychology can claim to be scientific - psychology has same aims as natural sciences - describe understand predict and control our world - most approaches rely on scientific methods e.g. controlled unbiased lab studies - psychology hence established as scientific discipline
-not all approaches use objective methods - humanistic approach is antiscientific and doesnt formulate general laws of behaviour - documents only unique subjective experiences, psychodynamic uses case study using interview techniques open to bias and not representative sample of pop - differences between psychology and natural sciences as scientific approach to study of human thought and experience not possible with psychology
The Learning approach: Behaviourism AO1
Introspection rejected by behaviourists as its subjective, hard to measure, only concerned with what can be observed
Measured thru controlled lab studies and non human species as they suggest processes that govern learning are the same
Classical conditioning : Pavlov
UCS - UCR Before conditioning
NS - NR
UCS + NS - UCR During conditioning
CS - CR After conditioning takes place
Operant conditioning: Skinner
Rats and pigeons in skinner cage box, when rat activated a lever it was rewarded with food, led to behaviour being repeated - behaviour shaped and maintained by consequences
Positive reinforcement - receiving reward when behaviour is performed
Negative reinforcement - behaviour that avoids something unpleasant
Punishment - unpleasant consequence that decreases that behaviour being repeated
The Learning approach: Behaviourism AO3
+behaviourism gave psychology scientific credibility - measurement of observable behaviour in controlled lab settings - emphasis on objectivity+replication - brought language and methods of natural science into psychology giving it scientific credibility
+real life applications - token economy systems, appropriate behaviour with tokens exchanged for privileges using concept of operant conditioning - has been successful in prisons - suitable for patients in psychiatric wards incapable of talking about their condition
-environmental determinism - behaviour determined by past experiences and ignores free will, skinner suggested free will as illusion is past conditioning that determines outcomes - extreme and ignores cognitive processes such as influence of conscious decision making processes on behaviour
-ethical and practical issues due to animal research - even tho high degree of controlled maintained in e.g. skinner box, ethical issues like animals exposed to stressful conditions affect how they react to situation - validity can b questioned cos observed behaviour not normal
The Learning approach: Social learning theory AO1
Bandura agreed w behaviourist approach that learning occurs thru experience but also said it occurs in social context through observation and imitation
Vicarious reinforcement - Behaviour seen to be rewarded more likely to be copied than behaviour seen to be punished
Mediational processes - first two to do w learning and last two do w performances learning and performance doesnt have to occur together like behaviourist
Attention - behaviour noticed
Retention - behaviour remembered
Motor reproduction - doing it
Motivation - will to do it
Identification w role models important
BANDURA’s RESEARCH -
Children watched aggressive and non aggressive behaviour towards bobo doll and those who saw aggression were more aggressive towards doll
Children saw adult who were rewarded, punished or neither, behaviour that was rewarded matched kids behaviour
Children imitate aggression if they see it in a role model especially if it has been rewarded !!!!!
The Learning approach: Social learning theory AO3
+SLT emphasises cognitive factors - classical/operant conditioning doesnt offer full account of human learning on its own cuz dont consider cognitive factors - humans and animals store info about behaviour of others and use this to make judgements of actions so slt provides more complete explanation thru mediational processes
-relies on lab studies too much - banduras ideas developed thru observation of children - demand characteristics - bobo doll purpose was to be hit so children may have behaved as they thought it was expected - dk how children acc learn aggression in everyday life
-underestimates biological factors - boys showed more aggression than girls in bobo doll - could be explained by testosterone levels greater in boys linked to aggression so bandura underplayed important influence of biological factors on slt
+less determinst than behaviourist approach - reciprocal determinism - we are influenced by env but we also exert influence on it thru our behaviours - element of free will in behaviour - more realistic and flexible than behaviourist - we play role in shaping our environment!
The cognitive approach: AO1
Mental processes, inference cos mental processes are private cant be directly observed, uses theoretical models information processing approach shows information flows thru stages such as input storage and retrieval, computer models that imitate human mind to test information processing ideas, schema - packages of info developed thru experience and act as mental framework, cognitive neuroscience - influence of brain structures on mental processes e.g. brain scanning techniques to describe neurological basis e.g. influence of parahippocampal gyrus on ocd
The cognitive approach AO3
+scientific and objective methods - controlled lab studies to infer cognitive processes - biology and cognitive psychology to come together so mind has credible scientific basis
-lacks external validity - can only infer mental processes thru observation so approach suffers from being too abstract and theoretical also research carried out using artificial stimuli such as recall of word lists which might not represent everyday experience
+applies to everyday life - can be applied to wide range of practical+theoretical contexts , important contribution in ai and robots which are exciting advances which will revolutionise our future
+less determinist than other approaches - soft determinism - cognitive system operates within limits but we are free to think before responding to stimuli unlike behaviourist which state we re passive slave to environment and lack free will - more realistic and flexible in freewill determinism debate and more in line with our subjective sense of free will
Biological approach AO1
Behaviour has genetic and neurochemical basis - behaviours inherited too, neurochemistry explains behaviour e.g. low levels of serotonin in ocd
Mind and body are one and same, mind lives in brain all thoughts have physical basis - unlike cognitive approach where mind separate to brain
Twin studies - concordance rates between twins to what extent they share same characteristic, higher concordance between identical MZ twins than non-identical shows genetic basis to behaviour
Geno type - genetic makeup, phenotype is way genes are expressed thru e.g. physical characteristics, expression of genotype influenced by environment - behaviour depends on nature and nurture interaction
Evolution used by biological approach - darwin natural selection - genetically determined behaviour that enhances survival and reproduction passed onto future generations - adaptive genes and give selective advantage
Biological approach AO3
+scientific methods of investigation - to investigate genetic and biological basis - uses highly precise scientific methods such as scanning techniques and drug trials to measure biological and neural processes without bias - reliable
+real life applications - increased understanding of biochemical processes of brain - development of psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders - not effective for all but revolutionised lives for many so sufferers can live normal life without being in hospital
-determinist view - human behaviour governed by internal biological causes which we have no control over - conflict w legal system cuz offenders responsible for their actions but criminal gene might be alternative explanation - negative implications for wider society as criminals may be able to find excuses for their behaviour
-difficult to separate nature and nurture - identical and non identical twins members of same family so have genetic similarities so must be genetic from biological perspective but family members being exposed to similar environmental conditions - confounding variable - findings interpreted as having more support to nurture than nature!!!!!!
Psychodynamic approach AO1
Freuds psychoanalytic theory where unconscious mind influences behav thru age related stages
Conscious - aware of, Pre conscious - memories we can recall when want, Unconscious - unaware stores biological drives and instincts
Dynamic tripartite of personality - interaction of 3 determine behav
Id - primitive part, operates on pleasure principle, Ego - reality principle mediates between id and superego, superego - morality principle - sense of right and wrong
Five psychosexual stages that must be resolved otherwise child bcoms stuck and carries behaviour to adultlife
Oral (0-1 years) - pleasure focus on mouth and mothers breast
Anal (1-3) - pleasure focus on anus
Phallic (3-5) - pleasure focus on genitals
Latency - earlier conflicts repressed
Genital (puberty) - sexual desires conscious
Oedipus complex at phallic stage - incest towards mother, hatred towards father, later they repress feelings w mother and identify with father, girls experience electra complex - penis envy
Defence mechanisms used by ego keeps id in check - repression - forces distressing memory from conscious, denial - refuses to acknowledge reality, displacement - transferring feelings onto something else
Psychodynamic approach AO3
+explanatory power - even tho freuds theory controversial and bizzare its influenced western thought - and explains wide range of behaviours and draw attention to influence of childhood - dominant approach w behaviourist in first half of 20th century
-lacks scientific credibility - popper argued it doesnt meet scientific criteria of falsification it cant be proved or disproved - concepts like oedipus complex and id are untestable concepts as they occur on unconscious level - pseudo fake science
-psychic determinism - all behaviour determined by unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood - even slip of tongue can have symbolic meaning and is driven by unconscious forces - extreme determinism - no free will
-case study used by freud criticised - used small cases e.g. little hans - cant make universal claims on humans using a little sample - interpretations subjective and unlikely other researchers drew same conclusions - lacks scientific rigour unlike other approaches even tho his observations were detailed and recorded carefully
Humanistic approach AO1
Free will - subjective than general laws of science
Maslows hierarchy of needs - self actualisation at top - innate tendency to achieve our full potential and be the best we can be, 4 lower levels must be met before individual can work towards self actualisation
Focus on self
Rogers argues self actualisation needs self to be congruent with ideal self
Parents who impose conditions of worth prevent self actualisation so worthlessness and low self esteem have roots in childhood
In Rogers therapy, client should be provided with genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard to increase congruence between self and ideal selfs and feelings of worth - influence on counselling psychology
Humanistic approach AO3
+anti-reductionist - stops behaviour broken into smaller components - holistic view - subjective experience understood by considering whole person - more valid - considers meaningful human behaviour
-low scientific credibility - vague ideas that are abstract and difficult to test e.g. self actualisation - rogers tried to introduce more rigour through q sort - objective measure of progress in therapy - anti scientific - short on evidence
+praise for promoting positive image of human condition - ppl have free will and freedom to change whereas freud saw humans as slaves to their past - humanistic approach offers a refreshing optimistic alternative
-western cultural bias - many ideas such as individual freedom more associated with individualistic cultures such as us - collectivist cultures like india emphasise needs of group so may not identify with humanistic approach - product of cultural context within which it was develop not generalisable to all cultures
Comparison of Approaches
Nature Nurture -
Behaviourist: tabula rasa blank state beh learnt through experiences and conditioning
SLT: beh due to nurture experiences and observation and imitation learning
Cognitive: information processing thru innate schemas, refined by experience - both, processing based more on env, experience so nurture
Biological: inborn and innate factors ie genes, brain structures, neurotrans, ocd explained thru imbalance of serotonin, phenotypes bring behaviours due to genes+env, epigenetics - ext - changes in gene expression - nurt too?
Psychodynamic: nat-beh due to innate drives, nur-shaped by childhood exp tripartite-moral beh-due to innate desires, superego develop-parentalrelship
Humanistic: nur-self actualisa shaped by env, rogers-parents condition of worth and unconditional positive regard affects ability to self actualis,nat-humanists see self actuali as innate tendency we have-interactionist approa?
Idiographic Nomothetic-
Behaviourist: nomo-investigates similarities in beh to produce general laws - quantitative data- ie skinner box op conditioning - quantitative data-behav of rat from which general princip of how behav learnt+maintained thru conseq established
SLT: nomo- general laws ie behav vicariously reinforced liekly to be repeat-bandura bobo dolls-controlled obs,quantitativedata-shared process in learning generalised to all
Cognitive: general laws of cognitive processing- comput models compared to ppl, diff thoughts but generalis cog processes msm general principle to how memory works generalised to all- memory studied using lab exp-quantitative dat-but idio approach thru case studies ie hm and kf
Biological: nomo- brain scans-quantit data-general laws about specific parts of brain to specific roles ie brocas area for speech prod, share similar physiologies explain variation in beh
Psychodynamic: general laws on unconscious processes but investigate individuals and unique childhood exp ie, psychosexual stages of development generalised and fixation applied to determine adult beh, case studies ie little hans collecting subjective, qualit data
Humanistic: idio-recognises unique, subjective nature of indivs psychologists would see no merit,interest in generalising results to other, nomo-hierachy of need, self actualisa - generalis to everyone
