Approaches Flashcards
Define psychology
The study of the human mind and behaviour
What was Wundt’s nickname and why did he earn it?
‘The father of psychology’ as he set up the first experimental laboratory in Leipzig in 1879
What was Wundt’s experiment?
Introspection- participants would focus on something such as a ticking metronome and report their thoughts, emotions,experiences and sensations.
What are the strengths of introspection?
S- high reliability- controlled measures used so procedure can be replicated
S- paved the way for psychology- lead to new approaches like behaviourism that used lab studies.
What are the weaknesses of introspection?
L- highly subjective and unreliable- believed that behaviours can only be measured when observed, which goes against Wundt’s study
L-low reliability- demand characteristics a problem as experiment was conducted in a lab
What are the basic assumptions of behaviourism?
-all behaviour is learned from experience
-behaviour can only be measured through observation
-not concerned with what happens in the mind
-lab studies are used
-animals thought to share the same principles as humans
What was Pavlov’s experiment on dogs research for?
Classical conditioning
How was classical conditioning carried out by Watson and Rayner (1920)
Little Albert the mouse and the hammer
What are the three types of reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Punishment
What are two strengths of the behaviourist approach?
S- highly scientific- lab studies were used which are very controlled
S- real world application- used in prisons and psychiatric facilities for reward systems to improve inmates behaviour
What are the limitations of the behaviourist approach?
L- mechanistic view of human behaviour- doesn’t take into account the processes in the mind of a human and their thoughts
L- doesn’t take free will into consideration- skinner said free will is an ‘illusion’ which is too simplistic
L- ethical issues- animals tested on and treated very badly
What is the social learning theory?
The belief that humans learn behaviour through the observation and imitation of role models
What are the two key assumptions of the SLT?
-all behaviour is learned from the environment and genetics play no part
-behaviour is learned from the observation of others behaviour and the reinforcement they receive
What is vicarious reinforcement?
When a person is more or less likely to do something depending on the type of reinforcement somebody else receives from doing that thing
Strengths of the bobo doll experiment
S- children cannot show demand characteristics
S- highly controlled- matched pairs design etc
Weaknesses of the bobo doll experiment
L- sample bias- all participants were white and middle class
L- only tested on a doll so doesn’t replicate real life.
What are the four meditational processes?
Attention, retention, motor reproduction, motivation
What are two strengths of the SLT?
S- can explain differences in cultural behaviours, explains how children take inspiration from role models so they will act like their superiors
S-supporting evidence- cook and mineka showed a monkey a video of a monkey being attacked by a snake and then the monkey wouldn’t approach food if a fake snake was present.
What are two weaknesses of SLT?
L- lab studies- most of supporting evidence done in labs so demand characteristics etc are a problem
L- ignores biological factors- higher levels of testosterone could affect bobo doll experiment
What are the basic assumptions of the cognitive approach?
-focuses on how people interpret information
-looks at internal mental processes to understand behaviour
-thought processes should be studied scientifically.
-thoughts studied indirectly through inferences
What is inference?
Making a logical assumption based of previously known info
What are two strengths of schema?
-helps us to process info quickly
-stop us from being overwhelmed by new environments
What are two weaknesses of schema?
-can distort interpretations of things
-can lead to bias and irrational thinking
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The study of how the brain structure affects internal process, and therefore behaviour
How is cognitive neuroscience carried out?
Using PET and fMRI scans
What are two strengths of the cognitive approach?
S- reliable and objective data- lots of highly controlled lab studies used such as memory tests
S- real world application- used to develop AI and CBT through fixing negative thought patterns to treat depression
What are two weaknesses of the cognitive approach?
L- lab studies used- demand characteristics more of a problem and stimuli used are artificial and lack mundane realism (word lists etc)- relies on inferences which can make it appear too subjective
L- machine reductionism- research shows emotion impacts our ability to process info, this is not considered in the.CA
What are the basic assumptions of the biological approach?
-all thoughts,emotions etc have physical basis
-uses twin studies, blood tests, brain scanning and animal studies
What are monozygotic twins?
Identical twins that share 100% of their DNA
What are dizygotic twins?
Non identical twins that share 50% of their DNA (same as normal siblings)
What is concordance rate?
The rate of probability that two people with the same genes will develop the same organic disease
How can the expression of a genotype be altered?
By environmental factors. For example, skin colour and weight
Why do infants have an innate drive to form attachments?
Evolution- because they are vulnerable so if they form an attachment with a care giver they can be protected
Why do people inherit phobias?
Evolution- come from ancestors who had a traumatic experience as a defense mechanism
What are two strengths of that biological approach?
S- very scientific- PET, fMRI scans and twin studies provide reliable objective data.
S-real world application- lead to medication to help people with schizophrenia and depression
What are the limitations of the biological approach?
L- too reductionist- very simplistic and ignores the role of environment and emotions on behaviour
L- cannot differentiate between nature and nurture- could be argued twins are similar due to being bought up in the same environment
L- ‘criminal gene’ could create problems for society
What are the basic assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
-a person is seen as constantly changing (‘dynamic’)
-the unconscious and childhood experiences are key in shaping personality
What’s in the unconscious mind?
Fears, unacceptable sexual desires, selfish needs, violent motives etc
Describe the Id
Present at birth
Acts on pleasure principle
Demands instant gratification
Stays in unconscious mind
Describe the ego
Develops at age 2-3
Acts on the reality principle
The ‘judge’
Employs defence mechanisms
Delays gratification of the Id
Describe the superego
Develops around age 5
Acts on morality principle
Makes us feel guilt
Gives us morals
What are the three defence mechanisms?
Repression, displacement, denial
What are the psychosexual stages and when do they occur?
Oral- 0-1
Anal- 1-3
Phallic- 3-5
Latency- 5-puberty
Genital- puberty onwards
What are the conflicts of each psychosexual stage?
Oral- weaning, especially breast feeding
Anal- toilet training
Phallic- Oedipus or Electra complex
Latency- represses earlier conflicts, defense mechanisms
Genital- sexual desires become conscious
What happens if there is an unresolved issue at the oral stage?
Oral fixation- smoking, nail biting, sarcasm
What happens if there is an unresolved issue at the anal stage?
Anally retentive- perfectionist, obsessive
Analysts expulsive- thoughtless, messy
What happens if there is an unresolved issue at the phallic stage?
Phallic personality- narcissistic, reckless, possible homosexuality
What happens if there is an unresolved issue at the latency stage
Nothing
What happens if there is an unresolved issue at the genital stage
Struggle to form healthy heterosexual relationships
What is the electra complex?
When a girl develops and unconscious, sexual love for her father during the phallic stage and becomes hostile towards her mother.
This comes from the girl believing she was castrated in the womb and blames the mother for this and develops ‘penis envy’
How does a girl overcome the electra complex?
They IDENTIFY with their mother, and takes on her morals and attitudes. This leads to her developing a superego
What is the Oedipus complex?
When during the phallic stage a boy becomes sexually attracted to their mother, and is jealous of his fathers relationship with her.
The boy is worried is worried the father will find out about this attraction and castrate the boy
How does a boy overcome thr the Oedipus complex?
To cope with the anxiety he IDENTIFIES with the father, and takes on his morals and attitudes
This causes the boy to develop a superego
The boy substitutes his love of his mother for love of other women.
What is supporting evidence for the Oedipus complex?
Little hans was particularly sacred of white horses with black spots and blinkers and black harnesses which mirror his father who had glasses and a moustache.
What are two strengths of the psychodynamic approach?
S- had a big influence on modern psychology- Freud was the first to link between childhood experiences and later behaviour. This lead to people understanding mental illnesses and phobias better so they could do something about it.
S- practical applications- Freud was one of the first to attempt to diagnose mental disorders by analysing the mind of the patients. This lead to lead to the creation of psychoanalysis as a therapy.
What are limitations of the psychodynamic approach?
L- relies on case study method- a lot of the research for this theory came from little Hans who may have just been a unique individual. This means it has poor generalisability and would be hard to replicate.
L- very unscientific- been called a ‘pseudoscience’ as it doesn’t meet the scientific criteria of falsification as it cannot be proved wrong. This is because the theory relies on the unconscious so they cannot be proven- it also relies on subjective opinion
What are the basic assumptions of the humanistic approach?
- focuses on the ‘right’ about people, so is considered a positive approach
- believes in free will (holism) (not deterministic)
- emphasises the importance of the individual striving towards personal growth and fulfilment
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Emphasises the importance of personal growth and fulfilment.
Each level must be fulfilled before moving onto the next.
Go through the hierarchy from top to bottom
Self actualisation
Esteem (confidence, respect)
Love/belonging (friends, family)
Safety (employment, body)
Physiological needs (water, food)
What is a limitation of that hierarchy of needs?
L- cultural differences- Nevis did a study in China which showed that self actualisation referred more to serving the community rather than personal development. individualistic vs collectivist cultures
What are Rogers ‘two selves’
The self concept
The ideal self
What is the ‘self-concept’
The self you feel you are- this is affected by our self esteem. This develops in childhood as a result of interactions with parents and later on peers
What is the ‘ideal self’
The self you wish you were
What is congruence?
When a persons self concept and ideal self are similar. This is very difficult to achieve
What did rogers believe about Self actualisation
To achieve this a person must be congruent.
What did rogers believe about the role of parents in congruency
He believes the lack of unconditional positive regard (always viewing someone as a good person even if they do something bad) from parents can cause low self esteem. Which can stop someone becoming congruent later in life
What did Harter (1996) find?
Someone who suffers from CONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD are more likely to display ‘false self behaviour’ to meet others expectations. People who do this are more likely to suffer with depression
what are the limitations of the humanistic approach
low internal validity- relies on highly subjective self-report measures and uses no highly controlled variables
lack of real world application- therapy claims it promotes 'personal growth' but it is hard to sjhow the therapy caused this. life events can occur during therapy which highly effect results. being able to establish cause and effect is a key part of making psychology a science- shows it is unscientific
hard to measure- hard to measure concepts such as self worth or congruence as they cannot be objectively measured on a numerical scale etc
what three categories did Wundt divide his observations into
thoughts
images
sensations
why does wundts experiment have good internal validity
the stimuli were presented to every participant in the same way and in the same order
done in a lab so no extraneous variables
why is SLT seen as accounting for cognitive role in learning (AO3)
meditational processes.
bandora- 'from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.
behaviourist approach doesn't explain enough about behaviour on their own
Why can SLT be seen as too simplistic (AO3)
Ignores biological factors- bandora thought learning was determined by environment. research shows importance of mirror neurons in observational learning.
what is the most important theoretical model in cognitive approach
information processing approach- input, storage, retrieval shows how information flows through cognitive system.
what is the difference between theoretical and computer models
computer- concrete
theoretical- abstract
what has cognitive neuroscience led to
understanding types of memory (Buckner and Peterson)
link between parahippocampal gyrus and OCD
'brain fingerprinting'
future application- see if Eye witnesses are being truthful by their brain wave patterns.
what have computer and theoretical m models led to
development of 'thinking machines'- AI
what are the real world applications of cognitive approach (ao3)
AI
CBT
improved EWT
why can cognitive psychology be seen as too abstract (ao3)
focus on inferring mental processes instead of actual observation (John Locke)
uses research with artificial stiumli like word lists.
what proves cognitive psychology suffers from machine reductionism (ao3)
anxiety's effect on EWT
what are the four parts of the biological approach
neurochemical explanations
genetic explanations
genotype and phenotype
evolution of behaviour
what re examples of neurochemical effects on behaviour
low serotonin in OCD
high dopamine in schizophrenia
what re used to measure genetic influence on behaviour
twin studies
what is contradictory evidence for the biological approach (ao3)
cipriani compared 21 antidepressants and found a wide variety of effectiveness, concluded that antidepressants are 'mainly modest' meaning there must be other causes for depression
what does the ego play a part in developing
defence mechanisms
(repression, denial, replacement)
what shows the psychodynamic approach doesn't have good real world application.
psychoanalytical therapy only works for mild disorders and dopant help and can harm those with disorders such as schizophrenia as they cannot articulate their thoughts.
why is the humanistic approach an example of a 'person centred approach'
believes everyone has free will and are individual and different so psychology should look at subjective experience not general laws.
what did rogers develop to close gap between self concept and ideal self
client-centred therapy (counselling)
what did rogers believe caused low self esteem
conditional positive regard from parents
why is the humanistic approach not reductionist (ao3)
advocates holism where the whole person can be used to interpret subjective experience. may give it more validity than reductionist approaches as it considers meaningful human behaviour in a real world context
why is the humanistic approach positive (ao3)
brings the person back into psychology. sees people as good and focuses on self Improvement. contrasts approaches like psychodynamic where people are seen as prisoners of the past.
what are the 5 ways to compare approaches
views on development
nature vs nurture
reductionism
determinism
explanation and treatment of psychological disorders
