Approaches Flashcards
Who turned psychology into a science
Wundt
What is introspection
The process by which a person gains knowledge about their inner mind through examining their conscious thoughts and sensations
Participants asked to self report
How did Wundt contribute towards the emergence of psychology as a science
His work established psychology as an independent branch of science
He inspired new psychological approaches that enables the mind and behaviour to be studied scientifically
Useful for collection data on human experiences
How does the behaviourist approach explain behaviour
We are born a blank slate and everything is learnt through classical and operant conditioning
What is classical conditioning
Learning through association
An unconditioned stimulus gives an unconditioned response
This paired with a neutral stimulus
Conditioned stimulus gives conditioned response
Explain research into classical conditioning
Pavlovs dog
Dog has reflex to salivate when they see food
Pavlov rang a bell each time dog gets food repeatedly
Dog eventually salivated just when the bell rang and no food was present
Dog had associated sound of bell with food and responded in same way to bell as they do to food
What is operant conditioning
Learning through consequences of our behaviour
Positive reinforcement - if we are rewarded we are more likely to continue to behave in thag way
Negative reinforcement - if we do something to avoid something unpleasant to us we are more likely to keep behaving that way
Explain research into operant conditioning
Skinners rat
Rat in a box with a lever, would press lever by chance and get a food pellet. This positive reinforcement made ray learn to keep pressing lever
Variation - light would signal and followed by electric shock, rat learnt pressing lever would stop electric shock this is negative reinforcement
Evaluate the behaviourist approach explenation of behaviour
Supportive evidence - Skinner and Pavlov research showed positive and negative reinforcement can bring about learning of behaviour.
Weakness - assumes people respond in a simplistic manner based solely upon the experiences they had. It assumes humans have little or no conscious awareness of insight into their behaviour. Findings may be more applicable to animal behaviour instead of humans
Behaviourist approach considers humans to have no free will, whereas many psychologists think humans do have the capacity to make conscious desicions so think behaviourist approach is not a good way of explaining behaviour
Practical applications - classical and operant conditioning led to an explenation for phobias which lead to therapy’s such as systematic desensitisation where someone with a phobia learns to associate the object they fear with relaxation and calmness
What comes under social learning theory
Vicarious reinforcement
Mediational processes
Whether behaviour is imitated
How did Bandura explain learning
Individuals can learn indirectly by observing behaviour - social learning theory
Individuals observe with someone they identify with (someone we associate ourselves with or our role models)
If this person gets rewarded for their behaviour the observer experiences vicarious reinforcement through watching the direct enforcement happen to the role model
The individual imitates the observer which is called modelling and experiences direct enforcement which means a behaviour is more likely to continue
What is vicarious reinforcement
Watching a role model we identify with get rewarded for certain behaviour
What are the mediastinal processes
Come between stimulus and response
Determines whether a person will imitate the behaviour or not
Attention
Retention
Motor reproduction
Motivation
What was Bandura research into learning theory
Bandura bobo doll
One group of children observed adults punch and hit a bobo doll
Another group observed the adults play in a non aggressive manner with the bobo doll
Children who had observed aggressive behaviour were more likely to be aggressive
CTITICISED BECAUSE NO REWARD
Children watched video of adults be aggressive to bobo doll and get rewarded, another watched an adult get punished for aggressive behaviour, a control group saw no praise or punishment
Group who watched most aggressive role model get praised where more likely to be aggressive
Evaluate Bandura RESEARCH
Strength - used lab experiments, standardised procedures and high control
Criticism - conclusions lack accuracy, children put in strange situation exposed to unusual behaviour. Bobo dolls are designed to be hit and knocked over so children may have assumed that’s what they were meant to do. Children’s behaviour may be due to demand characteristics
Ethical issues - the aggressive behaviour may have stayed with them for some time after the study. Children could not consent so their parents did but children could not withdraw and were not debriefed after. If could be argued benefits of society outweighed risk of children involved as this study important contribute to debate of censorship in tv films and video games
Evaluate social learning theory
S - fuller explanation of behaviour than classical & operant conditioning as encompasses role of thinking process. Stronger explenation, may argue it is more accurate
C - ignores biological factors. In bobo doll studies boys were more aggressive than girls regardless of situation they was in. Suggests behaviour such as aggression is influenced by biological factors, which theory does not acknowledge. SLT neglects important factors, weakens explenation
S - leas deterministic as role of meditational processes means individuals have some conscious input. Psychologists prefer explanations where humans actively create desicions making tbis a better explenation
P - practical application for reducing behaviour such as aggression by not reinforcing it in the media or censoring films and games with age restrictions, or showing negative consequences of violence rather than reward to help reduce violent crimes
Basic assumptions of cognitive approach
Way we think influences our behaviour
We are like information processors similar to computers
Describe cognitive approach and internal mental processes
Cognitive approach focuses on mental processes such as perception thinkinf and memory through inferences
Many times we do not know ourselves what thought processes we have so could not use introspection
describe the role of the schema - cognitive
Schema is a set of beliefs, knowledge and expectations developed from our experiences which influences our mental processes
Schemas help us deal with lots of incoming information quickly and efficiently without having to think about it all separately
Schemas can be used to understand mental disorders such as depression - depressed people may have negative schemas
Schemas can be used to explain memory - eyewitness to a violent crime might recall perpetrator as male even if it’s female because of schema expectations
Fill in gaps in memory of what we would expect to happen
What is a theoretical model
Presentation of how cognitive approach believes mental processes operate.
Often presented in diagrams showing how components fit together
e.g multi-store model of memory
Scientific approach as each part of model can be tested.
Model had scientific credibility as providing explanation as model is falsifiable - central feature of science
What are computer models - cognitive
Analogy of the mind as a computer as assumes mind has same functions as a computer
Information processor
Input processing output
Computer models is consistent adopting a scientific approach. Use lab experiments to present different inputs ‘stimuli’ and record the output ‘response
How do cognitive psychologists use inferences
Theoretical models and computer models.
Go beyond immediate evidence to draw conclusions.
Experiments test ideas in models to produce behaviour which is used to infer mental processes
Cognitive psychologists make inferences of cognitive functioning as mental processes cannot be directly observed
4 evaluation points cognitive approach
Supportive evidence for notion of mental illness. Grazioli and Terry 65 preggers ladies
Weakness - rely too much on inferences. Science expects direct evidence no interpretation needed. Not empirical objective evidence
Weakness - too mechanistic. Too much like computers doesn’t account emotions + motivation (e.g emotion witnessing a crime)
Strength - CBT & Cognituve interview prac app
