Approaches Flashcards
Outline Wundt and evaluate
Father of Psychology
Founded Institute of experimental psychology, set up first lab in Germany
Published first book on psychology, establish as separate science
used introspection to study perception
+ study of mental processes through introspection paved way for cognitive psychology
- methods lacked objectivity, not scientific
- not replicable as very subjective, based on people’s feelings
- behaviourists more influential? More reliable and scientific
introspection
Systematic analysis of own conscious experience when presented with stimulus
Experience analysed in components eg emotions and sensations
Developed by Wundt
Strengths of introspection
+ first to study mental processes
+ helped establish psychology as a science
+ paved way for cognitive psychologists
limitations of introspection
- not objective, relies on peoples thoughts and feelings
- doesn’t explain how the mind works
- doesn’t provide reliable data, not replicable or scientific
arguments for psychology as a science
has same aims - to predict and understand
uses scientific methods - controlled and unbiased eg behaviourism
arguments against psychology as a science
some approaches don’t use scientific methods, use unreliable one eg interviews
findings are hard to generalise
psychological experiments open to variables such as demand characteristics
Behaviourism assumptions
All behaviour is learnt from environment
Focus on observable behaviour
Animals and humans learn the same
Observable and objective
Classical conditioning
Learning through association
Pavlov’s dogs
Pavlov
classical conditioning
rang bell when he fed dogs, learnt to associate food with bell so salivated when it was rang
NS - bell
Became CS
When paired with UCS of food
UCR - salivation
Becomes CR
Principles of classical conditioning
Generalisation - stimuli similar to CS produce CR
Discrimination- stimuli similar to CS don’t produce CR
Extinction- CS doesn’t produce CR (happens when CS is presented without UCS many times) (association gone)
Spontaneous recovery - previously extinct CR produced in response to CS (happens after a period of time)
Higher order conditioning - new CS produces CR
Operant conditioning
Learning by consequences
Positive reinforcement - receiving something desirable in response to an action
Negative reinforcement - something undesirable removed when an action is done
Both make the behaviour more likely to be repeated or not
Skinner
operant conditioning
rats in the Skinner box learnt to press lever to be given food (positive reinforcement)
also learnt to prevent an electric shock with a lever (negative reinforcement)
Little Albert
shows classical conditioning in humans
taught baby to associated loud bang (UCS) with white rats
created CR of fear when shown CS rats
generalised to white fluffy objects
unethical
lacks ecological validity
supports Pavlov
evaluation of pavlov and skinner
+ objective, controlled studies
+ real world application to treatments
- uses animals, unethical and cant be generalised
- deterministic
Strengths of behaviourism
Scientific - gave psychology credibility by making it objective (eg amount of saliva)
Real life application - used in prisons (token economy) or for phobia treatment
Limitations of behaviourism
Mechanistic view - viewers humans and animals as passive responders, like machines
Environmental determinism - produce of environment, ignores conscious decisions
Animal research - ethical issues, may lack validity, can’t generalise from dogs
Reductionist - ignores biological factors
Outline SLT
Learning though observation and imitations
Use of role models, modelling and indentification
Uses mediation all processes
Describe modelling and identification
Modelling - learning by observing and imitating a role models behaviour, requires identification with the model
Identification - pick up on certain characteristics such as age, gender and kindness
Reinforcements in SLT
Positive and negative reinforcement make the behaviour more likely to be repeated
Vicarious reinforcement - observation of consequences of someone else’s actions affects likelihood behaviour is copied, rewarded behaviour more likely to be copied
Mediational processes in SLT
Attention - have to pay attention to behaviour to copy it
Retention - need to remember what they observed
Reproduction - judge whether you have the ability to copy it
Motivation - evaluate consequences and rewards make it more or less likely
Bandura et al outline
shows how children imitate role models behaviour
- matched pairs
- 72 participants
3 conditions where children were either shown a violent role model, non aggressive or no role model playing with bobo doll
observed children’s behaviour
those exposed to aggressive role model imitated this behaviour and were more aggressive and vice versa
control slightly more aggressive than non aggressive group