Approaches Flashcards
Introspection
the first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking conscious awareness into basic structure of thoughts images and sensations.
Psychology
is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions especially those functions affecting behaviours in given context.
Wundt and introspection
Wundts objective was to document and describe the nature of humans consciousness .
introspect involved people ‘looking into ‘ their own mental and emotional states to gain knowledge about themselves
who was the founder of the psychodynamic approach
Sigmund Freud
what are the three parts of the unconscious mind in the ice berg model
Conscious mind - tip of the iceberg
Preconscious mind - looking into water you can see some of the ice berg
Unconscious mind -the part of the ice berg were unable to see .
conscious mind
is the small amount of mental activity we know about .
E.g thoughts , perception , memories , stored knowledge
Preconscious mind
Memories we could be aware of if we tried
E.g fears, unacceptable sexual desires , violent motions , irrational wishes
unconscious mind
Memories we are unaware of
E.g selfish needs , shameful experiences , traumatic experiences
what are the different parts of the structure of personality
Id ( instincts ) , Ego ( reality ), Superego ( morality )
what is the Id
the primitive part of our personality .
present at birth and forms up until 18 months
operates on pleasure principles - id gets what it wants
its entirely selfish and demands instant gratification of its needs .
what is the ego
develops between 18 months and 3 years .
it operates on reality principle and is the mediator between the id and super ego
does this through defence mechanisms . these offer the ego protection to ensure that neither “ force “ is dominant .
what is the superego
its our internalised sense of right and wrong .
develops between 3 to 6 years and is formed at the end of the phallic stage .
Operates on the morality principle -it represents the moral standard of the child’s same sex parent and punished the ego of the wrong doing .
strives for the ego ideal which is determined by strict parenting .
name the types of Defence mechanisms
Repression
Denial
Displacement
Repression
blocking of an unpleasant memory .
Denial
refusal to accept reality
Displacement
redirecting of emotions onto others objects or people
psychosexual stages
instincts drive our unconscious mind so dictate the stages we experience . underlying drive Is sexual - pleasure comes from the release of tension due to a build up of sexual energy .
name the 5 stages of the psychosexual stages
Oral ( 0-1 )
Anal ( 1-3)
Phallic ( 3 -5 )
Latency
Genital
What is the behaviourist approach
A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning by association. Occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together.
what is the process of classical conditioning
unconditioned response triggers an involuntary response
- neutral stimulus is presented with unconditioned response
- Comes to automatically trigger a conditioned response
- The neutral response becomes a conditioned stimulus
who investigated classical conditioning
Pavlov
what is operant conditioning
A form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences. Possible consequences of behaviour include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment.
What is reinforcement?
A consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated. Can be positive or negative.
What is positive reinforcement?
Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed
What is negative reinforcement?
avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus that would be viewed as a punishment.
who investigated operant conditioning
Skinner
what did skinner suggest
Learning is an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment
what is social learning theory
A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors.
what are the assumptions of Social learning theory
1- Behaviour is learned from the environment.
2- Behaviour can be learnt directly through classical and operant conditioning .
3- Behaviour can also be learnt indirectly through observing others.
what are the rules of social learning theory
There must be a role model for an observer to watch . these role models provide examples of behaviour that can be observed and later reproduced through imitation.
what is imitation dependent on
The reinforcement that the model receives . if a role model receives positive reinforcement an observer will likely imitate behaviour as they want to be rewarded too. if the role model experiences punishment observer is less likely to imitate the behaviour as they don’t want to be punished.
What is vicarious reinforcement?
Reinforcement that’s not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour.
what are the 4 internal mediational processes
1- Pay attention to the behaviour
2- They must retain the behaviour
3- Behaviour must be able to be reproduced by the observer
4- They must be motivated to preform the behaviour which is based on vicarious reinforcement.
what is attention and retention
relate to the learning of behaviour .
Attention - is the extent to which we notice certain behaviours.
Retention- how well a behaviour is remembered .
What is motor reproduction?
The ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
what must happen for a role model to be remembered
the individual need to identify with the role model.
What was the aim of Bandura’s study?
to demonstrate that aggression can be learned through modelling.
what was the method of bandura study
72 children aged between 3 and 6 years old were put into one of three groups for 10 minutes . all groups had an even number of boys and girls. half saw male models half saw female models.
Aggressive model- played in a room while an adult hit and shouted at a Bobo doll
Non-aggressive - played in a room while an adult played quietly with a construction set
Control - did not see a model
later children were observed while they spent 20 minutes alone in a room with a range of aggressive and non aggressive toys including the bobo doll .
what was the conclusion of the bandura study
Aggression can be learned through modelling .
name the similarities and differences between the behaviourist approach and SLT
Differences-
SLT recognises that the learner plays an active role in their learning .Behaviourist assumes that a learner simply responds passively to its environment.
Similarities -
both acknowledge that learning comes via experience .
both believe learning can happen directly .
what is the cognitive approach
The term ‘cognitive’ has come to mean ‘mental processes’, so this approach is focused on how our mental processes (e.g. thoughts, perceptions, attention) affect behaviour.
what are assumptions about the cognitive approach
-The mind actively processes information from our senses
- Argues that internal mental processes can , and should be , studied scientifically .
- Mediational processes occur between stimulus and response.
- Humans are information processors and therefore resemble computers.- information is stored and retrieved from memory
What is a role schema?
is a cognitive framework that helps organise and interpret information in the brain.
schemas are learned through experience and help people to respond to object appropriately.
as a result , cognitive processes can be influenced by a persons expectations or beliefs .
what does the schema allow us to do
To take shortcuts when interpreting large amounts of information.
It prevents us from becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
However , can lead to perceptual errors and stereotypes, as we make assumptions about people based on incomplete information.
What is the biological approach
it is a perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function ( nerves )
what are the assumptions of the biological approach
- everything psychological is first biological so to fully understand human behaviour we must look at biological structures and processes in the body such as genes , neurotransmitters, and the nervous system .
- The mind lives in the brain so all thoughts , feelings and behaviours ultimately have a physical basis.
-This is in direct contrast to cognitive approach that views the brain and mind as separate
what are genes
are inherited from one generation to the next and carry instructions for a particular characteristic , such as intelligence.
what are the two types of twins
Monozygotic twins- share 100% of the same genes (IDENTICAL TWINS )
Dizygotic twins- share 50%
What is a genotype
is the genetic code in the DNA
what is a phenotype
is the physical appearance that results from the inherited information ( genotype and environmental influences)
what does phenotype demonstrate about human behaviour
interactions between inherited factors ( nature) and the environment ( nurture )
what is the main principle of natural selection
Any genetically determined behaviour that enhances an individual’s survival and reproduction will continue in further generations.
no one decides the traits , the selection occurs simply because of some traits give processor certain advantages
what do biological psychologists believe about characteristics such as intelligence and aggression
they believe they are adaptive as they enhance human survival.
what is the formula for phenotype
Genotype + environment = phenotype
what are concordance rates
the percent of cases in which both members of a pair have a particular attribute
