Approaches Flashcards
Who is Wilhelm Wundt? And what did he believe?
He is considered one of the founders of psychology.
He believed that all aspects of behaviour and the human mind could be studied scientifically.
He also created the first experimental psychology laboratory.
What is Wilhelm Wundt’s approach called?
Structuralism
This involves looking at the structure of our abilities and behaviours.
His approach is influenced by biologists, philosophers and medical experts.
What does introspection mean?
“Looking into”
What does the process of introspection involve?
Introspection involves the examination of one’s thoughts.
Introspection relies primarily on on non-observable responses and although participants can report conscious experiences, they are unable to comment on unconscious factors relating to their behaviour.
Introspection should be obtained DURING a task performance rather than after to avoid memory problems.
How did Wundt help instigate psychology as we know it?
- Use of standardised procedures and instructions
- Systematic observation and experimentation on human and animal behaviour
- Opening of the first experimental psychology laboratory
- Introduced use of “controlled conditions”
What is the scientific model?
- Theory
-> use a theory to form a hypothesis - Hypothesis
-> Design a study to support the hypothesis - Research
-> Perform the research - Observations
-> Create or modify the theory
This is placed in a continuous cycle
What are the 5 features of science? (FROGS)
Falsifiable - it should be possible to test a theory or the findings of a study to refute/ falsify them (prove them wrong)
Replicable - refers to the ability to repeat research and achieve the same findings as the original study
Objective - unbiased view
General Laws - the research/ theory should provide general laws about psychology that can be used as a paradigm
Systematic- as objective, well ordered methods for close examination of an aspect of behaviour to obtain reliable and unbiased data by observers
Evaluations of origins of psychology:
- Useful general laws (controlled lab experiments, standardised procedures, replicability)
- Highly subjective (can easily change, vulnerable to bias, Wundt used own students(demand characteristics), brains are too complex)
- Practical applications (opened first experimental lab and trained 186 graduate students)
- Lacks generalisability (small sample of upper class white men from 19th century)
- Lacks temporal validity
- Andocentric (all males)
- Ethnocentric
What is structuralism?
Defined as: attempting to understand what underpins a behaviour, rather than focusing on the behaviour itself.
What are the 2 processes Charles Darwin which our behaviour has been acquired through?
- Natural selection
- Survival of the Fittest
Define Evolution:
The gradual change within a species over several generations in response to environmental pressures.
Define Natural Selection:
The process where inherited characteristics that enhance survival (or fitness) are passed onto the next generation.
Define adaptive:
Refers to a behaviour or trait that will increase the chance of survival and boost reproductive success.
What is biological preparedness?
A predisposition to be sensitive to certain stimuli
What did Seligman suggest?
There was a biological preparedness to phobias of certain things.
We have an innate tendency to rapidly acquire a phobia to potentially harmful phenomena. This is why phobias such as heights/ spiders/ snakes are more common as it would be a threat to early man
Give an example of a highly adaptive behaviour.
Showing fear to a massive furry spider.
This would lead to higher survival rates as people know to avoid it.
All humans are genetically 99.9 the same. But why don’t we all look or act the same?
Due to having a unique genotype.
Define Genotype.
The genetic constitution of an individual. Each cell contains the same genotype.
(Variation in human genotype can account for enormous variation across species)
How genetically similar are we to chimpanzees
98% genetically similar
Define phenotype
The results of your genetic material interacting with your environment to establish a behaviour.
It is a set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.
(What you look like)
Are Identical twins (monozygotic) genetically identical?
Yes they are identically the same.
Are non-identical twins (dizygotic) genetically identical?
No, they share 50% genetic similarity
Are non-identical twins (dizygotic) genetically identical?
No, they share 50% genetic similarity
What are the 4 parts of the biological approach?
- Evolution and behaviour
- Genes and behaviour
- Biological structures in the brain (Neuroanatomy)
- Neurochemistry and behaviour
Raine at al (1997) used PET scans to identify several areas of murders brains who pleaded not guilty.
Summarise findings of Raine
Raine identified several areas of murders brains as significantly different to matched controls by using PET scans.
- There was reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus
- Abnormal asymmetries as reduced activity in the left and greater activity of the right hemisphere