Approaches Flashcards
1
Q
LEARNING APPROACH
A
2
Q
What are the 3 theories of the learning approach?
A
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Social learning theory
3
Q
Which learning approaches are behaviourist theories?
A
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
4
Q
Which learning approach is a non- behaviourist theory?
A
Social learning theory
5
Q
What are the key assumptions of the learning approach?
A
- Assumes our behaviour + actions are caused by nurture rather than nature
- Psychologists should study behaviour only
- Born as ‘blank slates’
- Humans only animals + shouldn’t be treated as anymore complex
6
Q
What is classical conditioning about?
A
How we learn through association of stimuli in the env.
7
Q
Who was classical conditioning developed by?
A
Ivan Pavlov
8
Q
What does UCS stand for and what was it in Pavlov’s experiment?
A
Unconditioned stimulus
- Food
9
Q
What does UCR stand for and what was it in Pavlov’s experiment?
A
Unconditioned response
- Salivation
10
Q
What does NS stand for and what was it in Pavlov’s experiment?
A
Neutral stimulus
- Metronome/ sound
11
Q
What does CS stand for and what was it in Pavlov’s experiment?
A
Conditioned stimulus
- Metronome
12
Q
What does CR stand for and what was it in Pavlov’s experiment?
A
Conditioned response
- Salivation response
13
Q
What happened with the dog before classical conditioning took place?
A
- Dog sees food (UCS) causing automatic response of salivation (UCR)
- Metronome has no significance to dog + doesn’t cause any particular response
14
Q
What happens with the dog during classical conditioning?
A
- As the metronome (NS) presented, food (UCS) presented immediately after
- NS & UCS repeatedly associated with each other
15
Q
What happens with the dog after classical conditioning?
A
- Metronome has a meaning (CS)
- Dog learnt metronome means food follows, salivation (now CR) is learnt response to CS
16
Q
What is the formula for classical conditioning?
A
UCS-> UCR
NS + UCS-> UCR
CS-> CR
17
Q
What is a reflex?
A
Automatic response to stimulus (immediate)
18
Q
What is a conditioned stimulus?
A
Neutral stimulus now causes a learned, reflexive reaction
19
Q
What is a stimulus
A
Any change in env. that we register
20
Q
What is extinction?
A
If CS isn’t paired with UCS occasionally after conditioning, CR will die out
21
Q
What is a response?
A
Change in behaviour due to stimulus
22
Q
What is an unconditioned stimulus?
A
Original stimulus that causes a reflexive response
23
Q
What is a conditioned response?
A
Learned response elicited by CS
24
Q
What is a neutral stimulus?
A
Stimulus that causes no reaction
25
What is an unconditioned response?
Original reflex reaction in CC
26
What is stimulus generalisation?
CC response is seen with other stimuli that are similar to CS (more similar= stronger response)
27
What is spontaneous recovery?
Occurs after extinction
CR returns when there is no more pairing of NS + UCS
Soon extinct again
28
What supporting evidence is there for classical conditioning (rats)?
P= Supporting evidence
E= Watson & Rayner paired loud noise with white rat, after pairing Little Albert produced CR of fear when see white rat
E= CC valid theory to explain human behaviour
29
What supporting evidence is there for classical conditioning (dogs)?
P= Supporting evidence
E= Pavlov paired food + metronome, after 20 pairing, dog produced CR salivation
E= Valid expl. for learning as dogs share similar brain to humans
30
Why is classical conditioning a limited explanation for human learning?
P= Limited expl. for human learning
E= Focus on reflex behaviour only
E= Ignores learning of new, voluntary behaviour through reward/ punishment
L= Incomplete expl. limited in usefulness in real world to shape all kinds of behaviour
31
Why does classical conditioning have limited applicability?
P= Limited applicability
E= Pavlov tested CC on dogs
E= Humans are more complex than dogs
L= Limited usefulness in humans
32
What was the aim of Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment?
How salivation is produced in dogs because of 2 unrelated stimulus being associated
33
What were the procedures to Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment?
- Limited direct contact dogs had with experimenters (soundproof lab to minimise EV)
- Collected saliva from glands in measuring device (Salivation= DV)
- 1st establish baseline measure of salivation in response to NS
- Pair NS + UCS of food 20 times
- Tried forward + backward conditioning
34
What were the results from Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment?
- Just NS didn't cause salivation response, UCS did
- After CC, NS did cause salivation after a few secs
- In one trial, salivation commenced 9 secs after sound, after 45 secs= 11 drops of saliva
- Backward condition found no salivation
- Carried out other tests on odours (vanillin smell) which produced CR
35
What were the conclusions from Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment?
- 'Signalisation' in brain links NS to food + given salivation response
- External stimuli could disrupt conditioning process
- CC sensitive to many EV & individual differences
36
Why does Pavlov's experiment have good internal validity?
P= Good internal validity
E= Carried out in lab so EV controlled for
E= Researcher sure there was CS (effect of DV)
L= Findings are true + accurate for how dogs develop CR
37
Why is the data collected in Pavlov's experiment good?
P= Numerical data collected
E= Standardised procedure used
E= Other researcher can repeat experiment
L= Able to check for consistencies in findings
38
Why does Pavlov's experiment have poor ecological validity?
P= Poor ecological validity
E= Carried out in soundproof lab
E= Behaviours unnatural, natural world has lots of stimuli
L= Findings lack validity + credibility
39
What ethical concerns are there in Pavlov's experiment?
P= Ethical concerns
E= Dogs underwent surgery for salivary gland tube
E= Lack of mundane realism (not normal to everyday)
40
COGNITIVE APPROACH
41
What are the key assumptions of the cognitive approach?
1. Internal processes studied scientifically
2. Information processing similar to computer process (input-> process-> output)
3. Mental processes occur between stimulus + behaviour
42
What are the mediational processes?
1. Intelligence
2. Perception
3. Attention
4. Memory
5. Thinking/ problem solving
6. Language
43
How are internal processes observed?
Indirectly by inferring what goes on by measuring behaviour
44
What is the definition of inference?
Process of drawing conclusions about general patterns of behaviour from specific observations
45
What are the theoretical models of the cognitive approach?
- Information processing model
- Multi-store model of memory
- Working memory model
46
What is the information processing model?
Flows of info through inputs, process, outputs
Input (info from senses)->
Process (what happens to info internally)->
Output (response to info)
47
Why is the information processing model used?
Explain how we receive, interpret + respond to information
48
What is the computer analogy for the cognitive approach?
- Mind has limited capacity + deal with restricted amount of info
- Computers use concepts of central processing, coding, stores to hold info
- Data (short memory) cleared + reset after task done
49
What are schemas?
Mental structures containing ideas/ scripts about the world (give us expectations + rules about what to do)
- Package of knowledge about an object
50
What happens if new information is consistent with a schema?
- Info assimilated into schema
- Schema strengthened + refined
51
What happens if new information is inconsistent with a schema?
- Accommodation occurs + schema changes
- Schema has new info
52
What are self-schemas?
Info of ourself based on physical characteristics + personality
- Affect how we act
53
What are role schemas?
Ideas about behaviour which is expected of someone in a certain role
54
What are event schemas (scripts)?
Contain info about what happens in certain situations
55
What is cognitive neuroscience?
Scientific study of how different brain structures are involved in different mental processes
56
What different neuroimaging techniques are there?
fMRI
CT
PET
57
What do brain scans help with?
1. Understand brain supports dif cognitive activities/ emotions
2. Understanding which parts of the brain link to memory process
3. Establish neurological basis of disorder
58
How did Tulvling et al (1994) help understand cognition?
- Used PET scans to show different types of LTM may be located on opposite sides of prefrontal cortex
59
How did Burnett et al (2009) help understand cognition?
- When people feel guilty, serval brain regions are active
60
What are the strengths of the cognitive approach?
P= Scientifically credible
E= Use scientific methods to understand mental processes
E= Conducted in controlled environment (standardised procedure)
L= Replicable
P= Accounts for both nature + nurture
E= Treatment for mental problems will be more thorough
E= Leads to better treatment
L= Applicable/ useful
61
What are the weaknesses of the cognitive approach?
P= C+E problems
E= Reach conclusions based on behaviour
E= Could be factors you can't see in mind
L= Low internal validity
P= Reductionist view
E= Focus on mental process
E= Cognition not good enough to explain things
- Lacks validity (simplistic)
62
BIOLOGICAL APPROACH
63
What are the key assumptions of the biological approach?
1. Behaviour explained by psychological processes
2. Brain is main focus (mind result of biological processes)
3. Behaviour due to biological causes can be modified by biological treatments
4. Animal experiments can explain humans as share biological similarities
64
What different areas are covered in the biological approach?
1. Genetics
2. Biological structures
3. Neurochemistry
4. Evolution
65
What does the biological approach believe (genetics)?
Behaviour, personality, mental illness, intelligence are due to inherited characteristics
66
What are genes?
Sections of strands of DNA found in cells
67
How many genes do children receive from each parent?
Half from each parent
- 23 chromosomes pairs
68
What do genes control?
Physical processes in the body
69
What are dominant genes?
Show effect even when only 1 copy of gene is in pair
70
What does a person need to have a recessive disease/ characteristic?
Person must have gene on both chromosomes of the pair
71
What is a genotype?
Actual set of genes an individual has
- Given in egg/ sperm of parent
72
What is a phenotype?
Observable behaviour + physical characteristic of individual
- Genetics + env. influence
73
What are twin studies used for?
See whether psychological characteristics have a genetic basis
74
How are twins studied?
Look at concordance rates (likelihood i 1 twin has something, other one will too)
75
What are monozygotic (MZ) twins?
Identical
- Share 100% DNA
76
What are dizygotic (DZ) twins?
Non-identical
- Share 50% genes
77
What were the results of the twin studies from Gottesman + Shields (1966)-> compared MZ & DZ twins for Sz?
- MZ concordance higher than DZ (genes influence development of Sz)
- MZ concordance similar to DZ (genes can't play much role, down to env. influence)
- MZ concordance is 100% (genetics could be only factor in Sz development)
- MZ concordance significantly less than 100% (genes only play small part-> env play huge role)
78
Why are adoption studies better than twin studies?
- Able to isolate the influences of genes + env.
- Similarities of biological parents= genes influence
- Similarities of adopted parents= env. influence
79
What was the aim for the adoption study conducted by Heston (1966)?
Use adopted children to study role of nature v nurture in Sz
80
What was the procedure used in the adoption study conducted by Heston (1966)?
- Babies born in 1915-45 separated from mother after 2 weeks + adopted
- Experimental group= babies born to mum with Sz
- Control= mum didn't have Sz
- Ppts psychiatrically reviewed in 1964 to see if had Sz
81
What were the results for the adoption study conducted by Heston (1966)?
10.6% of exp. group had Sz
0% of control group had Sz
82
What were the conclusions for the adoption study conducted by Heston (1966)?
Results support a genetic cause of Sz (env, factors shouldn't be ignored)
83
How does the human nervous system work?
1. HNS
2. Peripheral NS
3. Autonomic, somatic
4. (autonomic)-> sympathetic, parasympathetic
1. HNS
2. CNS
3. Brain, spinal cord
84
Why do all reactions pass through the CNS?
Simple/ reflex reactions go through spinal cord before brain processes it
85
What are the 4 lobes of the brain?
1. Frontal
2. Parietal
3. Occipital
4. Temporal
86
What does the frontal lobe control?
- Behaviour
- Movement
- Language
- Memory
- Speech
87
What does the parietal lobe control?
- Learned movement
- Location awareness
- Touth (somatosensory)
- Body orientation
88
What does the occipital lobe control?
- Sight
89
What does the temporal lobe control?
- Authority processing
- Encoding memory
- Understanding language
90
What does the cerebellum control?
- Co-ordinance
- Balance
- Movement
- Posture
91
What does the brain stem control?
- Breathing
- Consciousness
- Involuntary response
- Heart rate
92
Why are scans used?
Help examine patterns of brain activity + anatomical structure
93
What are PET scans?
Use radioactive chemicals which shows which part of the brain is most active when thinking about different things
94
What are CAT/ CT scans?
Detect damaged parts of the brain (structure) by taking images of 'slices' of brain
95
What are MRI scans?
Provide detailed info about brain structure
96
What are fMRI scans?
Provide detailed info about brain function/ activity
97
What is neurochemistry?
Action of chemicals in the brain
98
What are neurotransmitters?
Chemical 'messengers' that travel from 1 neuron to the next across a synapse
99
What do excitatory neurotransmitters do?
Trigger nerve impulses in the post-synaptic neuron + stimulate brain into action
100
What do inhibitory neurotransmitters do?
Limit nerve impulses in post-synaptic neuron + have calming effect on brain
101
What is evolution?
Change in inherited characteristics in biological population over many successive generations
- Gradual development
102
What did Charles Darwin believe about evolution?
It happens by natural + sexual selection (survival of the fittest)
103
What is survival of the fittest?
Organisms better adapted to their env. are healthier, live longer, reproduce more frequently
- Pass on genes
104
What are 'adaptive traits'?
Particular traits that provide them with an advantage are more likely to survive + reproduce
105
What is sexual selection?
Organisms ability to obtain/ successfully copulate with a mate
106
Why is the methodology for the biological approach good?
P= Good methodology
E= Twin studies/ brain scans
E= Use standardised procedures and quantitative data (objective)
L= Scientific explanation
107
Why does the biological approach have good applicability?
P= Good applicability
E= SSRI is a successful drug theory in treating OCD
E= BA has helped to develop medicine which allows people to live normal lives
L= Useful
108
Why is the biological approach a deterministic approach?
P= Deterministic
E= BA says C+E of behaviour
E= Human actions are caused by predetermined conditions
L= Validity?
109
Why opposing evidence is there for the biological approach?
P= Opposing evidence
E= Pavlov & Skinner believed behaviour is down to association of stimuli
E= BA only accounts for behaviour from genes/ env.
L= May not be valid explanation
