approaches

Question 1

what is introspection (Wundt)

Answer 1

observing/examining your own conscious thoughts

Question 2

when was the first ever psychology lab opened and by who

Answer 2

by Wundt in 1879

Question 3

what did wundt do (method)

Answer 3

he got participants to record their thoughts under controlled conditions using a stimulus (e.g. ticking metronome).
he then replicated this procedure using different stimuli

Question 4

what is the behaviourist approach

Answer 4

a way of explaining behaviour on terms of what is observable and in terms of learning

Question 5

behaviourist: what is classical conditioning

Answer 5

learning by association:
1. unconditioned stimulus -> unconditioned response (before)
2. unconditioned stimulus + neutral stimulus -> conditioned response (during)
3. conditioned stimulus -> conditioned response (after conditioning)

Question 6

behaviourism: Pavlovs research - aim

Answer 6

investigate how conditioned reflex responses can be created in dogs

Question 7

behaviourism: Pavlovs research - method

Answer 7

• operated on dogs salivary glands to make saliva come out the dogs cheeck so it could be measured easily
• offered food (UCS) and bell (NS) a the same time to pair

Question 8

behaviourism: Pavlovs research - findings

Answer 8

the bell alone caused the dogs to salivate so it became a conditioned stimulus

Question 9

behaviourism: Pavlovs research - conclusions

Answer 9

dogs can be conditioned to respond to a NS through classical conditioning

Question 10

behaviourism: Pavlovs research - evaluation

Answer 10

bad: ethics of the operation on the dogs and because the research was done on animals it may not be generalisable to humans
good: highly controlled and standardized procedure

Question 11

behaviourism: what is operant conditioning

Answer 11

suggests people learn through consequences

Question 12

behaviourism: operant conditioning - what are the 3 types of consequences

Answer 12

Positive reinforcement: receiving a reward for a behaviour
Negative reinforcement: when you avoid something unpleasant
Punishment: unpleasant consequence for a behaviour

Question 13

behaviourism: operant conditioning - how do the types of consequences in(/de)crease the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated

Answer 13

negative and positive reinforcement increase the chance a behaviour will be repeated.
punishment decreases the likelihood a behaviour will be repeated

Question 14

behaviourism: Skinner’s research - aim

Answer 14

investigate how reinforcement effects behvaiour

Question 15

behaviourism: Skinner’s research - procedure (positive reinforcement)

Answer 15

• put hungry rats in a box
• they would explore the box, if they pressed a lever they would get a food pellet
  ( the behaviour of lever pressing reinforced by food)

Question 16

behaviourism: Skinner’s research - procedure (negative reinforcement)

Answer 16

• electric current through box
• rat movies around chamber trying to get out, if it presses a lever (by accident) down the current stops
  (the behaviour of lever pressing is reinforced by avoiding the shock)

Question 17

behaviourism: Skinner’s research - findings

Answer 17

positive reinforcement: rats learn to press lever to receive food
negative reinforcement: rat learns to go directly to lever and press it down

Question 18

behaviourism: Skinner’s research - conclusions

Answer 18

positive/negative reinforcement effects behaviour by increasing the likelihood of it being repeated

Question 19

behaviourism: Skinner’s research - evaluation

Answer 19

bad:
ethics: electric shock and starving the rats
good:
- controlled environment + standardized procedures (replication)
- applications: can be used In dog training etc.

Question 20

behaviourism: evaluation - good

Answer 20

• Operant conditioning is the basis in token economy systems in psych wards and prisons
• Classical conditioning is used to treat phobias

Question 21

behaviourism: evaluation - bad

Answer 21

the behaviourist perspective sees humans as passive and machine like (ignores mental processes)
other approaches like the cognitive approach suggest people play a more active role in learning

Question 22

what is the cognitive approach

Answer 22

focuses on how mental processes influence our behaviour

Question 23

cognitive: assumptions

Answer 23

says internal mental processes should be studied scientifically
-e.g. memory, perception
- these processes can’t be studied directly so they have to make inferences

Question 24

cognitive: what is a schema

Answer 24

mental framework of beliefs and expectations learned through experience.
e.g. a schema for a chair could be something with 4 legs that you sit on

Question 25

cognitive: what occurs when info is consistant with the schema

Answer 25

it is assimilated - this means it is updated without changing the structure of the schema e.g. when a child encounters small furry animals that look like dogs, they are assimilated into their schema of dogs

Question 26

cognitive: what occurs when info is inconsistent with the schema

Answer 26

accomodation - you modify your existing schemas

Question 27

cognitive: what is the role of the schema in mental processing

Answer 27

cognitive processing is often affected by a persons beliefs or expectations (schema)

Question 28

cognitive: how are theoretical and computer models used

Answer 28

are used to infer and explain mental processes. e.g. the MSM

Question 29

cognitive: use of computer models

Answer 29

compare the mind to a computer, focus on the concepts of a central processing unit (brain), coding and stores to hold info.

Question 30

congnitive: evaluation - good

Answer 30

uses highly controlled methods and lab environments to produce objective data.

Question 31

cognitive: evaluation -bad

Answer 31

machine reductionism: ignores the influence of human emotion and influence on the cognitive system + how this effects how we process info - artificiallity of situation + stimuli, lacks ecological validity + demand characteristics

Question 32

cognitive: emergence of cognitive neuroscience

Answer 32

emerged with improvements in tech like PET and fMRI scans

Question 33

cognitive: what is cognitive neuroscience

Answer 33

The scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes Aims to explore the neurological basis of thought processes and disorders

Question 34

cognitive: