Approaches Flashcards
Who established the first psychology lab?
Wundt (1879) established the first psychology lab in Leipzig.
What is introspection in psychology?
Introspection is the systematic self-observation of thoughts.
What is structuralism?
Structuralism is the approach of breaking down thoughts into basic elements.
What is the Behaviourist Approach?
The Behaviourist Approach involves learning via classical and operant conditioning.
What is classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning is learning via association, exemplified by Pavlov’s work.
What is the formula for classical conditioning?
UCS → UCR → NS + UCS → CR (to CS).
What are the strengths of classical conditioning?
Real-world applications such as phobias and systematic desensitisation.
What are the limitations of classical conditioning?
It ignores biological influences.
What is operant conditioning?
Operant conditioning is learning via reinforcement, as described by Skinner.
What is positive reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement is a reward for behavior that makes it more likely to be repeated.
What is negative reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus, making behavior more likely to be repeated.
What is punishment in operant conditioning?
Punishment decreases the likelihood of a behavior.
What are the strengths of operant conditioning?
It is based on scientific, objective research.
What are the limitations of operant conditioning?
Animal studies limit generalisability.
What is Social Learning Theory?
Social Learning Theory posits that learning occurs through observation and imitation.
What are the key processes in Social Learning Theory?
Attention, Retention, Reproduction, Motivation.
What is vicarious reinforcement?
Vicarious reinforcement is learning by observing the consequences of others’ actions.
What was Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment?
In the experiment, kids imitated aggressive models.
What are the strengths of Social Learning Theory?
It explains cultural differences in behavior.
What are the limitations of Social Learning Theory?
It underestimates biological factors, such as testosterone and aggression.
What is the role of schema in the Cognitive Approach?
Schema are mental frameworks for interpreting information.
What are theoretical models in the Cognitive Approach?
Theoretical models are information processing models, such as MSM and WMM.
How is the mind compared to a computer in the Cognitive Approach?
The mind is compared to a computer in terms of input, processing, and output.
What are the strengths of the Cognitive Approach?
It employs scientific methods, such as brain scans.
What are the limitations of the Cognitive Approach?
It suffers from machine reductionism, ignoring emotions.
What is the Biological Approach focused on?
It focuses on genes, neurochemistry, and evolution.
What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?
Genotype is the genetic makeup, while phenotype is the interaction of genes and environment.
What is the relationship between neurochemistry and mental health?
Low serotonin is linked to depression, and high dopamine is linked to schizophrenia.
What does evolutionary psychology suggest?
Behavior adapts for survival, as proposed by Darwin.
What are the strengths of the Biological Approach?
It has scientific evidence from twin studies and brain scans.
What are the limitations of the Biological Approach?
It is deterministic and ignores free will.
What does the Psychodynamic Approach emphasize?
It emphasizes the role of the unconscious and personality structure.
What are the three levels of consciousness in Freud’s theory?
Conscious, Preconscious, Unconscious.
What is the tripartite personality structure?
It consists of the Id (pleasure principle), Ego (reality principle), and Superego (morality principle).
What are the strengths of the Psychodynamic Approach?
It was the first to highlight childhood’s impact on behavior.
What are the limitations of the Psychodynamic Approach?
It is unscientific, relying on case studies and is unfalsifiable.
What are the psychosexual stages of development?
Oral (0-1), Anal (1-3), Phallic (3-6), Latency (6-12), Genital (12+).
What is a fixation in the oral stage?
Fixation can lead to behaviors like smoking or nail-biting.
What is a fixation in the anal stage?
Fixation can lead to being messy or obsessive.
What is the Oedipus/Electra complex?
It occurs during the phallic stage (3-6 years).
What are the strengths of psychosexual stages?
Some support exists, such as Little Hans’ phobia linked to the Oedipus complex.
What are the limitations of psychosexual stages?
They exhibit gender bias and contain outdated concepts.
What does the Humanistic Approach focus on?
It emphasizes free will and self-actualisation.
What is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
It is a progression from Physiological to Self-Actualisation.
What are the strengths of the Humanistic Approach?
It offers a holistic approach, considering the whole person.
What are the limitations of the Humanistic Approach?
It lacks empirical evidence and is untestable.
What is the difference between self-concept and ideal self?
Self-concept is how one sees oneself, while ideal self is how one wishes to be.
What is congruence in the context of self-concept?
Congruence occurs when self-concept matches ideal self, leading to high self-worth.
What is incongruence?
Incongruence is a mismatch between self-concept and ideal self, leading to low self-worth.
What is client-centred therapy?
It aims to reduce the gap between self-concept and ideal self by providing Unconditional Positive Regard.
What are the strengths of Rogers’ approach?
It has led to effective therapy used in counselling today.
What are the limitations of Rogers’ approach?
It is culturally biased, as self-actualisation is more individualistic than collectivist.
What is the debate between free will and determinism?
Free will is associated with the Humanistic approach, while determinism includes hard and soft determinism.
What is hard determinism?
Hard determinism is associated with the Behaviourist, Biological, and Psychodynamic approaches.
What is soft determinism?
Soft determinism is associated with the Cognitive and Social Learning Theory approaches.
What is the nature vs. nurture debate?
Nature refers to genetics and biology, while nurture refers to environment.
Which approaches are associated with nature?
Biological and Psychodynamic approaches are associated with nature.
Which approaches are associated with nurture?
Behaviourist, Social Learning Theory, and Humanistic approaches are associated with nurture.
What is the interactionist perspective?
The interactionist perspective considers both nature and nurture influences.
Which approaches are holistic?
Humanistic and somewhat Psychodynamic approaches are holistic.
Which approaches are reductionist?
Biological (genes), Behaviourist (stimulus-response), and Cognitive (machine models) approaches are reductionist.
