Approaches Flashcards
Who is considered the ‘father of psychology’?
Wilhelm Wundt.
What method did Wundt develop for studying mental processes?
Introspection – a systematic analysis of one’s own conscious experience.
What made Wundt’s introspection method scientific?
It was performed in controlled environments, allowing general theories to be developed.
What limitation did Wundt recognize in his own methods?
That higher mental processes, like language or learning, could not be studied using introspection alone.
What is introspection?
A technique involving the examination of one’s thoughts and feelings in response to stimuli.
How is introspection still relevant today?
It’s used in therapy and emotional research, despite criticisms about its validity.
What is the main assumption of the learning approach?
All behavior is learned from the environment through stimulus-response associations.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning by association, where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a reflex response.
Who discovered classical conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov, through experiments with dogs and salivation.
What are the stages of classical conditioning?
Before (NS → no response), During (NS + UCS), After (CS → CR).
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through consequences—behaviors followed by reinforcement are likely to be repeated.
Who developed the theory of operant conditioning?
B.F. Skinner.
What is positive reinforcement?
Adding a pleasant consequence to strengthen a behavior.
What is negative reinforcement?
Removing an unpleasant stimulus to encourage behavior.
What is positive punishment?
Adding something unpleasant to reduce a behavior.
What is negative punishment?
Taking away something pleasant to reduce a behavior.
What was the Skinner box experiment?
A rat learned to press a lever for food (positive reinforcement) or to avoid a shock (negative reinforcement).
What are strengths of the behaviorist approach?
Scientific rigor, predictability, and development of behavior-modifying techniques.
What are criticisms of the behaviorist approach?
It ignores cognitive and emotional factors and often relies on non-human animals.
What is social learning theory (SLT)?
A learning theory emphasizing observation, imitation, and vicarious reinforcement.
What is modelling in Social Learning Theory?
When a role model demonstrates a behavior that can be imitated by an observer.
What is identification in SLT?
When an observer feels similar to a model and believes the same outcomes will apply to them.
What is vicarious reinforcement?
Learning through observing the consequences of another person’s behavior.
What did Bandura’s Bobo Doll study show?
Children who observed aggression were more likely to imitate it, especially when the model was the same sex.
