approaches- 2 Flashcards
why is Wundt known as the father of experimental psychology
first to use the empirical method and experimental methods to understand the phenomena of consciousness
strength- wudnts introspection
scientific- used several key features of science- replicability and the empirical method
limitation- wudnts introspection
lacks objectivity -many sources of interpretation/ bias, subjective evidence
assumptions of behaviorism
born a blank slate,
biology plays a limited role in explaining behaviour,
laws governing behaviour span animals and humans- animal behaviour can be studied to explain human behaviour
classical and operant conditioning, voluntary or not voluntary
classical- not voluntary
operant- voluntary
strength of behaviorism
demonstrates key features of science- skinners operant conditioning study- falsifiable, replicable , used empirical method
limitation of behaviorism
ethical issues- animal testing, no informed consent or right to withdraw due to lack of language- no protection from harm
pavlovs dogs had jaws removed, skinners rats were electrocuted
still possible to learn from unethical research
assumptions of social learning theory
biology has limited exp of behaviour
environment can influence social learning- observe then imitate
internal mental processes must be taken into account
what are the 4 mediational processes
attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation
role of vicarious reinforcement in social learning
if a modelled behaviour is rewarded a learners motivation increases, if a modelled behaviour is punished or not rewarded, motivation decreases
strength of slt-research support
banduras bobo doll exp, objective evidence, empirical method
limitation of slt
fails to explain the role of the mind in behaviour- limited exp, explains what but not how
assumptions of cog approach
people are born with imps
behaviour can only be explained with reference to environment and imp
computer model
cant study imp directly
outline the computer model
processes info from the environment through imps- which are like programs- consequence of the information processing is an output, in the form of human behaviour
limitation of the cog approach
computer model- the mind can perceive and interact with the world in a way a computer can not- computers cannot adapt or change- the mind is more than an info processor
strength of the cog approach
real life applications- beck and ellis helped to develop cbt- only possible due to the computer model
what are some techniques cognitive neuroscientists use
brain imaging techniques- pet and frmi scans- when engaged in a task
study people with cognitive defects on parts of their brains- if unusual behaviour is displayed this may suggest the damaged region may link to a particular cognitive function
example of cog neuroscience
broca- postmortem of man with speech impediment revealed he had a lesion on area on brain responsible for speech production
- provided evidence of where internal mental process of language was located, brocas area
assumptions of bio approach
humans are biological beings so behaviour must explained with refence to biology
evals for twins studies
limitation- differences between dz twins will lead to unseen environmental differences- situational extraneous variable
what is the mind split into- psychodynamic approach
conscious, unconscious and preconscious
role of the unconscious- psychodynamic
keep distressing thoughts from conscious, to protect from anxiety-defence mechanisms
structure of personality- psychodynamic
id, ego, superego
what is the id
passionate part of personality- concerned with satisfying our basic instincts- unconscious and present from birth
what is the ego
rational part of personality- concerned with satisfying demands of the id (and later the superego) in realistic ways-develops throughout oral and anal stages
what is the superego
moral part of our personality- that is concerned with following cultural/moral rules- develops at the end of the phallic stage
what is repression
locks a distressing thought in unconscious so it cannot be consciously accessed
what is denial
protects ego from anxiety- stops us from consciously acknowledging some aspect of reality that is threatening
what is displacement
protects the ego from anxiety- shifting the aggressive or sexual impulses of the id onto a more acceptable or less threatening target
what is fixation
when the id has unresolves desires during a psychosexual stage
what happens if fixations occurs
the child will develop personality flaws associated with relevant stages
oral stage- age zone and conflict
birth to 1- mouth- weaning off mothers breast
anal stage- age zone and conflict
1 to 3- anal- toilet training
phallic stage- age zone
3 to 6- Genitals
what is the conflict during the phallic stage for boys
Oedipus complex- sexual feelings for mother, fear/hatred for father due to castration anxiety
what is the conflict during the phallic stage for girls
electra complex- desire their father and resent their mother, she represents a rival for the father’s affection + penis envy
latency stage- age zone and conflict
6 to 11- Sexual desire dormant during this stage- No conflicts
genital stage- age zone and conflict
12 (puberty) to death- Genitals- Societal expectations- around forming a relationship
consequences of fixation- oral stage
may grow up to bite their nails or smoke
consequences of fixation-anal stage
may grow up to be obsessively tidy or messy
consequences of fixation- phallic stage
can negatively affect self esteem
consequences of fixation-latency stage
can lead to immaturity as an adult
consequences of fixation- genital stage
can result in difficulty forming a healthy sexual relationship with another person.
strength of psychodynamic app- influences
influential- bowlby was inspired by focuses on early childhood + freud demonstrated potential for psychological over biological treatments of depression etc- profound effect on modern psychology + development of modern talking therapies
limitation of psychodynamic app- scientific credibility
studied theories using case studies and dream analysis- no longer regarded as scientific, highly subjective analysis, unfalsifiable since you cannot empirically test the existence of parts of personality
key assumption of humanistic approach
all humans have free will- ability to choose to do otherwise in any situation- can choose to self- actualize
what are deficiency needs
first 4 levels- physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem needs- need to be fulfilled before self- actualization can happen
what is self- actualization `
to reach their full potential- to actualize their idea of their best self a reality.
what is the role of free will in the humanistic approach
the self-actualizing person makes a choice how they will reach their potential
what is the self as defined by rogers
all the qualities, characteristics and experiences that a person perceives as describing who they are
what is the ideal self
who we think we should be rather than who we perceive ourselves as currently being
what is congruence
when a person’s sense of self substantially overlaps with their idea self- leads to more self- worth
what are conditions of worth
occur when someone (especially a parent) makes their love conditional- leads to incongruence and low self worth
what is unconditional positive regard
unconditional love- leads to congruence and high self worth
what is the aim of person centered therapy
increase their client’s sense of self-worth by helping clients develop congruence
how must therapists interact with their client in person centered therapy
offer unconditional positive regard to their clients- listening to the client in a non-judgmental way- be non-directive, don’t tell clients what to think- free will
limitation-humanistic- rogers contribution to counselling psychology
person centered therapy requires therapists to deliver unconditional positive regard and help in a non- directive way
-some therapists may find it impossible to do this-e.g. serial killers- meaning it isn’t always practical
-non directive approach will work for patients with more severe forms of mental illness- requires more guidance
-ideas still used in therapy
limitation- humanistic app unscientific
Maslow developed his ideas using autobiographical analysis- reading the biographies of various famous figures he believed had self-actualized
-lack of objectivity, subjective analysis depends on his interpretation, objectivity is a key feature of science
- humanistic phycologists have no problem being called unscientific- believe scientific methods are inappropriate to understand human experience
strength-humanistic- importance of free will
focus on free will- most other approaches explain behaviour by factors we do not control, meaning we do not have control over our behaviour
- focus on free will shows our choices and behaviour is our decision and means anyone has the opportunity and capabilities to better themselves
strength- bio approach
scientific credibility- twin studies, observing and quantitatively measuring behaviour, making empirical research and objective
- twin studies can be used to falsify theories, and replicable
