Approaches Flashcards
What process did Wundt use?
Introspection
What is introspection?
when a person gains knowledge about their own mental or emotional state as a result of observing their conscious thoughts or feelings
What was the emergence of psychology as a science?
research was based on empiricism - knowledge comes from experience and observation alone and the scientific method
What assumptions was the scientific approach based on?
That all behaviour was caused (assumption of determinism) and
If behaviour is determined then it is possible to predict how people would behave in different conditions (assumption of predictability)
What must the investigative methods be in order for the scientific method to be successful?
Objective, systematic and replicable
What is the scientific cycle?
1 objective and systematic observation
2 building, refining or falsifying
3 Development of scientific theory
4 Testing
What are 2 weaknesses of Wundt’s methods
Methods were unreliable - relied on nonobservable responses as participants had to report their emotions
& Introspection isn’t completely accurate - we have little knowledge on the causes and processes of behaviour and implicit ones can be left out
What are 2 strengths of Wundt’s methods?
The emphasis on empiricism mean that causes can be established rather than a passive acceptance of facts
Research support - Used introspective methods to measure happiness when teenage girls were given a buzzer that went off randomly (they were unhappy but this feeling faded when they had an challenge to complete
What does the behaviourist approach consist of?
Classical conditioning and Operent Conditioning
What does the behaviourist approach say?
focuses on observable events e.g. stimulus and responses and the conditions under which learning may occur
Outline research into classical conditioning?
Pavlov's dog - Investigated salivary reflexes in dogs Food (UCS) - Salivation (UCR) bell (NS) - no response Food + Bell - Salivation (UCR) Bell (CS) - salivation (CR)
What were other factors affecting the learning process of Pavlov’s dog?
Timing - needed to be repeatedly present
Extinction - If remove UCS conditioning is lost
Spontaneous recovery - conditioning can be learnt again
Stimulus generalisation - respond to things similar to CS
Outline research into Operant Conditioning?
Skinner’s Rats - developed a skinner box where rats would move around in and when they would accidentally press the lever food falls into the cage
Rats learnt to associate lever with food
What were other important factors involved in Skinner’s study?
Schedules of reinforcement - continuous reinforcement isn’t as effective as partial reinforcement e.g. having to press the lever 3 times
Punishment
What are 2 strengths of the behavioural approach?
Classical conditioning - led to development of treatment to reduce anxiety e.g. SD
Operant conditioning - used control conditions to help establish a cause and effect
What are 2 limitations of the behavioural approach?
Classical conditioning - Different species face different challenges to survive
Operant conditioning - Was conducted on rats rather than humans so lacks validity
What is the social learning theory?
Learning through observing others and imitating them if it is rewarding
What are the 4 main ways the social learning theory can take place?
through modelling, imitation, identification and vicarious reinforcement
What is the process of modelling?
someone must model the behaviour for it to be learned e.g. a parent, teacher or someone on media
What is the process of Imitation?
imitating the behaviours that are modelled by e.g. parents and for a person to imitate the behaviour they see if they too have the ability to perform the task and observe the consequence of the behaviour
What is the process of identification?
the extent to which a person can relate to the model and feels that they are similar enough so they would receive the same outcome
What is the process of vicarious reinforcement?
Bandura found that children who observed a model rewarded for the aggressive behaviour was more likely to imitate the behaviour than if the model was punished
What is the role of meditational processes?
The social learning theory places importance on meditational processes (internal mental processes that exist between the environment and response made to the stimulus
Which study supports the social learning theory?
Bandura bobo dolls
What was the procedure of Bandura’s study?
children observed either agressive or non-aggressive models (on bobo doll) and then were tested for imitation behaviour
What were the findings of Bandura’s study?
Children who observed the aggressive model was more likely to carry out agressive behaviour
Evaluation - how does the SLT have useful applications?
increased our understanding of criminal behaviour e.g. more likely to have criminal behaviour if they are exposed to a model
Evaluation - research support for identification?
observing a model similar to you leads to more learning than observing a dissimilar person as you are able to visualise yourself in the position of the model
Why is there a problem of causality?
social learning theory may not be the as a result of exposure to deviant role models but the possession of deviant attitudes prior to contact with model makes it more likely
Is the view too oversimplistic?
yes as humans have complex behaviour that are affected by many different factors e.g. genetic predisposition, media portrayals and locus of control
What is the psychodynamic approach?
emphasises the change and development of a person where drive is important
Which psychologist places emphasis on this approach?
Sigmund Freud
What 3 areas did freud the mind consisted of in his iceberg approach?
The conscious mind - aware of
Preconscious mind - not quite aware (just below surface)
Unconscious mind - not aware (prevents traumatic memories)
What was freud’s structure of personality?
The id - The pleasure principle (drive)
The ego - reality principle (reduces conflict)
The superego - Morality principle (right and wrong)
What did freud say about defence mechanisms?
When a person is faced with a situation they are unable to deal with DM is triggered and distorts the reality so anxiety is reduced (unaware of pleasant thoughts)
What are the 3 examples of defense mechanisms?
Repression , Denial and Displacement
What does repression do?
unconsciously blocking out unacceptable thoughts (repressed thoughts influence behaviour)
What does denial do?
refusal to accept reality and avoiding painful feeling and acts as if the traumatic thing never occurred
What does displacement?
redirecting thoughts and feelings and may take it out on helpless victims and objects (hostility)
What are freud’s psychosexual stages?
Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latent and Genital
What is the oral stage?
Oral- mouth is focal point of sensation e.g. sucking 0-2 years
What is the Anal stage?
beginning of ego development and toilet training is learnt 2-3years
What is the Phallic stage?
Sexual energy focused on genitals (oedipus complex) daughter wanting to get rid of mother 3-6 years
What is the Latent stage?
Children are unable to remember their earlier years 6-12 years
What is the genital stage?
Sexual energy in genitals and wanting sexual intercourse 12+
Evaluation - scientific support?
Many claims of the psychoanalysis approach have been tested and it uses scientific methodology - compare well with studies relevent to other major areas of psychology
Evaluation - research support
Little Hans - in conflict with father and saw a horse with a penis like his father so reflected the hatred on the horse
How is the approach gender biased?
Freud believed women were less developed and he ignored the gender differences (beta bias)
Culture biased?
researched in non-western cultures e.g in china a person who is depressed avoids thoughts that cause distress rather than discussing them openly
What is the humanist approach?
human beings are born with the desire to grow create and love (has free will)
What is the view of free will?
Emphasises that people have full conscious control over their own destiny e.g. have free will - we are subject to other forces too though like biological and environemental
What does maslow’s theory consist of?
Hierarchy of needs and self actualisation
What did Maslow believe?
He made a positive approach about what could go right with people and emphasised on personal growth
What was the stages of hierarchy of needs? (Bottom to top)
physiological, safety, love/belonging/esteem and self actualisation
What did self actualisation suggest?
those who achieved this tended to be creative, accepting of others and had an accurate perception of reality
What was the view of focus on self?
We have 2 needs - positive regard from others and feeling of self worth (what we think of ourselves) developed in childhood and formed as a result of interaction with parents
What is congruence?
when there is similarity between your perceived self in real life and ideal self - the greater congurence we have the more self-worth we have
What is conditions of worth?
People want an unconditional positive regard (when a person is accepted for who they are no matter what. Conditional regard is when a person is accepted only if they do what others want them to do
From this you develop conditions of worth - conditions others put upon them to be accepted by others
What is the influence on counselling psychology?
psychological problems was due to their conditions of worth and conditional positive regard - they encourage self actualisation and the therapist provides an unconditional positive regard
How is Maslow’s hierarchy linked to economic development? (strength)
Researcher found that countries in the early stages of economic development were characterised by lower level needs e.g. physiological needs (high murder rates)
But in advanced stages of economic development esteem and self actualisation becomes important
Research support for conditions of worth?
If people experience conditional positive regard false self behaviour is likely (doing things to meet other’s expectations) even when clashing with their own values
Teenagers who feel they have to fulfil certain condition to gain the parent’s approval end up not liking themselves
How is the humanistic approach unrealistic?
It represents an overly idealised and unrealistic view of human nature and that humans aren’t as good as humanists think situational factors aren’t involved and that it is dispositional factors that matter more
What re the cultural differences?
In china a sense of belonging was more important than physiological needs and self-actualisation was more important (contributions to the community more important than individual development)
Europeans and Americans focus on personal identity in defining self-concept whereas Chinese, Japanese and Koreans define self-concept in terms of social relationships
What is the cognitive approach?
relates to mental processes such as perception memory and reasoning
Can cognitive processes be observed?
no so researchers must make inferences
What is the role of schemas?
a cognitive framework that helps organise and interpret info in the brain (based on expectations) and allow us to summarise a vast amount of info - excluding things and develop stereotypes)
What is the role of theoretical models?
simplified models such as the multi-store model are simplified representations on current research
What was the role of computer models?
This led to a focus in which sensory information is coded as passes through a system and suggest the brain works like a computer
How is the brain like a computer?
Info is inputted through the senses encoded into memory and then combined with previous stores to complete a task
Info is stored on a hard disk like LTM
Like the WM as temporary is like an RAM which is cleared and reset when a task has finished
What is the emergence of cognitive neuroscience?
underlying neural bases of cognitive functions
What is used to enable neuroscientists to study the living brain?
PET scans and fMRI scans that helps us understand how the brain supports different cognitive activities and emotions - what parts become active
What areas of the brian are involved in social emotions?
the prefrontal cortex
What applications does the cognitive approach have?
shows us depression is as a result of irrational thoughts provided treatment for OCD e.g. cognitive behavioural treatment
How is the cognitive approach scientific?
uses empirical evidence to make conclusions about how the mind works - memory studies in labs
What are limitations of the computer model?
Oversimplistic and humans are more complex - humans can make mistakes unlike computers and and can’t forget or ignore info
Ignores emotion and motivation?
It fails to tell us why cognitive processes take place
What is the biological approach?
provides biological explanations for all aspects of psychological functioning
What does hereditary mean?
passing characteristics from one generation to another
What are genes?
a part of a chromosome that carries info in the form of DNA
What are genotypes?
the genetic code written in the DNA
What is a phenotype?
physical appearance
What are neurons and the nervous system?
consist of the central and peripheral system - carries messages from one part of the body to anther using neurons - neurons transmit nerve impulses into electrical ones
What are the different lobes of the brain?
frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal
The influence of NTs?
when a nerve impulse reaches one end of a neuron chemical called a NTs is released and travels across a synapse - some inhibitory e.g. serotonn calm mood and excitatory e,g, dopamine get body ready for action
What are different types of hormones?
melatonin, testosterone, oestrogen, adrenaline/noradrenaline and cortisol - they travel through the bloodstream and attach to target cells stimulating receptors
How is the biological approach reductionist?
dismisses others factors such as environmental factors
How is the biological approach scientific?
uses experiment method in a lab - controlled environment so can replicate studies
How has it got applications?
biological approach to OCD - shows what casues it a leads to treatment e.g. drugs (antidepressants)
