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Psychology > Approaches > Flashcards

Approaches Flashcards

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1
Q

Describe the role of Wilhelm Wundt in the development of psychology

A
  • described as the Father of Psychology
  • he pioneered the method of introspection which marked the separation of modern scientific psychology from its philosophical roots
  • established the first psychology lab in Leipzig in 1879
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2
Q

Describe the method of introspection

A
  • the first systematic experimental attempt at studying the mind by breaking up the conscious awareness into basic structures like thoughts, images, and sensations
  • the same standardized instructions were given to all
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3
Q

Describe the assumptions of the behavioral approach

A
  • only interested in behavior that is observable and measurable
  • ignored mental processes + therefore rejected introspection as it involved too many vague concepts
  • behaviorists try and maintain control and objectivity and so tend to rely on lab experiments
  • identified two forms of learning: operant + classical conditioning
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4
Q

Describe Classical conditioning

A
  • learning through association
  • UCS –> UCR
  • NS –> NR
  • UCS + NS –> UCR
  • CS –> CR
  • Pavlov first demonstarted this through experimentation with dogs
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5
Q

Describe operant conditioning

A
  • a form of learning shaped through consequence
  • possible consequences include positive + negative reinforcemnt and punishment
  • positive reinforcemnt = a reward is given when a behaviour is performed in order for this behaviour to be repeated
  • negative reinforcement = performing a behaviour to avoid an unpleasant conseqeunce
  • punishment = an unpleasant consequence
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6
Q

Behavioral approach strengths

A

(+) brought science(the lang + methods) into psychology - used lab experiments - beforehand it was about introspection - not scientific - gives psychology greater credibility + status

(+) practical application - treatment of phobias (systematic dessenstisation + floooding) and token economy in prisons

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7
Q

Behavioral weaknesses

A

(-) animal studies - ethical issues firstly but also - caused panic in aniamals which could’ve affected the results - also it raises questions of can the findings be applied as humans are much more complex than pigeons and rats - limits validity

(-) deterministic - every response is controlled by the past - no room for free will

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8
Q

Describe the asssumptions of social learning theory

A
  • Bandura agreed with behaviourists that much of our behaviour is learned but he also said that we learn through imitation + observation
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9
Q

Describe Vicarious reinforcement

A

-describes individuals observing behaviour but only imitating the behaviour if it’s seen being rewarded rather than being punished

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10
Q

What is the role of mediational processes?

A
  • SLT focuses on how mental factors are involved in learning
  • mediational processes in intervene in the learning process that determines whether a new response is acquired
  • these processes are :
  • attention
  • retention
  • motivation
  • ,motor reproduction
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11
Q

What is meant by identification?

A
  • people are much more likely to imitate people whom they identify with i.e. role models
  • role models are people who possess similar characterisrtics and/or are attractive + have high status
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12
Q

Strengths of SLT

A

(+) SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of behaviour compared to just operant + classical conditioning - these explanations don’t consider mental factors HOWEVER

SLT underestimates biological influence - 1 consistent finding in Bobo doll experiment was that boys were more aggressive but this could’ve been explained by testosterone

(+) SLT can explain cultural diffs so its not subject to culture bias (imposed etic) - can account for how children learn from people around them

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13
Q

Weaknesses of SLT

A

(-) over -reliant on lab studies - lab studies are often critisized for pps possibly responding to demand characteristics - the children in bandura’s studies may have just acted in a way they thought they should so this research may acc tell us little about how children learn aggressive behaviour

(-) Bandura made little reference to biological factors - but 1 consistent finding in the BOBO doll studies was that boys were more aggressive - could be explained by the larger quantity of testosterone in males compared to females

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14
Q

What are the assumptions of the biological approach?

A
  • sugggests that all things psychological are first biological
  • so to understand human behaviour we must look to biological structures and processes
  • from a biological POV the mind lives in the brain so all thoughts and processes have a phyisical basis

-

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15
Q

Describe the genetic basis of behaviour

A
  • Behaviour geneticists study whether behaviour characteristics,like intelligence, are inherited like physical characteristics
  • Twin studies are used to determine this by comparing concordance rates between pairs of twins
  • concordance rates measure the extent to which both twins share the same characteristic
  • for e.g if MZ twins have higher concordance rates than DZ twins for a particular trait then it suggests a genetic basis as MZ twins share 100% DNA and DZ twins share 50%
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16
Q

What is meant by genotype and phenotype?

A
  • A person’s genotype is their actual gentic makeup
  • A person’s phenotype is how the genes are expressed
  • The expressiosn of genes is inevitably infleunced by the environment
  • Thats why even MZ twins will look slightly different due to factors such as diet etc
  • So, many biological psyhcologists accept that much of human behaviour depends on an interaction between genes and environment
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17
Q

Desribe Evolution and behaviour

A
  • Charles Darwin proposed the theory of natural selection to explain evolution
  • the main principle of this theory is that any gentically determined behaviour that provides a survival advanatge will continue in future generations
  • this can happen artificially too (selective breeding) - farmers
18
Q

biological strength - methods

A

(+) based on scientific methods -used methods such as fMRIs and MRIs and twin studies -all relatively objective - reliable data HOWEVER with twin studies, they have an important confounding variable- DZ twins grew up same time and normal siblings grew up diff times but both sets share 50% DNA - so diffs between their concordance rates would be due to nurture and not nature (as DZ often had higher rates)

  • real life app - increased understanding of brain processes has helped develop drugs for some mental illnesses like schizophrenia - has revolutionised treatment
19
Q

biological strengths - real life applications

A
  • real life app - increased understanding of brain processes has helped develop drugs for some mental illnesses like schizophrenia - has revolutionised treatment
20
Q

biological weaknesses

A

(-) determinstic - everything controlled by our genes - implications for legal system - criminals held account as its believed that they should be solely responsible but if a “criminal gene” is discovered - implies it’s not their choices - complicates the legal system’s principles

21
Q

Describe the assumptions of the cognitive approach

A
  • this approach argues that internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically
  • bc of this this approach has studied processes like memory, attachment and perception
  • but as these processes are private, cognitive psychologists have to make inferences
22
Q

Describe the role of the schema

A
  • Schema are packages of information
  • they act as a mental framework for incoming information
  • as babies we posses simple motor schema for innate behaviours like sucking and grasping
  • as we get older our schema becomes sophisticated and detailed
  • our schema allows us to make mental short-cuts as they allow us to process a lot of info at once but this can lead to perceptual errors
23
Q

The cognitive approach uses models to understand cognitive processing; explain how

A
  • cognitive psychologists use theoretical models to study internal processes
  • a type of theoretical model is the info processing approach which suggests that info flows through a sequence of stages inc. input storage and retrieval - like the MSM
  • they also use computer models - compares human mind to computers
  • such models helped in development of thinking machines and AI
24
Q

Describe the emergence of cognitive neuroscience

A
  • this a fusion of the cognitive approach with biology
  • it is the scientific study of brain structures and their influence on mental processes
  • due to advancements in technology, neuroscientists can make use of brain imaging techniques such as fMRIs and PET scans
  • using such techniques, it is now known that episodic and semantic memories are stored in opposites sides of the pre-frontal cortex
25
Q

the cognitive approach strength ( scientific credibility)

A

(+) employs highly controlled and rigorous methods of stud- involves use of lab experiments to produce reliable and objective data - credible scientifc basis

HOWEVER

bc of the use of highly controlled lab experiements, the application to everyday life may be limited - for e.g. in many memory studies, artificial stimuli was used which doesnt represent everyday life so although the data produced may be objective and reliable it may lack external validity

26
Q

the cognitive approach strength (real life application)

A

(+)this approach is probs the most dominant in psychology today and has been applied to various contexts - e,g it has made an important contribution to field of AI and thinking robots due to use of computer models

HOWEVER

(-) due to the use of computer models, this approach is criticised for machine reductionism - by comparing the complex human mind to a machine is reducing the complexity and ignoring the influence of emotions on cognitive processes such as the effect of anxiety on EWT

27
Q

What is the psychodynamic approach?

A
  • An approach that focuses on the unconscious and the importance of childhood in development

-

28
Q

What is the role of the unconscious

A
  • freud suggested that our conscious mind is merely the “tip of the iceberg” and that most of our mind is made up of the unconscious
  • the unconscious is a vast storehouse of biological instincts and drives that has a significant influence on our behaviour
  • it also contains disturbing memories we have repressed
29
Q

Describe the structure of personality (the psyche)

A

it is composed of 3 parts

Id - present from birth

  • based on pleasure principle
  • is selfish and greedy

Superego

  • develops around 5 years (phallic stage)
  • based on morality principle
  • knows whats right and whats wrong
  • punishes ego for wrong via guilt

Ego

  • based on reality principle
  • balances demands of Id and supergo via defence mechanisms
  • develops around 2
30
Q

describe what the psychosexual stages means

A
  • Freud claimed that child development occured in 5 stages and each stage is marked by a conflict the child must resolve
  • if the psychosexual conflict is not resolved the child becomes fixated on that stage and devlops behaviours associated with that stage throughout life
31
Q

outline the psychosexual stages

A
32
Q

the psychodynamic approach strengths

A

(+) this approach has great explanatory power- it has been used to explain a range of phenomena including personality development, abnormal behaviour etc

(+) theres practical application - psychoanalysis - employs a range of techniques such as hypnosis - it is the forerunner of modern psychotherapies - increases validity of the approacfh

33
Q

the psychodynamic approach weaknesses

A

(-) Freud’s theory was based on intensive study of individual studies - argued that a theory cant be applied to the whole population based off a few case studies

(-) psychic determinsim - freud claimed that free will is just an illusion + that there is no such thing as an accident - they are driven by unconscious forces and have deep symbolic meaning

34
Q

What is the humanistic approach?

A

An approach to understanding human behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and an individual’s capacity for self-determination

35
Q

describe the humanistic approach’s stance on free will

A
  • this approach claims that all humans have free will and are self-determining
  • humans are active agents in charge of their own development
  • for this reaosn, humanistic psychologists reject scientific models that attempt to establish general laws
  • they believe that as active agents, we are all unique
  • so its known as the “person-centred approach”
36
Q

Describe self-actualisation

A
  • everyone has an innate tendency to acheive their full potential - to become the best they can possibly be
  • self-actualisation is the top level of Maslows hierarchy of needs - the 4 below are deficiency needs which must be met before achieving self-actualisation
  • not evryone will manage this as there are psychological barriers
37
Q

Describe The Self, Congurgence and conditions of worth

A
  • Rogers argued that for personal growth to be acheived, a persons concept of slef must have congrugence with their ideal self
  • if the gap is too big they will expereince a state of incongrugence and self-actualisation will not be reached
  • in order to reduce the gap, rogers developed client-centred therapy
38
Q

Describe Client-centred therapy

A
  • Rogers developed this to redcuce the gap between people’s concept of self and ideal self
  • in this therapy, the patient is referred to as a client and is encouraged to discover their own solutions
  • the aim of therapy is to increase feelings of worth, reduce incongrugence ansd increase functionality
39
Q

humanistic strengths

A

(+) not reductionist - unlike other approaches it doesn’t believe in breaking experiences down - believes in a holistic way - could be more valid as it looks at the real world

(+)positive approach - praised for bringing the person back into psychology - it offers a refreshing and positive perspective on human behaviour compared to other appraoches

40
Q

humanistic weaknesses

A

(-) untestable concepts - all the ideas including “self actualization” and such can’t be measured or experimented

(-) limited application to the discipline of psychology - lack of sound evidence - it don’t bring much to psychology

(-) culture bound - okay for individualist cultures but in collectivist cultures where its about the group not the person - self actualization seems selfish

Psychology (10 decks)

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