Approaches Flashcards
What does behaviourism emphasise
The role of learning
What does tabula rasa mean
Blank slate
What is behaviour
A learnt response to stimuli in the environment
What are behaviourists only concerned with
Directly observable behaviours
Why is this
Because you cannot directly observe internal mental processes
What does behaviourists use to investigate behaviour
Highly controlled lab experiments to establish a cause and effect
What is classical conditioning
Learning through association
When an association is made between a neutral stimulus that wouldn’t normally provoke a response
Name a famous behaviourism experiment
Pavlovs Dogs where he conditioned dogs to drool over a bell
What is operant conditioning
Learning to repeat a behaviour depending on the consequence
What happens when there is a good consequence
The behaviour is reinforced/repeated
What happens when there is a bad consequence
The behaviour is less likely to be repeated
Name and explain the two types of reinforcement
Positive - gaining something positive as a reward
Negative - removal of something negative as a reward
Both mean behaviour is more likely to be repeated
Name an operant conditioning key study
Skinner (1932), with skinners box
Name a key psychologist within SLT
Albert Bandura
What did bandura do
Agreed with behaviourists that behaviour is learn through direct experience but proposed a further mechanism
What was Banduras further mechanism
That we also learn indirectly through observation and imitation of others
What did Bandura focus on
Mental processes involved in learning
When is imitation more likely to happen
If the model is positively reinforced
Or when we identify with or respect the model
What is this reinforcement called
Vicarious reinforcement
How is SLT and behaviourism linked
They both look at stimulus and response but SLT also believes that mental processes are involved
What do cognitive processes do
Mediate between the stimulus and response
Name the three different mediating processes
Motivation, attention and memory
Name the acronym for the stages of SLT
ARMM
What does ARMM stand for
Attention - the individual needs to pay attention to the behaviour and consequences
Retention - the individual stored the observed behaviour in long term memory as imitation is not always immediate
Motor Reproduction - the individual must be able to reproduce the observed behaviour
Motivation - the individual must expect to gain the same positive reinforcement they have seen
Evaluate SLT
- Experiment support/lab experiments that are well controlled, however can be influenced by variables/demand characteristics
- does not take into account bio factors, free will or moral views
- explains cultural differences and influence of media
What are cognitions
Mental processes including memory, perception and language
How can we infer what a person is thinking? (Inference)
Based on how they act
What has cognitive psychology been influenced by
Developments in computer sciences and analogies are often made between a human brain and computers
What is cognitive psychology is interested in
How the brain inputs, stores and retrieves information
What is the man assumption about the cognitive approach
That information is received and processed by our brain
What is a schema
A mental structure or package containing our stored knowledge of a topic based on previous experience
What do schemas do
Help us organise and interpret information, and allow the brain to take shortcuts in processing
What happens to schemas when we gain experience
They develop and evolve
Name a downside of a schema
They cause us to exclude important information to focus only on our schema/past experience
Name a study that supports schemas
Bartletts “War of Ghosts”
What can schemas explain
Why two people, who witness the same event, can report it differently as they have different schema
How can schema influence how we see things
Information that doesn’t fit to schema is not processed/binned
What is the information processing model
Input with senses, processing using schema then output with observable behaviour
What does the cognitive approach use to explain things
Theoretical models
What does cognitive neuroscience use
Pet and fMRI scans
What do these scans allow us to do
Section the processing brain and help discover the basis of mental disorders
Name some negatives with the cognitive approach
Artificial behaviours, soft determinism, and computers do not forget things or have emotions
Name some positives with the cognitive approach
Used very scientific methods that are replicable and reliable
It has real life applications
Soft determinism
What parts of the body does the biological approach look at
Immune system, nervous system, genetics, brain and the endocrine system
Define the biological approach
The influence of genes, biological structures and neurochemistry on behaviour.
What do behaviour geneticists study
Whether behavioural characteristics such as intelligence are inherited in the same way physical characteristics are
What are the biological terms for twins
Monozygotic - identical
Dizygotic - non identical
Name the positives of the biological approach
Scientific methods, real life application such as development of medical drugs, evidence for nature vs nurture
Name some negatives for the biological approach
Has causal conclusions, and its deterministic
Where does SLT occur
In a social context
In behaviourism, what does punishment do
make the behaviour less likely to be repeated
Name some positives about the behaviourist approach
it has scientific creditability as objectivity and replicability are emphased in lab experiments
it has real life applications such as token economy systems in prisons
Name some negatives about the behaviourist approach
ignores possibility of environmental determinism/free will in future behaviours
ethical and practical issues with animal experiments
Who is the main figure in the psychodynamic approach
Sigmund Freud
What did Freud treat
‘hysteria’
In what time period was the psychodynamic approach invented
late 1800’s
What was the society like in the 1800’s
conservative, male dominated, repressed
What is the key assumption in the psych approach
the importance of the unconscious mind
How do our unconscious thoughts affect us
our conscious mind is unaware of these feelings but they still have an affect on us
What is in our unconscious mind
repressed feelings such a unacceptable sexual urges and immoral desires
What model is used to describe the unconscious mind
an iceberg, with the conscious being visible above water (things we are aware of), the preconscious being just below (things we could be aware of if we wanted), and the unconscious deep below (things we can only be aware of through dream analysis, free association and parapraxes
What is a parapraxes
slip of the tong
What is free association
relaxing, hearing a word and saying first thing that comes into your head
What is dream analysis
repressed ideas are more likely to appear in dream than when we are awake
What does Freud refer to dream analysis as
‘the royal road to the unconscious’
What is the tripartite personality
we have 3 personalities
- Id, ego and superego
What is id like
selfish, impatient, risk taker
What is ego like
rational, realistic
What is super ego like
uptight, worrier, rigid
When do we have id from
birth - very selfish
What is another name for id
pleasure principle
When do we get ego
3 years old - aware of other peoples needs and feelings
What is ego also known as
reality principle
When do we get superego
5 years old - wants to do right
What is superego also known as
morality principle
What does ego do to reduce conflict between id and superego
uses defense mechanisms
Where in our mind is id
in our unconscious mind, only present at birth
Where in our mind is ego
in our conscious mind
Where in our mind is superego
both conscious and unconscious
What is a defense mechanism
various methods the ego uses to reduce conflicts and anxiety between id and superego
What are the three defense mechanisms
denial, repression, displacement
What is denial
a defense mechanism where we completely reject the distressing thought
What is repression
forcing a depressing memory out of the conscious mind
What is displacement
you transfer feelings from true sources of distressing emotions onto a substitute target
When and where was the humanistic approach made
America in the 1950’s
Why was it nicknames the third force
as it aimed to replace behaviourism and psychodynamic
Is humanistic intended to be more or less deterministic
less
What are the basic assumptions of the humanistic approach
every individual is unique and so we cannot generalise findings
free will as we are active agents
scientific methods are not appropriate
people should be viewed holistically
What is the humanistic view of free will
we are active agents who have the ability to determine our own outcome and can reject external forces
Name a psychologist who believed in the humanistic approach
Abraham Maslow
What did Maslow have to say about the humanistic approach
that it is natural for us to want to grow and achieve our full potential
What is this called
self actualisation
What does Maslows heirarchy of needs focus on
human motivational factors
Name another humanistic psychologist
Carl Rogers
What does Carl Rogers believe
that individuals strive to be the best version of themselves as they want self improvement
he believed that Freud looked at the ‘sick half’ and humanistic looks at healthy individuals
Explain how if needs are met we become better
humans have a basic want to be nurtured and valued
if this is given freely, people will develop a healthy sense of self worth
How can parents achieve this
by blaming behaviour and not the child
What is unconditional positive regard
giving praise and acceptance freely without conditions
What is negative or conditioned regard
parents who give this with conditions or dont give it at all
What does negative regard lead to
low self esteem
When is well being established
when there is consistency between the self concept and ideal self
What is this consistency known as
congruence
What can incongruence lead to
low self worth and maladjustment
What can lead to incongruence
defense mechanisms
What did Rogers develop to avoid inconguence
client centered therapy (CCT)
Define conditions of worth
a parent who puts conditions on their love set up psychological problems for their child in the future
What is the main way the humanistic approach has contributed to society
through therapy
What does CCT focus on
develop self regard and overcome incongruence
What is Gestalt therapy
therapy where the aim is to help the client become ‘whole’ by getting them to accept every aspect of themselves
Name 3 techniques in gestalt therapy
confrontation, dream analysis and role playing
What is the Q-sort assessment
made by Rogers for CCT
measurement of congruence by a Q-SORT
person sorts statements on cards to two piles ‘ideal and ‘real’ self
Name a real life application of Maslow
in business, CCT
Why does the humanistic approach have limited application
as it is not scientific, lacks sound evidence and considers abstract and subjective concepts
Why is the humanistic approach a positive approach
as it focuses on the positive state of self actualisation rather than the dark side of the unconscious mind
Why are vague abstract concepts such as self actualisation bad
they are unfalsifiable as they are subjective and untestable
Why does the humanistic approach contain culture bias
made in america so includes western views
values dont apply to collectivist cultures
