Approaches Flashcards
Introspection meaning
The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations
Who invented introspection
Wilhelm Wundt
Evaluation of the scientific approach
+knowledge acquired is accurate due to the use of objective and controlled studies
+allows the causes of behaviour to be established and theories developed which can be tested and modified. Once cause is established, treatments can be developed (eg.psychological therapies for depression)
-focuses on being objective and conducting research in strictly controlled environments. Tells us little about how people will behave in their natural environments
-certain areas of human behaviour and mind that cannot be observed therefore cannot be measured using the scientific method
The learning approaches
Behaviourism
Social learning theory
The behaviourist approach assumptions
All behaviors are learnt from our environment.
Focus on observable behavior (behavior that can be seen).
Animals and humans learn in the same ways so behaviorists carry out experiments on animals and extrapolate the results to humans.
Psychology should be scientific and objective therefore behaviorists use mainly laboratory experiments to achieve this.
Behaviourists identified two important forms of learning: classical and operant conditioning
Classical conditioning
learning through association
was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov showed that dogs could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time that they were given food.
First the dogs were presented with the food, they salivated. The food was the unconditioned stimulus and salivation was an unconditioned (innate) response.
Then Pavlov sounded the bell (neutral stimulus) before giving the food. After a few pairings the dogs salivated when they heard the bell even when no food was given. The bell had become the conditioned stimulus and salivation had become the conditioned response.
The dogs had learnt to associate the bell with the food and the sound of the bell and salivation was triggered by the sound of the bell.
Operant conditioning
Skinner argued that learning is an active process. When humans and animals act on and in their environment consequences follow these behaviors. If the consequences are pleasant they repeat the behavior but if the consequences are unpleasant they do not repeat the behavior.
Positive reinforcement: is receiving a reward.
Negative reinforcement: occurs when performing an action stops something unpleasant happening. For example in one of Skinner’s experiment a rat had to press a lever to stop receiving an electric shock.
Punishment: this is an unpleasant consequence. For example being grounded for not doing your psychology homework.
Operant conditioning experiment
The skinner box
A hungry rat was placed in a cage. Every time he activated the lever a food pellet fell in the food dispenser (positive reinforcement). The rats quickly learnt to go straight to the lever after a few times of being put in the box
This suggests that positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.
In another experiment, a rat was placed in a cage in which they were subjected to an uncomfortable electrical current (see diagram above) as he moved around the cage the rat hit the lever, this immediately switched off the electrical current (negative reinforcement). The rats quickly learnt to go straight to the lever after a few times of being put in the box.
This suggests that negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.
Behaviourism application
Behaviorism has increased our understanding of the causes of phobias and attachment.
It has also given rise to therapies such as systematic desensitisation and token economy.
Behaviourism evaluation
Behaviorism has experimental support: Pavlov showed that classical conditioning leads to learning by association. Watson and Rayner showed that phobias can be learnt through classical conditioning in the “little Albert” experiment.
It introduced the scientific methods to psychology. Laboratory experiments were used with high control of extraneous variables. These experiments were replicable and the data obtained was objective (not influenced by an individual’s judgement or opinion) and measurable. This gave psychology more credibility.
Many of the experiments carried out were done on animals; we are different cognitively and physiologically, humans have different social norms and moral values these mediate the effects of the environment therefore we might behave differently from animals so the laws and principles derived from these experiments might apply more to animals than to humans.
It has practical applications for example systematic desensitisation based on classical conditioning is used in the treatment of phobias. Classical and operant conditioning have also been used to explain attachment.
It does not explain important aspects of human behavior such as memory and problem solving as these are internal mental events which cannot be observed.
It sees people as passive in their learning with little conscious thoughts influencing their behavior; other approaches recognise the importance of mental events in the learning process e.g. SLT and cognitive approach
Social learning theory
Bandura agreed with the behaviorists that behavior is learnt through experience however he proposed a different mechanism than conditioning. He argued that we learn through observation and imitation of others’ behavior.
This theory focuses not only on the behavior itself but also on the mental processes involved in learning so it is not a pure behaviorist theory.
Stages of the slt
Attention: The individual needs to pay attention to the behavior and its consequences and form a mental representation of the behavior.
Retention: Storing the observed behavior in LTM where it can stay for a long period of time. Imitation is not always immediate.
Reproduction: The individual must be able (have the ability and skills) to reproduce the observed behavior.
Motivation: Individuals must expect to receive the same positive reinforcements (vicarious reinforcement) for imitating the observed behavior that they have seen the model receiving.
Imitation is more likely to happen if…
the model (the person who performs the behavior) is positively reinforced. This is called vicarious reinforcement.
Imitation is also more likely if we identify with the model. We see them as sharing some characteristics with us i.e. similar age, gender, social status as we identify with them.
Bobo doll study bandura et al (1961) method
Bandura
It was a lab experiment. Sample: American children, 36 boys and 36 girls aged between 3-6 years old .
Group 1: 12 girls and 12 boys were shown a model hitting the doll with a hammer and shouting at the doll.
Group 2: 12 girls and 12 boys were shown a non-aggressive model.
Group 3: 12 girls and 12 boys (control group) were not shown a model.
Then the children were taken to a room with some attractive toys but were told not to play with the toys (aggression arousal).
Then the children were taken individually in a room containing a bobo doll, non-aggressive toys like pencils and plastic farm animals and aggressive toys like a hammer and a pistol.
Bobo doll study results (first one)
The children who had observed the aggressive model (group 1) were more aggressive than the children from the other two groups. Group 1 imitated specific aggressive acts that were displayed by the model. Boys imitated more physically aggressive acts than girls. There was no difference in the verbal aggression between boys and girls.
