Approaches Flashcards
Who was Wundt?
first ever lab in Leipzig, Germany in 1879
introspection
structuralism
standardised instructions
What are the assumptions of the behaviourist approach?
observed and measured
rejected introspection
lab experiments
BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH
What did Pavlov research?
classical conditioning
dogs conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell
BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH
What did Skinner research?
operant conditioning
skinner box (rats positively and negatively reinforced)
punishment
BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH
scientific credibility
objective
replication
greater credibility and status to psychology as a science
BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH
Real life application
token economy systems
classical conditioning used in the treatment of phobias
BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH
reductionist
sees humans as passive
BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH
deterministic
ignores any possible influence that free will may have an effect on behaviour
BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH
Ethical issues
harm caused to the animals used in the studies
What are the assumptions of SLT
indirect learning
classical and operant conditioning
observation and imitation
behaviour learnt from others
SLT
What is vicarious reinforcement
imitation only occurs if the behaviour is seen to be rewarded rather than punished
SLT
What are the mediational processes
attention
retention
motor reproduction
motivation
SLT
What is identification?
more likely to imitate behaviour of whom they identify- role models
(modelling)
SLT
What did Bandura study?
young children watched adult behave aggressively towards bobo doll
children then behaved more aggressively to bobo doll when later observed
they then saw an adult being praised, condition 2, saw adult being punished, condition 3 saw no consequence
1st- most aggressive, 2nd least aggressive, 3rd second aggressive
SLT
Importance of cognitive factors
provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning
SLT
Explains cultural differences
explains gender roles
explains cultural norms and how they are transmitted
SLT
Deterministic
less deterministic than behavioural approach
reciprocal determinism
some free will
SLT
Underestimates biological factors
hormonal factors may effect aggression
SLT
Over reliance on lab studies
Bandura in lab setting
causes demand characteristics
What are the assumptions of the cognitive approach?
Argues that internal mental processes can, and should, be studied scientifically.
Psychologists study indirectly by making inferences.
Cognitive
What are internal mental processes
private operations of the mind such as perception and attention.
Cognitive
What are schema
A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing.
Developed from experience.
Cognitive
What are the roles of theoretical and computer models?
To help understand internal mental processes.
Information processing approach which suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in a series of stages, such as input, storage and retrieval, like the multi-store model of memory.
Development of AI.
Cognitive
What is the role of schema?
Enable us to process lots of information quickly, like a mental short-cut that prevents us from being overhwhlemed by envrionmental stimuli.
However, may distort our interpretations of sensory information, leading to perceptual errors.
Cognitive
What is the emergence of cognitive neuroscience?
the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes.
fMRI, PET scans- scientists systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes.
Cognitive Evaluation
Scientific and objective methods
Highly controlled methods of study
Lab experiments to produce reliable, objective data.
Credible scientific basis.
Cognitive Evaluation
Machine reductionism
Ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system and how this may affect our ability to process information.
E.G. research on eyewitness testimonies demonstarted that anxiety may have an influence on recall.
Cognitive Evaluation
Application to everyday life
Experiments often use artificial stimuli, lacking external validity.
Only able to infer, so may be too abstract and theoretical in nature.
Cognitive Evaluation
Real-life application
Made an important contribution in AI.
Development of thinking machines (robots).
Cognitive Evaluation
Less deterministic
founded on soft determinism.
recgonises that our cognitive system can only operate within the limits of what we know but that we are free to think before responding to a stimulus.
Biological
What are the assumptions of the biological approach?
Suggests that everything pyschological is at first biological.
We must look at biological structures and processes within the body such as genes, neurochemistry and the nervous system.
Biological
What is the genetic basis of behaviour?
Whether behavioural characteristics are inherited the same way as physical characteristics.
Twin studies are used to determine the likelihood that certain traits have a genetic basis by looking at concordance rates. If monozygotic twins have a higher concordance rate than dizgotic twins, it suggests a genetic basis.
Biological
Genotype and phenotype
Genotype- genetic makeup
Phenotype- the way these genes are expressed through physical, behavioural characteristics.
The expression of the genotype is influenced through emvironmentl factors.
Human behaviour depends upon an interaction between inherited factors and the environment.
Biological
Evolution and behaviour
Theory of natural selection- Charles Darwin.
Possessor is more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on the desirable characteristics.
Biological Evaluation
Scientific
uses fMRIs, EEGs and family and twin studies and drug trials.
The biological apporach is based on reliable data.
Biological Evaluation
Real-life application
Increased understanding of biochemical processes in the brain has led to the development of psychoactive drugs that treat depression.
Biological Evaluation
Casual conclusions
Offers explanation for mental illnesses in terms of the action of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Biological Evaluation
Deteministic
Sees human behaviour as being governed by internal, biological causes over which we have no control.
Legal system- sees crimincals as being morally responsible for their crime.
Psychodynamic approach
What is the role of the unconscious?
Freud suggested that the part of our mind we know about and are aware of is the tip of the iceberg.
MOst of our mind is made up of unconscious. This contains respressed memroies.
Bubbling under the surface of our conscious mind is the preconscious.
Psychodynamic approach
What is the structure of personality?
The id: pleasure principle, unconscious drives and instincts, entirely selfish.
The ego: reality principle, the mediator, developed around the age of two. Using defence mechanisms
The superego: formes at the end of the phallic stage, age 5. Our internalised sense of right or wrong. Based on morality principle. Punishes ego for wrongdoing through guilt.
Psychodynamic approach
What are the psychosexual stages?
Oral - 0-1 Anal- 1-3 Phallic 3-5 Latency Genital
Psychodynamic approach
What did Freud desrcibe as the oral stage and a consequence of an unresolved conflict?
Focus is pleasure on the mouth.
Oral fixation- smoking, biting nails, sarcastic.
Psychodynamic approach
What did Freud describe as the anal stage and a consequence of an unresolved conflict?
Focus of pleasure is the anus- witholding and expelling faeces.
Anal retentive- perfectionist, obsessive
Anal expulsive- thoughtless, messy
Psychodynamic approach
What did Freud describe as the phallic stage and a consequence of an unresolved conflict?
Focus of pleasure in genital area, has Oedipus or Electra complex.
Phallic personality- narcissistic, reckless
Psychodynamic approach
What did Freud say happened during latency?
Earlier conflicts repressed.
Psychodynamic approach
What did Freud desribe as the genital stage and a consequence of unresolved conflict?
Sexual desires become conscious.
Difficulty forming relationships.
Psychodynamic approach
What are the three defence mechanisms?
Repression- forcing a memory out
Denial- Refusing to acknowledge some aspect of reality.
Displacement- Transferring feelings from true sourcee of distressing emotion onto a substitute target.
Evaluation of the Psychodynamic Approach
Use of case studies
- Little Hans- very subjective.
- Not scientific.
- Not generalisable.
Evaluation of the Psychodynamic Approach
Untestable concepts
Can not be falsified, so not open to empirical testing.
Causes it to be a pseudoscience.
Evaluation of the Psychodynamic Approach
Practical application
Bought about psychoanalysis.
However this is inappropriate for people suffering from serious mental disorders.
Evaluation of the Psychodynamic Approach
Deterministic
Psychic determinsim.
unconscious forces behind our behaviour and no such thing as an accident.
Sees free will as an illusion.
The Humanistic Approach
What is the humanistic approach?
Emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each persons capacity for self-determination.
The Humanistic Approach
What is free will?
Believes humans are active agents who have the ability to determine their own deveopment.
Rogers and Maslow reject scientific models that attempt to establish general principles of human behaviour.
Subjective experience.
The Humanistic Approach
What is self-actualisation and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
Every person has the innate ability to achieve their full potential.
Personal growth is essential part of what it means to be human.
The Humanistic Approach
What is the self, congruence and conditions of worth?
A persons concept of self must be broadly equal to/ have congruence with their ideal self. If this is not achieved, they cannot reach self-actualisation.
Rogers claimed feelings of worthlessness may be due to lack of unconditional positive regard from our parents.
Evalution of the Humanistic Approach
Not reductionist
Holistic.
Subjective experience can only be understood when considering the whole person.
Validity as it considers the meaningful huma behaviour in a real-life context.
Evalution of the Humanistic Approach
Limited application
Rogerian therapy and maslows hierarchy of needs used in the workplace.
However, limited impact due to the lack of a sound evidence base.
Evalution of the Humanistic Approach
Positive approach
Promotes a positive image of the human condition.
Free-will
