Approaches and perspectives

Question 1

Define: cognitive approach

Answer 1

The study and understanding of thinking processes, focusing on how we process, store and use information.

This approach assumes that behaviour is largely determined by how the mind processes information.

Question 2

List the strengths of the cognitive approach to psychology

Answer 2

• most research use lab experiments, which are high in control, allowing causal relationships to be established
• reductionist conclusions are easy to understand and apply
• useful, many practical applications e.g. helping people with cognitive deficits
• can be combined with other approaches
• can be ethical if just asking subjects to do simple cognitive tasks

Question 3

List the weaknesses of the cognitive approach to psychology

Answer 3

• use of lab experiments is low in ecological validity
• cannot directly observe cognitions because it is ‘mental’; self-report may be unreliable/invalid
• reductionist explanations do not look at bigger picture, e.g. ignoring biology and emotions

Question 4

List the cognitive processes that were studied

Answer 4

• theory of mind
• visual perception / visually-guided behaviour
• formation of memories, retroactive interference
• cognitive load when lying

Question 5

Define: social approach

Answer 5

The study of the interaction of people between or within groups.

This approach assumes that people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.

Question 6

List the strengths of the social approach to psychology

Answer 6

• usefulness and applications
• research uses experiments, which allow causal relationships to be established
• emphasis on objective measures increases validity
• reductionist explanations are easy to understand and apply
• support for nurture & situational explanations

Question 7

List the weaknesses of the social approach to psychology

Answer 7

• reductionist explanations ignore biology and individual differences
• demand characteristics influence social behaviour, difficult to have ecological validity AND ethics
• society and culture changes cause research to become outdated
• different social groups have different behaviours, so cannot always generalise
• may be difficult to find a valid objective measure of certain social functions

Question 8

Define: developmental approach

Answer 8

The study of how behaviour changes as we age.

This approach assumes behaviour can be explained by our level of development, and the behaviour of an adult is shaped by childhood experiences.

Question 9

List the strengths of the developmental approach to psychology

Answer 9

• use of children in research reduces demand characteristics
• can be ethical if consent sought from parents
• useful, applications in education and parenting
• longitudinal studies allow investigation of change over time as children develop
• children are easy to find in schools/nurseries
• used to explain nature/nurture debate

Question 10

List the weaknesses of the developmental approach to psychology

Answer 10

• too much focus on childhood, as development still takes place an as adult
• longitudinal studies may alter development due to experience of being in a study; may have researcher bias
• cross sectional studies have participant variables, as difference may be due to different backgrounds/experiences
• ethical problems e.g. psychological harm, consent
• may have decreased validity as children may not understand instructions

Question 11

Define: physiological approach

Answer 11

The scientific study of biological and physiological processes in the body and the effect these have on behaviour and psychological states.

Additionally, this approach looks at how our experiences affect our brain and body.

Question 12

List the strengths of the physiological approach to psychology.

Answer 12

• studies biological functions within the body such as heart rate; can measure objectively
• equipment is valid as it is scientific
• not open to interpretation by psychologist, so less bias
• less demand characteristics
• lab experiments are usually used so very controlled
• easy to replicate
• supports nature
• applications e.g. perfumes, medication

Question 13

List the weakness of the physiological approach to psychology

Answer 13

• reductionist to biological causes
• deterministic, may prevent people from taking responsibility
• controlled conditions are not ecologically valid
• may not be able to identify cause for certain behaviours e.g. lack of recall in NREM sleep
• time and cost of scientific equipment

Question 14

Define: individual differences approach

Answer 14

The study of psychological differences between people, showing how all of us are unique in terms of our personality and our behaviour.

Question 15

List the strengths of the individual differences approach to psychology

Answer 15

• may use scientific equipment e.g. EEG, which is objective and valid
• can gather both qualitative and quantitative data e.g. MPD study
• can perform action research to treat patient
• applications, e.g. diagnoses of mental illness
• often holistic as provides an overall approach to individual differences
• can be ethical if the questions are not intrusive
• individual explanation
• often uses self reports which are reliable (Billington)
• often uses field experiments/observations so therefore high ecological validity (Rosenhan)

Question 16

List the weaknesses of the individual differences approach to psychology

Answer 16

• relies on dispositional explanations over situational explanations
• conclusions may be subjective / prone to researcher bias
• measuring devices may not be valid, e.g. psychometrics and projective tests
• may have demand characteristics / not have ecological validity
• case studies cannot be generalised to other people
• can be time consuming
• ethical issues with labelling people as different, labels can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy
• may be reductionist
• may have to ask quite intrusive questions, which is unethical