Approaches (AO3) Flashcards
1
Q
Why are the Bio’s used of high control a strength? (PEI)
A
- P: A strength of the approach is that it has been tested in highly controlled, scientific conditions.
- E: For example, scans of the brain are done in these strict conditions and laboratory and use fmRI scans etc. Drug trials are also very strictly controlled.
- I: This means research into this area is easy to replicate and increases the reliability.
2
Q
Does the Bio approach have practical application?
A
- P: A strength of the biological model is that it has had real-life practical applications.
- E: It has enabled the development of treatment for mental disorders, such as antipsychotic drugs for conditions such as OCD.
- I: This means that sufferers are able to live ordinary lives (as long as the medication is taken) and not need to live in or rely on hospitals.
3
Q
PEI on Bio approach’s ability to produce conclusions?
A
- P: An issue with the approach is that it does not provide cause or conclusions.
- E: For example, evidence from family/twin studies and drug trials can only demonstrate a link between biology and the behaviour exhibited.
- I: This reduces the internal validity of the approach as we still don’t know what actually causes these results.
4
Q
What is a similar strength of the Cog. approach to Bio?
A
- P: A strength of the approach is that it has been tested in highly controlled conditions.
- E: For example, tests on memory have often been done in control conditions but also scans of the brain are also done in these strict conditions and laboratory.
- I: This means research into this area is easy to replicate and increases the reliability.
5
Q
Does the Cog. approach oversimplify things?
A
- P: An issue with the approach in general is that it oversimplifies the mind and the processes involved.
- E: It completely ignores the emotional aspects of the brains and the massive impact they have in affecting our reactions and internal processes.
- I: This decreases the theory’s internal validity as it does are not take these factors into account.
6
Q
Comment on SLT’s link to the Cog. approach
A
- P: A key strength of SLT is that it also acknowledges the importance of cognitive factors in the process of learning.
- E: This is shown in the mediational process as it suggests that we can store information on specific observed behaviours before applying it ourselves as it would be seriously counter-productive if we could only decide on the usefulness of behaviour after we had performed it ourselves.
- I: This increases the internal validity of the theory.
7
Q
Why is a weakness of SLT is its ignoring of other factors?
A
- P: A problem with SLT is that ignores the roles of biological influences on one’s behaviour.
- E: For example, it was found that boys typically behaved more aggressively than girls within the Bobo Doll experiment. Yet, this may be explained by the fact that males tend to have higher levels of testosterone which is typically linked to aggressive behaviour
- I: This decreases the theory’s internal validity.
8
Q
Comment on SLT’s use of lab studies?
A
- P: A major issue with the theory is that it heavily relies on observations made in laboratory environments.
- E: This is because ppts, especially children, are likely to produce demand characteristics and therefore behave as they are perceived to be required to.
- I: This causes a decrease in inner validity.
9
Q
Does Behaviourism have anything to do with credibility?
A
- P: A strength of behaviourism is that it has high scientific credibility.
- E: This is because it focuses on the measurement of observable behaviour w/highly controlled lab settings. By emphasising the importance of scientific processes such as objectivity and replication, behaviourism was very influential in and outside of psychology.
- I: We are able to test reliability of laws/rules that are made and caused the field of psychology to have more credibility.
10
Q
Explain Behaviourism’s applicability
A
- P: A strength to behaviourism is that it can be applied to a variety of real-world scenarios and problems.
- E: For example, operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions such as prisons and psychiatric wards. Classical conditioning has been used to treat phobias.
- I: Increases external validity.
11
Q
Is Behaviourism mechanistic?
A
- P: A problem with the approach is that it views humans as mechanistic.
- E: This is because it views humans as simply passive to their environment as well as machine-like responders with little to no conscious insight. This causes vital factors such as human emotion to be ignored.
- I: Decreases internal validity.
12
Q
Are there any problem with Behaviourism’s use of animals?
A
Yes, especially for Skinner’s work. Can be considered unethical for animals involved as they were placed into stressful and therefore perhaps harmful environments. May question whether findings were really worth it.
These environments may have also caused the animals to behave as they did and therefore may have behaved differently otherwise which can decreases internal validity.
13
Q
Is this the psychodynamic approach reliable?
A
- P: A weakness of the psychodynamic approach is that its components are difficult to measure.
- E: The unconscious, id and ego are not easy to operationalise.
- I: This decreases the reliability of the approach as researchers cannot test the parts that make it up as claimed by Karl Popper, because they appear on only a unconscious level.
14
Q
Evaluate psychodynamic’s predictability
A
- P: Another limitation of the psychodynamic approach is that is does not allow us to predict outcomes.
- E: Stating that adult disorder is a result of conflict in an early psychosexual stage but the theory often cannot predict how a particular conflict in childhood will affect adult behaviour.
- I: This decreases the predictive validity of the approach.
15
Q
Would you consider the psychodynamic approach outdated?
A
- P: A further weakness of the psychodynamic approach is that its concepts are out of date.
- E: Emphasis on sexual instincts seems out of date in modern society, especially the imbalance in explanation for male and female development.
- I: This decreases temporal validity as it does not fit in with our understanding of sexuality and gender.
