Approaches - Booklet 1 Flashcards
Origins of Psychology, Behaviourist Approach, Social Learning Theory, Cognitive Approach
why is wilhelm wundt considered the father of psychology
-he separated psychology from biology and philosophy
-he opened the first psychology lab
what was the significance of wundt establishing the first psychology lab
-it allowed researchers to systematically study mental processes in a controlled environment
define structuralism
-an approach that analyses the components of consciousness
-breaks down mental components into basic elements like sensations and perceptions
define introspection
-reporting conscious thoughts and experiences
describe the method of introspection
-a systematic analysis of ones own conscious experience
-experiences are analysed in terms of their component parts
-these parts are elements like sensations, emotions and reactions
-people are trained to do this analysis so the data os objective
-people presented with standardised sensory events like a ticking metronome and reported their reactions
evidence for wundt using systematic and well controlled methods
-he carried out his research in a lab environment
-so sustained high levels of control
-and controlled possible extraneous variables
-standardised procedures
evidence for some of wundts work being considered unscientific
-self reporting mental processes results in subjective data
-participants may have hidden thoughts they didn’t want to share
-so it is difficult to establish meaningful laws of behaviour
evidence for introspection not being able to be used to study different aspects of behaviour
-children have limited vocabulary and an inability to express feelings
-animals have an inability to express thoughts, and lack higher mental processes such as emotion
-so application of introspection is limited
A03 points for wundt and introspection
-systematic and well controlled methods
-other elements would be considered unscientific today
-can not be used to study all aspects of behaviour
what are the assumptions of the behaviourist approach
-psychology should only study observable, quantifiable behaviour
-humans are only animals and are not more complex
-subject matter of psychology should be classical and operant conditioning
outline how pavlov studied classical conditioning
-he strapped a dog into a harness with an apparatus that allowed precise measurement of amount of saliva produced
-a bell would be rung and the amount of saliva was measured
-food would be presented and the mount of saliva measured
-bell and food were presented at the same time and amount of saliva measured
-repeated a set number of times
-bell rung without presentation of food and saliva measured to test strength of the conditioned response
what was the unconditioned stimulus in pavlovs research
food
what was the unconditioned response in pavlovs research
salivating at food
what was the neutral stimulus in pavlovs research
bell
what was the conditioned stimulus in pavlovs research
-the bell
-after the bell and food were presented together
what was the conditioned response in pavlovs research
salivating at bell
define operant conditioning
-learning through reinforcement and punishment
define positive reinforcement
-receiving a reward for a behaviour
define negative reinforcement
-the removal/avoidance of something unpleasant
define punishment
-an unpleasant consequence for behaviour
how does positive reinforcement affect behaviour
-increases the chance the behaviour is repeated
how does negative reinforcement affect behaviour
-increases the chance the behaviour is repeated
how do punishments affect behaviour
-decreases the likelihood the behaviour is repeated
outline skinners research into operant conditioning
-set up an operant conditioning chamber (Skinner box)
-taught rats to push a lever which was unnatural, so operant conditioning with positive and negative reinforcement was performed
-positive reinforcement was where the rat was rewarded with food when he pressed the lever
-negative reinforcement was when the rat could turn off electric shocks produced by the floor by pressing the lever
A03 points about behaviourist approach
-experimental support
-relies on animal studies
-real life application
-biological factors
evidence for experimental support for the behaviourist approach
-skinners experiment using operant conditioning to teach a rat
-little albert experiment which used classical conditioning to create a phobia
-lab experiments
-variables controlled
-so can be replicated, meaning they are reliable
evidence for animal studies limiting the behaviourist approach
-relies on animal studies
-skinner used rats
-pavlov used dogs
-animals biologically and cognitively different to humans
-cannot extrapolate results to human behaviour as may not be valid
evidence for real life application supporting the behaviourist approach
-operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems used in institutions such as prisons and schools
-rewards of tokens that can be exchanged for privileges
-classical conditioning applied to treating phobias eg systematic desensitisation and flooding which require less effort and insight than talking therapies
evidence for biological factors limiting the behaviourist approach
-does not take into account the influence of biological factors
-such as dopamine level or genetic factors
-it is environmentally reductionist and does not take into account other influences
-behaviourist approach only a partial explanation for behaviour
assumptions of social learning theory
-bandura agreed with behaviourists that we learn from experience
-people learn through observation and imitation of others -social learning
-learning occurs directly through classical and operant conditioning
-but also occurs indirectly
define social learning theory
-a way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors
define imitation
-copying the behaviour of others
define identification
-when an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like the role model
define modelling
-from the observers perspective = imitating the behaviours of a role model
-from the models perspective= the precise demonstration of a specific behaviour
define vicarious reinforcement
-reinforcement which is not directly experienced
-but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
-key factor in imitation
define mediational processes
-cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response
who are we most likely to imitate
-same sex
-same age or older
-higher status
-as become role models due to being perceived as successful leading to identification
what are the mediational processes
-attention
-retention
-motor reproduction
-motivation
define attention
-the extent to which we notice certain behaviours
define retention
-how well the behaviour is remembered
define motor reproduction
-the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
define motivation
-the will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished
what was the aim of banduras bobo doll experiment
-investigate whether children learn aggression through observation and imitation
-specifically whether they would imitate an adults aggressive behaviour
what was the procedure for banduras bobo doll experiment
-controlled, lab experiment
-children divided into 3 groups
1- observed an adult behaving aggressively towards a bobo doll
2- observed a non aggressive adult
3- control group with no model
-children later placed in a room with a bobo doll and other toys and their behaviour was observed
results of the bobo doll experiment
-children exposed to the aggressive model were more likely to imitate the aggressive actions and verbal remarks
-especially if the model was of the same gender
-non aggressive and control group showed significantly less aggression
conclusion of the bobo doll experiment
-demonstrated that aggression can be learned through observation and imitation
-supports banduras social learning theory
-emphasises role of modelling in learning behaviours
A03 points for social learning theory
-research support
-reliant on evidence from lab studies
-doesn’t reference the impact of biological factors
evidence for research support for social learning theory
-bobo doll experiment took place in a lab environment
-highly controlled
-influence of extraneous variables reduced
-cause and effect clearly demonstrated
-so adds validity to SLT
evidence for reliance on lab studies limiting SLT
-participants may respond to demand characteristics
-main purpose of the bobo doll is to strike it, so children would behave in a way they thought was expected
evidence for a lack of reference to biological factors limiting SLT
-in bobo doll experiment boys were more aggressive than girls regardless of the environment
-explained by hormones such as testosterone
-which SLT doesn’t involve
assumptions in the cognitive approach
-we can study internal mental processes indirectly
-we make inferences on internal processes based on observable behaviour
-our brains work like a computer as we process information in the same way
define cognitive approach
-the term cognitive has come to mean mental processes, so this approach is focused on how our mental processes affect behaviour
define internal mental processes
-private operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response
define schema
-a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing
-they are developed through experience
define inference
-the process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour
define cognitive neuroscience
-the scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes
example of an investigation into internal mental processes in the cognitive approach
-comparing abilities of groups to memorise a list of words
-presented verbally or visually to infer which type of sensory information is easiest to process
-investigate whether or not this changes with different word types or individuals
describe the role of theoretical and computer models
-attempt to explain and infer information and draw conclusions about mental processes
describe the information processing model
-the mind is described like a computer
-input is encoding of sensory information
-processing is information manipulation
-output is behaviour/ emotion
explain the impacts of schemas
-can distort eyewitness testimony
-negative self schemas in depression
AO3- benefit of scientific and objective methods in the cognitive approach
-highly controlled and rigorous methods to enable researchers to infer cognitive processes
-lab experiments produce objective and reliable data
AO3 - machine reductionism limiting the cognitive approach
-machine reductionism ignores the influence of how human emotion and motivation on ability to process information
-memory may be affected by emotional factors such as anxiety in ewt
AO3 - real life applications of cognitive approach
-evidence from real world applications
-cognitive research into memory and the effects of misleading information
-has reduced the use of ewt in court
-reformed police procedures
-helped treatment of depression through cbt
-contributions to modern society and developed professional understanding
describe cognitive neuroscience
-how brain structures and biology affect mental processes
-specific brain areas are associated with particular actions, moods and emotions
-brain areas are tested through brain scanning
AO3- issues with technology used for cognitive neuroscience
-MRI scans used to identify the activity in different brain regions are not fully reliable
-user error can occur in calibration, temperature and noise interference
-so may lack validity
AO3 - strength of real life application of cognitive neuroscience
-used in medicine when different brains areas are studied using brain scans like MRI and PET scans
-so technology increases reliability and validity
AO3- machine reductionism as a limitation of cognitive neuroscience
-doesn’t take into account the impact of human emotions on behaviour and that humans are complex and unpredictable
-cognitive neuroscience can’t be used to fully explain human behaviour
