Approaches (Evaluation) Flashcards
Wundt methods were unreliable and could not be replicated
Behaviourists mainly questioned that the approach relied on non-observable responses, introspective methods were not easily reproducible, especially introspection for other researchers, other researchers were already producing reliable and reproducible results for example Ian Pavlov and these results could be generalised to human beings. So overall his research can not be classed as empirical.m
Introspection is still useful in psychology and has applications to being applied to mental health and improving the well-beings of lives -
C S I K Z E N T H U I M H A L Y I
Hunter and Csikzenthuimhalyi (2003) made introspection useful in some aspects of psychology. They made happiness a measurable phenomenon, they gave a group of teenagers beepers that went off during random times of the day and were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings, most indicated that the teens were more unhappy than happy. But when focused on something engaging they were much more happier, therefore introspection still offers ways of understanding different of emotions and introspective feelings within to help improve the quality of lives.
Skinners research was highly scientific under a controlled environment and allowed a control of variables -
Due to skinners method of operant conditioning being used with rats, in his own special cage. He could control all variables and measure the dependant variable, with high internal validity and external reliability, it allows a cause and effect relationship between the consequence of the behaviour and outcome.
Classical conditioning has been applied to the effects of treatments (Systematic desensitisation)
Classical conditioning has been applied in the development of treatments, where it eliminates the learnt feared response that is associated with fear, it is used to associate to change the perception of anxiety to relaxation or something pleasurable, the classical conditioning-based approach has been found to be successful for a range of phobias such as the fear of spiders or heights and therefore has useful relevance in everyday situations.
Problems with using animal studies of Skinners research -
These animals may not generalise to humans and therefore be criticised for the population used, critics tell us that non-human animals tell us little about human behaviour as humans have the choice of free will and don’t have their behaviour determined by positive and negative reinforcement
SLT is an integration of the differential association theory -
The ideas of social learning theory has been applied to many areas of human behaviour and understanding criminal behaviour. Akers (1998) found that criminals that are exposed to illegal behaviour are more likely to imitate that behaviour themselves. They identify with these models. This is backed up by positive consequences and the possible exposure of vicarious reinforcement. This allows better understanding of why people act in a different manner than others and is similar to Bandura’s findings as possible violence is both modelled and rewarded.
Identification may not be the only factor -
There may be other potential influences on behaviour for example, the development of gender role behaviour, social learning theorists would suggest that the importance of a live model may be impactful due to the same sex model. However, a child is exposed to many different factors in a setting these may be media portrayals (symbolic models). This may mean that any predispositions can effect a person idea of imitating another’s. It becomes difficult for it to show one specific thing which may be the primary factor.
Cognitive approach has useful applications to social psychology and psychopathology -
Applied in many areas of psychology. Social psychology allows psychologists to have a better understanding of interpreting the actions of others. In psychopathology it is seen as useful in allowing dysfunctional behaviour to be linked back to faulty thinking. This then leads to successful treatment, from cognitive-based inventions of people suffering from disorders such as depression and OCD.
Cognitive approach lacks ecological validity -
Studies of cognitive psychology tend to have a little in common with the everyday experience, artificial test materials use relatively meaningless information (random word lists) rather than it being based on information that does matter in everyday situations (forgetting appointments).It then recognises that we can generalise these findings to real-life studies and lack ecological validity.
The biological approach has some useful applications to explaining disorders and circadian rhythms -
It provides clear predictions about how the effects of underlying biological elements such as neurotransmitters influence our behaviour, this had led to such applications in the real world such as the idea of the role of serotonin a neurotransmitter and lower levels are associated with OCD and even depression characteristics and therefore countering this with more serotonin such as the use of SSRI’s has led to effective drug treatments under the impression of there struggling biological conditions. Further suggests the value of adopting a biological approach to studying human behaviour.
The biological approach involves reductionism but that cannot alone explain existing vulnerabilities of certain people -
It is criticised for being broken down into genes, neurotransmitters and hormones, these are broken down as these influence our behaviour/disorders. We cannot fully understand our behaviour alone without acknowledging other factors which may implement out behaviours/disorders. Such as cultural, cognitive and emotional factors which all influence behaviour. Even the environment with diathesis-stress where there is diathesis (biological problem) and the stressor (environment) causes this.
Psychodynamic is a gender and culture biased approach -
G - the view on females sexualities were less developed than males. He remained by ignoring female sexual development and if it may differ from male development. Dismissing women and their sexuality in such a way is problematic as a lot of theories are still widely accepted today. This psychoanalysis has very little relevance to people from a non-western culture. Many cultural groups do not value insight the same way as a western culture. Psychanalysis of China avoids the discomforting thoughts unlike western views who talk about them openly.
There are cultural differences in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs -
For some people the hierarchy of needs may be placed in a different order. For example in China and belonginess needs to be more fundamental than psychological needs and that of psychological needs it was defined as giving to the community rather than just towards themselves (Collectivist cultures) Therefore these elements are relevant for all cultures there dependence and significance may be placed in different orders on what is best for their culture.
