Approaches in Psychology Flashcards
1
Q
Outline Wundt ‘s approach to psychology
A
- used introspection where one examines one own thought processes and Wundt’s researchers were trained to examine theirs for feeling , emotions and sensations.
- researchers would then report back to him wat they had experienced and their analysis of that experience.
- ## He found that these reports could not be replicated and were therefore unreliable, as the experience was too subjective ( meaning it was based soley on one person’s opinion/viewpoint.
2
Q
Evaluate Wundt and the origins of psychology - positives
A
- wundt’s work was highly scientific , due to the controlled experiements , large sample sizes and transparent methods he used. The systematic approach allowed him to develop general theories of mental processes and enabled other researchers to replicate his findings.
- use of inferences influenced cognitive psychologists , these researchers ask participants to complete tasks under experimental conditions , and the participant’s ability to complete these takss is used to make inferences about the structure of internal mental processes.
3
Q
Evaluate Wundt and the origins of psychology - negatives
A
- Wundt’s use of inference to identify internal metnal states has been criticised , inferences are assumptions , so they could be mistaken. Behaviourist psychologists rejected the study of internal mental states. They only studied fully observable stimulus-response mechanisms because these behaviourist findings were more reliable and behaviourism is seen as an approach more in line with scientific principles.
- Wundt’s introspective methofs are considered subjective and are not classified as truly scientific. Participants cannot be relied on to accurately report their mental states , as they are baised , mistaken or influenced by demand characteristics.
4
Q
outline the basic assumptions of the behaviourist approach
A
- Assumes that behaviour is learned from experience.
- To explore the learning process, behaviourists believe it should be scientific objective and observable so the laboratory experiment is favoured over other methods.
- Ivan Pavlov and BF Skinner were leading theorists.
5
Q
What is classical conditioning?
- behaviourist approach
A
- Classical conditioning, also known as learning by association , argues an unconditioned response (e.g., salivating to food) can be triggered by a neutral stimulus (e.g., the sound of footsteps) through repeated pairing. Eventually, the neutral stimulus alone produces the conditioned response (e.g., salivating to the metronome’s sound).
6
Q
Outline Pavlov’s research on classical conditioning.
A
- Pavlov used dogs who were first presented with food (UCS)- which triggered salivation (UCR) - then rang a bell (NS) . Bell became associated to food , after each feeding ,eventually salivation was triggered when bell was heard.
- Stimulus generalisation:
Pavlov found that if varied tone + pitch of bell, still salivate - so if stimulus similar to CS (bell) then association will also be made to that new stimulus - Stimulus discrimination → When stimulus is not associated with CR as too different from original stimulus (e.g. dog respond to walk not talk)
- Temporal contiguity → UCS + NS have to be paired together at around / same time for association to be made.
7
Q
What is operant conditioning?
A
- Operant conditioning is learning by reinforcement.
- When a creature performs voluntary responses, it learns from the consequences of those actions.
- Consequences that are rewarding reinforce a behaviour, so they are performed more frequently, and actions that result in consequences that are punishing are performed less.
8
Q
Outline Skinner’s research on operant conditioning
A
- In Skinner’s research, rats were placed in an enclosed apparatus known as a “Skinner box”.
- Inside the box, there was a lever that the rats could press.
- Each press of the lever would dispense a food pellet as a reward.
- Skinner recorded the frequency and conditions under which the rats pressed the lever, systematically varying the reinforcement schedules.
- There was an electric shock as punishment. Actions that avoided the shock, such as pulling down the lever, were rewarded (negative reinforcement), while pressing the lever for food provided positive reinforcement.
9
Q
Evaluate the behaviourist approach
A
- it is scientific because it studies objectively observable and measurable stimulus-response mechanisms. They establish cause-and-effect relationships through highly controlled lab experiments that manipulate variables systematically.
- Such standardised procedures allowed for the replication of Pavlov and Skinner’s work.
- Extrapolation issues as biological + physiological differences so their findings may not be generalisable to human behaviour. Complex social and cultural forces influence human behaviour, so simple stimulus-response mechanisms may not adequately explain human behaviour.
- ## Do not argue that we have control over our own behaviour which is deterministic. This means there are ramifications for legislation , such as the idea of someone not being in control of their actions if they commit a crime.
10
Q
Outline the basic assumptions of social learning theory
A
- Behaviour is learned from the environment and from observing others + the reward / punishment they receive.
- It believes that behaviour can be learnt through:
- Imitation : observes a role model + copies it.
- Modelling: role model influences individual so imitate behaviour
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Vicarious Reinforcement: imitation more likely if reward is observed.
-** Identification**: imitation is more likely to occur in shared characteristics as we identify with them.
11
Q
outline the mediational processes
A
- Argue that human behaviour couldnt be fully understood without including cognitive processes that happen between stimuli and response.
- MP are attention , retention, reproduction and motivation and must happen between observing a model perform a behaviour (stimuli) and imitating that behaviour (response).
12
Q
A
13
Q
Outline Bandura’s Bobo Doll research
A
- Participants: 36 American boys and 36 girls aged 3-5.
- Each child observed either an aggressive or non-aggressive adult role model (male or female) interacting with a doll.
- After 10 minutes, children were moved to a different room and subjected to aggression arousal by being told they couldn’t play with the toys.
- After 2 minutes, children were taken to a third room with both aggressive and non-aggressive toys, including a Bobo doll, and observed for 20 minutes.
Findings: - Children who observed the aggressive role model acted more aggressively.
- Boys displayed more aggression than girls.
- Higher imitation occurred when the role model was of the same gender.
14
Q
Evaluate Social learning theory
A
- Bandura’s research only demonstrated short-term social learning; aggression may not be imitated weeks or months after observation.
- The study’s ecological validity can also be questioned, as the aggression observed in a controlled labsetting may not directly translate to real-world scenarios, such as imitating televised violence in school environments.
- An advantage of SLT over behaviourism is it’s a less reductionist approach, giving a more detailed and potentially more valid understanding of human behaviour.
- ## SLT acknowledges the roles of consciousness and rationality, providing a more believable explanation for complex behaviours like aggression.
15
Q
what is the biological approach
A
- To understand human behaviour , it is necessary to understand internal biological structures and processes such as genes and neurochemistry.
biological approach
