approaches in psychology

Question 1

who was willhelm wundt

Answer 1

. credited as the father of psychology
. set up first psychology lab in germany in 1879
. wanted to make psychology a science
. used introspection
. also wrote the first psychology textbook

Question 2

what is introspection?

Answer 2

. research method
. trained observers presented with contorlled stimuli
. asked to describe how stimuli made them think and feel
. same stimuli given to everyone

Question 3

what are the strengths and weaknesses of wundts contributions?

Answer 3

. W research not scientific becuase used self report methods and unmeasurable, non 0observable data
. S stilll used today to understand cognitive processes
. S seen as start of cognitive psychology, ethods were very influential
. S wundt applied scientific method so psychology today seen as scientific

Question 4

what re the strengths and weaknesses of the emergence of psychology as a science

Answer 4

. S modern psychology can claim to be scientific, aims to describe, understand, predict and control behaviour
. W subjective data is gathered when something objective is studied and demand characteristics also effect a lot

Question 5

what do behaviourists believe

Answer 5

. humans are born a blank slate
. all behaviours learnt from the environment
. strong on nurture over nature
. regard genetic influences as minimal

Question 6

what methods do behaviourists use

Answer 6

. use scientific method to study directly observable behaviour
. use animal studies
. accept darwins theory of evolution
. this means they see basic learning as same principle for all species so animals work instead of humans

Question 7

explain pavlovs dog

Answer 7

. scientist studying digestion systems of dogs developed classical conditioning
. noticed dogs salivated before food brought over
. did exp to test wether dogs learnt to salivate through expecting their food
. rang a bell everytime he fed the dog
. dog started salivating when bell rang regardless of food through association
. realised that if belll not rung close enough to feeding, no association formed
. any similar sound would trigger salivation
. if bell rang without food too many times extinction occured, no mpore salivating

Question 8

what was the little albert experiment

Answer 8

. watson and rayner proved phobias are learnt through conditioning
. got 9 month old baby and presented with white rat
. response recorded
. next loud noise played whne rat appeared, done multiple times
. initially he was not afraid of rat but even without loud noise by end he was scared
. proves fear can be conditioned into any young child
. he also became afraid of all small white animals

Question 9

explain skinners rats

Answer 9

. skinner developed skinner box to test effects of rewards on behaviour
. hungry rat put in box
. box had lever that dropped food pellet
. rats learnt to associate the lever with food so repeated action
. also used electric grid flooring to test punishment, pressing lever resultedi n shock, they learnt not to press it

Question 10

what are positive and negative reinforcement and punishment

Answer 10

. positive - introduction of positive stimulus
. negative - removal of a negative stimulus
. both increase liklihood of behaviour
. punishment weakens or eliminates liklihood of response

Question 11

what re the strengths and weaknesses of behaviourist approach

Answer 11

. S high control of variables, uses lab studies so no extraneous
. S no demand cs as uses animals
. W lack of generalisation as research caarried out on animals
. ethical issues - using animals that arent always treated fairly

Question 12

what does dream stand for

Answer 12

. determinism, reductionism, evidence, application, methods

Question 13

what is the behaviourist evaluation with dream

Answer 13

. deterministic - sees behaviour as a reult of past experiences, suggests people arent responsible for their own behaviour, suggests immoral behaviour is not fault of the person
. reductionist - reduces all complex behaviour to one casue - conditiong, simplifies behaviour eignores contributions of neurochemistry
. evidence - little albert clearly learnt fear through association
. application - conditioning and reinforcement used as a real system in the real world
. methods - uses highly controlled lab experiments

Question 14

what methods are used by social learning theory

Answer 14

. uses mostly lab experiments to understand observational learning

Question 15

what did bandura suggest about social learning theory

Answer 15

. agreed with behaviourists that behaviour is learnt but thought we learn through observation and that learning occurs indirectly

Question 16

what factors are required for social learning theory to occur and what are they

Answer 16

. requires role models to be imitated, live model - peer, teahcer, parent, symbolic model - someone in media
. identification - extent to which individual relates to a model, imitating more likely if person thinks they are similar, more likely to occur if flags, friendly, likeable, age (older), gender (same), statsu (higher)
. vicarious reinforcement - through watching someone else be reinforced, people want the same reward, and if person is punished for behaviour less likely to imitate as they dont want to be punished

Question 17

what are the four mediational processes in social learning theory

Answer 17

. attention - must observe the role model actively
. retention - must remember behaviour
. reproduction - must be capapble of reproducing behaviour
. motivation - rewards and punishment noted by observer

Question 18

explain the bobo doll experiment

Answer 18

. children aged 2-6 watched film of adults punching and shouting at bobo doll, children in 3 groups with each video having a different ending
. group 1 adult were rewarded with sweets for behaviour, group 2 was told off, group 3 saw no ending and were a control
. group 1 children were very aggressive, group 2 were low level of aggression, group 3 showed medium levels
. supports slt and vicarious reinforcement

Question 19

what re the strengths and weaknesses of social learning theory

Answer 19

. S high control of variables as uses lab experiments
. standardised procedures so can be replicated
. lack of generalisability - uses artificial settings and stimulus
. demand characteristics - uses humans that could figure out aims of the research which reduces internal validity

Question 20

what is the dreams evaluation of social learning theory

Answer 20

. deterministic - less so than behaviourist approach, suggests cognitive mental processes
. reductionist - reduces complex behaviour to one cause and suggests learningis only through imitation
. evidence - lots of supporting research from lab studies so validity
. application - can be used to increase understanding of human behaviour and understanding causes of things like aggression
. methods - most research comes from scientific studies so high levels of control and validity

Question 21

what methods are used in the biological approach

Answer 21

. use scientific methods like brain scanning with MRI and PET
. use twin and family studies to investigate heritability
. also use animal studies to investigate biological mechanisms which may be difficult to study in humans

Question 22

what is thought about evoloution and behaviour (aggresssion) in the biological approach

Answer 22

. believe in natural selection to explain evoloution
. those that have a certain desirable trait are more likely to succesfully reproduce and pass it on
. aggression is thought tobe naturally selected as a way of defending territory, and thus having resources needed
. humans also show some of this aggression regarding territory and its suggested that this is passed on from our ancestors

Question 23

what are genotype and phenotype (biological response)

Answer 23

. genotype is actaul genetic makeup
. phenotype is wat genotype of an individual is expressed physically, its influenced by environmental factors e.g. skin colour and sun

Question 24

what do biological psychologists believe

Answer 24

. genes an individual possess influences their behaviour
. suggest genes are responsible for certain behaviours
. study genetic basis of behaviour by studying twins, if monozygotic twins show higher liklihood of sharing behaviours/disorders than dizygotic twins suggests genes are the cause

Question 25

what was bouchard and mcgues twin study

Answer 25

. 1981
. studied intelligence in twins with 111 studies
. concordance rates - MZ raised together 87%, MZ raised apart 72%, DZ raised together 60%, siblings raised together 47%

Question 26

explain the biological approaches view on biological structures and neurochemistry

Answer 26

. believes that an understanding of biological structures and associated functions explain psychological shit
. electrical impulses travel around brain , impulses transmit between neurons and neurotransmitters
. believed that neurotransmitter inmbalances in the brain cause abnormal behaviour

Question 27

what re the strengths and weaknesses of the biological approach

Answer 27

. S twin studies perfect participants as share 100% of same genes
. W twin studies - exposed to same environmental conditions when growing so results could be due to this insteaad
. S use objective data like brain scans
. W scans are costly ND Ptients are injected with radioactive substances in pet scans so are invasive

Question 28

evaluate the biological approach using dreams

Answer 28

. deterministic - states human behaviour is a relust of internal biological causes os we have no control over behaviour
. reductionist - reduces all behaviour to being due to biological factors
. evidence - twin studies and brain scans show strong proof
. application - has led to many treatments like drugs which help people alot
. methods - uses lab studies with high validity and uses scientific equipment to get data

Question 29

what methods are used in the cognitive approach

Answer 29

. mainly lab experiments to investigate internal mental processes
. believe internal mental processes should be studied scientifically
. use case studies like clive wearing

Question 30

what are the key assumptions of the cognitive approach

Answer 30

. explain behaviour through internal mental prcesses like memory attention problem solving and perception
. interested in processes that happen between stimulus and response
. uses schemas
. uses theoretical and computer models
. uses cognitive neuroscience

Question 31

what are schemas (cognitive)

Answer 31

. packages of information
. developed in the mind through experience
. act as mental framework for interpretation of incoming info
. ones gathered through experience help to respond to stimulus appropriately
. with age, schemas get more detailed and sophisticated
. can cause errors of processing sensory info recieved, we may generalise info to fit existing schemas
. contribute to depression etc. e.g. over critiscing a child results in a neg self schema causing abnormal interpretation of info about themselves

Question 32

what are theoretical and computer models (cognitive)

Answer 32

. mental processes are unobservable so inferences required to understand them
. theo models are abstract, computer models are concrete
. multi store model is an example of theo model
. computer models compare mind to a computer, brain is the hardware and mental processes are the software
. this idea is used in the production of ai to make tehm think intelligently

Question 33

. explain cognitive neuroscience (cognitive)

Answer 33

. scientific study of brain structures, processes and mechanisms
. maps areas to functions by seeing brain areas active in different tasks
. use pet and mri
. use damaged brains to find if damage inhibits function, if it does that function likely linked to damaged area

Question 34

what are the strengths and wweaknesses of the cognitive approach

Answer 34

. S uses lab studies so high validity but lots of demand characteristics
. W case studies so lack of generalisation and tight control of variables, e.g. johnson and scitt (anxiety), artificial setting = artificial response
. S qualitative data, gives deeper understanding of patients
. W small sample sizes in case studies and scans

Question 35

dreams evaluation of the cognitive approach

Answer 35

. deterministic - less so than other approaches, recognises we can make rational choices about behaviour
. Reductionist - puts all behaviour down to things like faulty thinking and irrational thought processes
. evidence - comes from lab studies like johnson and scott ewt experiment s o high internal validity
. application - has led to things like cognitive behavioural therapy
. methods - uses scientific methods and collects qualitative data so reliable objective data

Question 36

who was the most important persono in the psychodynamic approach

Answer 36

. Sigmund Freud (baddie)
. suggested that mental illnesses were actually physical rather than caused by psychological factors

Question 37

what methods are used by the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 37

. based on cases studies
. used psychoanalysis (talking cures) to bring unconscious mental activity to conscious to release anxiety

Question 38

what re the key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 38

. we have unconscious that influences behaviour
. conscious mind unaware of influences
. freud proposed mind structured like an iceberg
. most processes appear under the surface
. conscious mind - above surface, logical part
. preconscious contains stored memos and can be surfaced
. unconscious mind irrational and pleasure seeking and is inaccesable, effects behaviour

Question 39

explain freuds structure of the personality (psychodynamic)

Answer 39

. id - from birth - pleasure principle - selfish, demands innstant gratification, unconscious, consists of sex, eros (libido), and thanatos (death) instincts - overly id causes impulsiveness and immorality
. ego - 1-2 years - reality principle - decision making, finds realistic ways for id, tries to find balance between satisfying demands with superego and world - when unbalanced, abnormal behaviour occurs e.g. phobias
. superego - 3-5 years - morality principle - incorperates learnt values/morals, conscience, superego casues guilt - out of balance = anxiety
. to have a healthy personality these factors must be balanced

Question 40

how do ego defence mechanisms affect behaviour?

Answer 40

. protect ego from stressful thoughts
. push conflict out of conscious or transfer to something safer
. can lead to disturbed behaviour
involves:
.repression - pushing bad shit into unconscious, out of sight out of mind shit
. displacement - pushes undesirable feelings onto another thing
. denial - refusl to admit or recognise something occured

Question 41

how are psychosexual stages of development relevant (psychodynamic)

Answer 41

. proposed by Freud
. said childhood experience affect personality
. person passes through 5 stages, during each libido focuses of different areas
. if conflict unsolved, fixation occurs
. sources of fixation are - frustration- child’s needs not adequately met
. overindulgence - needs so satisfied they don’t want to leave stage
. fixations permanently affect adult personality

Question 42

what are the satges of psychosexual development (psychodynamic)

Answer 42

. oral - 0-1 - pleasure focus = mouth, sucking breast/bottle, conflict is weaning, frustration effect - aggresive, domination, pessimistic, suspicious, indulgence effect - optimistic, gullible, dependant, trusting
. anal - 1-3 - pleasure = anus, likes pooing, ego develops, conflict is potty training, frustration effect - anal retentive, neat, stingy, tidy, stubborn, indulgence - anal expulsive, messy, generous, careless, disorganised
. phallic - 3-5 - pleasure is genitals, affect development of superego from oedipus and electra complexes - frustration and indulgence - phallic, reckles, self assured, vain, believed fixation leads to homosexuality
. latent - 6-puberty - period of sexual calm
. genital - puberty+ - genitals - frustration/indulgence - difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 43

what are Oedipus and Electra complexes (psychodynamic)

Answer 43

. im going to cry
. oedipus - boy develops desire for mother, thinks dad will cut his willy off, castration anxiety, resolves by imitating father developing male gender role
. electra - girl desires dad, realises has no peepee, penis envy and wish to be boy, represses desire with desire for baby, identifies with mother getting female gender roles
. im dropping out i cant do this anymore

Question 44

explain little hans (psychodynamic approach)

Answer 44

. 1909
. freud published case study on phobia
. 5 year old named hans saw horse accident now scared of them
. concluded he had unresolved oedipus complex, argued boys ego had defense mechanism displacement of fear of his dad onto horse
. most scared of white horses with blinkers and black mouths
. his dad had specs and a tache #reference

Question 45

whta are the strengths and weaknesses of psychodynamic approach methods

Answer 45

. S case studies have high validity, realistic, no artificial stimuli,
. W ungeneralsiable, use normally one individual
. W case studies can lead to researcher bias, qualitative, so data can be manipulated to support a view point, invalid

Question 46

dreams evaluation of psychodynamic approach

Answer 46

. deterministic - freudian slips driven by unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood
. reductionist - uses nature and nurture, environmental conditions interact with innate drives leding to unique personality
. evidence - little hans supports
. applications - led to effective therapies like psychoanalysis to help those with illnesses
. methods - based on case study and clinical interview data

Question 47

who proposed the humanistic approach and why

Answer 47

. cral rogers and abraham maslow
. thought other approaches neglected essential richness of human experience

Question 48

what methods are usd by the humanistic approach

Answer 48

. . idiographic approach, focuses on understanidng uniqueness of a perosn rather than large groups
. rejects scientific method
. limited research carried out
. self report methods, unstructured interviews, case studies, questionarres

Question 49

what are the key assumptions of the humanistic approach

Answer 49

. assumes people have free will
. every person is unique views people holistically
. to achieve self actualisation people need unconditional positive regard, but people normally are given conditional positive regard only if they reach certain conditions of worth
. self concept - internal sense of who you are
. ideal self - who you wish to be

Question 50

what is congruence (humanistic)

Answer 50

. proposed by carl rogers
. when self concept and ideal self are similar consistent
. drawn as venn diagram, more overlap=more congruent
. incongruence leads to dissatisfaction with life and internal conflict

Question 51

what is maslows hierachy of needs (humanistsic)

Answer 51

. five stage mmodel dividedinto different needs
. person must satisfy physiological needs (basic) to progress onto higher needs
. needs include phsiological>safety>belongingness>esteem>self actualisation

Question 52

what is client centered therapy (humanistic)

Answer 52

. emotional problems casued by incongruence as a result of conditional positive regard and conditions of worth
. therapist provides genuiness, empathy, unconditional positive regard
. tehrapy is non directive so client encouraged to find own solutions
. aims to find congruence

Question 53

what are the strengths and weaknesses of humanistic approaches methods

Answer 53

. S relies on self report techniques so individual can explain own subjective experience
.W reliability becaus eof self report methojds is lower so findings may lack validity

Question 54

what is the dreams analysiis of the humanistic approach

Answer 54

. Determinism- brings human to psychology, humans free have free willsowe can control our lives
. reductionist - attempt to break behaviour in terms of stimulus response and uses holism
. evidence - van houtte and jarvis found that pet owners were happier thna non pet owners so shows impact of self esteem also meets hierachy need for companionship
. application - used in counselling techniques but otherwise has little real world application
. methods - based on questionarre data so self actualisation is problematic to asses under experimental conditions