approaches in psychology 3.2.1 Flashcards
who is known as the “father” of psychology and why
Wundt is known as the father of psychology as he was the first person to be called a psychologist, and opened the first psychology laboratory. He wanted to study the mind in a scientific way.
How did Wundt help psychology develop as a discipline
psychology has philosophical roots, but Wundt favouring scientific methods helped establish psychology as its own discipline.
psychology definition
The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those functions affecting behavior in a specific context
what is introspection
“looking into” and examining ones own thought processes, in particular feelings, emotions and sensations.
how did Wundt carry out introspection investigations
he would give his volunteers a standardised stimuli and ask them to examine feelings, emotions and sensations within a strictly controlled environment.
what aspects of introspection are scientific and which are not, or weaknesses and disadvantages
It is a strictly controlled procedure, that can be repeated making it more scientific. However, the results are subjective, and unreliable as they are from people reporting on experiences. it also doesn’t explain how the mind works.
what are the key features of science
a means of acquiring knowledge through objective investigation
empirical
replicable
systematic
objective
What is the method of studying in a scientific way called
Empiricism and is the view that psychological theory’s should be based on observable and factual evidence
What are the two key assumptions of scientific methodology
All behaviour has a cause
If we identify the cause we can use this to make predictions about future behaviours and its effects
Behaviourists are only interested in …
Behaviour that can be measured and observed
Why do behaviourists reject introspection
It’s vague and not easy to measure
Why do behaviourists conduct some investigations on animals
They believe all species learn the same so research can be conducted on animals to replace humans
Who developed the theory of classical conditioning
Pavlov
What is classical conditioning
Learning via association, an existing involuntary reflex is associated with a new stimulus
How did Pavlov test CC
He taught dogs to associate the sound of a bell with food, producing a salivation response at the sound of a bell even when no food was present
Describe Pavlovs method in terms of stimuli and responses
The dogs were given an unconditioned stimulus producing an unconditioned response (salivation). During conditioning the dogs were giving a neutral stimulus along with an unconditioned stimulus producing an unconditioned response. After conditioning the dogs were only given the conditioned stimulus producing a conditioned response.
Who developed operant conditioning
Skinner
What is operant conditioning
Learning through consequences
How did skinner conduct his research
He used rats in what’s called Skinner box, in which a rat would move around the cage and when it accidentally touched a leaver would be rewarded by food
What are the types of reinforcement that affect behaviour
Positive reinforcement: when behaviour is followed by a reward it is more likely to be repeated
Negative reinforcement: when a behaviour is followed by a bad thing taken away it is more likely to be repeated
Consequences: if something good is removed after a behaviour then it’s less likely to be repeated, other way around for bad thing removed.
Who is the psychologist for the psychodynamic approach
Freud
What did Freud found and develop
Psychoanalysis, and therapeutic techniques to help bring out repressed emotions
What are the 3 parts of the mind
ID superego and ego
What is the ID
It’s roll is to satisfy our basic biological needs
What principle does the ID operate under
Pleasure principle
When does the ID develop
Present from birth
What is the super ego
Produces feelings of guilt for wrongdoing and includes an ego ideal
When does the superego develop
From age 5
What principle does the superego act under
Morality principle
What is the ego
The planning part of the personality
What principle does the ego act under
Reality principle
When does the ego develope
Around age 2
What can cause mental disorders
Conflict between the personality parts however a strong ego will be able to manage
What analogy did Freud use for the mind
An iceberg with the conscious above the water and unconscious bellow
If an individual cannot deal with a situation rationally then what will be triggered
Defence mechanisms
What are examples of defense mechanisms
Repression
Displacement
Denial
what is repression
traumatic event is pushes into the unconceous mind
what is denial
refusal to accept the reality of a situation
what is displacement
feelings are transferred to something/someone
what did Frued believe most of our everyday behaviour is a result of
our unconcious mind
what is sexual energy called
libido
what did Freud believe we had to do to be psychologically healthy
complete each psychosexual stage
explain all points of the Oral stage
begins from birth to 1 years, and experiences pleasure through sucking and tasting, the mothers breast is the object of desire and is completed through weaning, an unresolved conflict can result in smoking or overeating
explain all points of the anal stage
Is from 1-3 years ,and experiances pleasure from defication, undergoes potty training to controll bowl movements, completion is markd by this as well
what is anally retentive
makes you tidy and organised
what is anally empulsive
makes you messy
explain all points of the phallic stage
from ages 3-5, where boys have the oedipus complex and girls have the electra complex
explain all points of the latency stage
from age 6 to puberty, libido becomes hidden and they focus on same sex friendships, the lull before puberty
explain all points of the genital stage
from puberty +, psychosexual energy takes residence in the genitals and heterosexual relationships form, consequences of an unresolved conflict are difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
what are the 5 psychosexual stages in order
oral
anal
phallic
latent
genital
who is the psychologist for SLT
Bandura
what are assumptions of SLT
-Bandura agreed with the behaviourist approach that much of our behaviour is learned through experience
-It is learning through observation and imitation
-The process of watching and imitating is called modelling
-Its a development of the behaviourist approach
what must happen for social learning to take place
Someone, called a model, must carry out the attitude/behaviour
what are the two types of models with examples
live models: parents, peers etc
symbolic models: media characters
what is imitation
the reproduction of behaviour observed from models
what are the 3 key factors determining imitation
-Characteristics of models
-Observers perceived ability to perform behaviour
-Observed consequences of behaviour
how does a person become a roll model
if they posses similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and have a high status
what is vicarious reinforcement
reinforcement that is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
what are the mediational processes
Attention- extent to which we notice behaviours
Retention- how well the behaviour is remembered
Motor reproduction- the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
Motivation- the will to perform the behaviour
what was the aim of the bobo doll experiment
to investigate whether aggression can be learned through social learning theory principles
explain the process of the bobo doll experiment
72 children (36 each gender) aged between 3 ans 6 were put into 3 groups:
Aggressive model- children played in a room while an adult showed aggression to a bobo doll
Non aggressive model- the child played in a room while an adult played quietly
(these two groups were divided based on their and the adult models gender)
Control group- children didnt see a model
The children were then taken to a room with no toys and he taken to a room to be observed
what were the findings of the bobo doll experiment
-1/3 of the aggressive model repeated verbal responses
-Girls imitated more physical aggression with male models but more verbal with female ones
-Boys imitated same sex models more than girls
what does the cognitive approach focus on
internal mental processes that influence behaviour, that can be studied scientifically
what is inference
drawing conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour
what are schemas
mental frame works that can organise beliefs and expectations about ourselves and the world around us that comes from prior experiences
what are theoretical models
visual representations of internal mental processes that are used to simplify and study complex processes
what are computer models
using computer software to explain different mental processes
what are the assumptions of the biological approach
-Physiological processes in the body (genes, hormones and brain structure) influence human behaviour
-All thoughts feelings and behaviours have a physiological basis
what do biological psychologists believe about behavioural characteristics
that they are inherited in the same way personal characteristics are
what studies does the biological approach use
twin studies and adoption studies
what is the genotype
set of genes written in you DNA
what is the phenotype
observable characteristics inherited from your genes and influenced by enviromental factors
what are monozygotic twins
one egg which later splits into two, share 100% of genetic information
what are dizygotic twins
two different eggs and sperms, share 50% of DNA
what is concordance rate
% chance of one twin having a particular characteristic
how do we know if a characteristic is influenced by genetic factors
if concordance rate is higher in MZ rather than DZ twins
what are brain scans used for
compare size and level of activity in different parts of the brain between different individuals
what are neurotransmitters
electrochemical impulses that transmit messages from one neurone to the next by travelling accross a synapse
what are the two types of neurotransmitters with examples
excitatory neurotransmitter- dopamine
inhibitory neurotransmitter- serotonin
how are hormones produced
endocrine glands
what is natural selection
certain physical and psychological traits have been passed down from one generation to another due to their advantages to survival
what is sexual selection
certain physical and psychological traits passed down from one generation to the other based due to their advantages to reproduction
what are 3 examples of evolution in humans
aggression, attachment, and fight or flight response
What is free will
The idea that humans can make choices, and ate not determined by biological or external forces
What does free will mean for humans?
That we are active agents who have the ability to determine our own development
Who are the two psychologist for the humanistic approach?
Maslow and Rogers
Who created the hierarchy of needs?
Maslow
What did Maslow focus on?
What could go right with humans and the importance of personal growth and fulfilment
What are the five sections of the hierarchy of needs from the bottom of the pyramid to the top?
Physiological needs, safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem and self actualisation
What falls under physiological needs?
Breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis excretion etc
What falls under safety?
Security of body, security of employment, security of health, security of property, etc
What falls under Love and belonging?
Friendship, family, sexual intimacy
What falls under self-esteem?
Self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of and by others
What falls on the self actualisation?
Morality, creativity, spontaneity and problem-solving
Explain, self-actualisation
It represents the higher end of Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs and is personal growth to be the best you can be, however not everyone will manage
How can positive regard and negative regard influence a person
When Love is given freely, people develop a healthy sense of self-worth, but people who receive negative regard such as criticism and blame develop low self-esteem
What did Rogers believe about self actualisation?
That humans strive to achieve their ideal self because they are motivated towards self improvement
What is congruence?
The gap between the ideal self, and actual self of a person
What can incongruence lead to?
Low self-worth
What are defence mechanisms used to stop the self from growing and changing?
Distortion, denial and blocking
What did Rogers develop to reduce incongruence
A client centred therapy where a therapist is able to provide clients with positive and unconditional regard
What can conditions of worth for a child cause
A parent who puts a limit on their love for their child, is storing up psychological problems for that child in the future
What research methods do humanistic psychologist prefer and why
Qualitative methods such as unstructured interviewing because it gives them access to peoples views, and participant observation to understand how the participants perceive it
Why do humanistic psychologist not like objective methods?
They don’t like to reduce peoples experiences to numbers
what are the key issues and debates
gender and cultural bias, free will and determinism, reductionism and holism, idiographic and nomothetic approaches, ethical issues and social sensitivity
