Approaches In Psychology Flashcards
What is introspection?
The process by which a person gains knowledge about their mental & emotional state as a result of observation of their own conscious thoughts
What are the problems with introspection? (Ev)
It doesn’t explain how the mind works, it relies on people explaining their feelings (not objective)
It doesn’t provide reliable data because people’s accounts/experiences can’t be confirmed
What is reductionism?
The idea that things can be reduced to simple cause & effect processes
Define behaviourist (behaviourist approach)
People who believe human behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without need to consider thoughts or feelings
Define classical conditioning
When a NS is consistently paired with an UCS so it eventually takes on the properties of the stimulus & is able to produce a CR
What other features are important in classical conditioning?
Timing - NS cannot be used to predict UCS if time frame between them is too great
Extinction - the CR does not become permanently established as a response
Spontaneous recovery - following extinction if CS & UCS are presented together, the link between them is made much more quickly
Stimulus generalisation - once an animal has been conditioned, they will also respond to a similar CS
Evaluate classical conditioning (behaviourist approach)
Useful applications - used in development of treatment of phobias (SD) counter conditioning
Too simple - ignores cognitive factors such as thoughts/feelings influencing behaviour
Define operant conditioning
Learning through reinforcement or punishment. If behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence then it is more likely to be repeated
What are the types of reinforcement?
Positive: occurs when behaviour produces a response that is satisfying/pleasant
Negative: they remove something unpleasant in response to a behaviour
Define punishment
Involves the application of an unpleasant consequence with result that behaviour is less likely to be repeated
Evaluate operant conditioning (behaviourist approach)
Heavy reliance on experimental method - used controlled observations meaning reduced extraneous variable (easier to establish causal relationships)
Used non human animals - reliance on rats tell us little about human behaviours because findings aren’t generalisable
Define SLT
Learning through observing others & imitating behaviours that are rewarded
What is meant by modelling?
A form of learning where an individual observes another individual perform a behaviour
Individuals that perform role are models
What is meant by imitation
The action of using someone as a model & copying their behaviour
What is meant by identification?
An individual adopts attitude or behaviour because they want to be associated with a certain person/group
It refers to the extent to which an individual relates to a model
In order to identify, the observer must feel they are similar enough to experience the same outcomes
Define vicarious reinforcement
Learning that isn’t a result of direct reinforcement, but through observing someone else being reinforced of that behaviour
What are the meditations processes?
Attention - refers to amount of attention we give to observed behaviour
Retention - how well we remember the behaviour we are observing
Reproduction - can we actually perform observed behaviour
Motivation - are he results rewarding?
Define the cognitive approach
Cognitive approach looks at internal workings of the mind & explains behaviour through cognitive processes
