Approaches in Psychology Flashcards
What is Wundt most well known for?
- Opening first lab for psychology in Germany, 1879
2. Introducing the idea of introspection
What is introspection?
The studying of the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations
How were Wundt’s techniques in introspection considered ‘scientific’?
- Introspections were recorded under strict conditions using the same stimulus each time
- Same standardised instructions were issued to each pp, so procedures could be replicated
Who were the 3 figures who were involved in Psychologys early philosophical roots?
- Rene descartes - Suggested Cartesian Dualism (says the mind and body are independent from each other, so the mind can be an object of study in its own right)
- John Locke - proposed empiricism (all experience can be obtained through senses, and that humans dont inherit knowledge or instincts - behavioural approach)
- Charles Darwin - proposed evolutionary theory and natural selection (biological approach)
What happens in psychology between the 17th and the 1900’s?
- 17th to 18th century: Psychology is seen as a branch of the broader discipline of philosophy
- 1897 - Wundt
- 1900s - Sigmund Freud:
- published ‘interpretation of dreams’
- proposes psychodynamic approach
- emphasises influence of unconscious mind on our behaviour
- develops person centred-therapy: psychoanalysis
- Argues that physical problems can be explained in terms of conflict with the mind
Why did Watson criticise Wundts work?
- Introspection produced subjective data so it was hard to make general principles
- ‘private’ mental processes were hard to observe and measure
How has psychology evolved from 1913 to now?
- 1913 - Watson and Skinner establish behaviourist approach.
- 1950 - Maslow and Rogers establish humanistic theory of the self (importance of self-determination and free will)
- 1960 - Cognitive revolution. Study of mental processes in much more scientific way
- Bandura proposes ‘social learning theory’: shows how cognitive factors are involved in learning (behavioural) - 1980 onwards- Biological approach is dominant due to advances in technology
- Cognitive neuroscience brings together cognitive and biological approach due to increased knowledge of brain structures
What are the main assumptions for the behavioural approach?
- We should only study behaviour that is observable and measurable not like studying mental processes)
- The basic principles that govern learning are the same in all species
- We learn our behaviour due to classical and operant conditioning
How did Skinners experiments demonstrate positive/negative reinforcement and extinction?
- Taught rats to activate a level in order to be rewarded with food. Rat continued to perform behaviour to receive this reward (+)
- Conditioned to perform the same behaviour to avoid an unpleasant stimulus e.g. an electric shock (-)
- Conditioned behaviour would eventually die out as rat became full, so used variable ratio schedules (used in gambling)
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association
- occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together (NS and UCS) so that the NS produces the same CR that was produced by the UCS alone (pavlovs dogs)
What is operant conditioning and what is the effect of them?
Learning through consequences
- Positive reinforcement: receiving an award when a certain behaviour is performed
- Negative reinforcement: When an animal/human avoids something unpleasant. (e.g. handing in hw to not be told off)
- Punishment: an unpleasant consequence of behaviour
- Positive/negative reinforcement increase the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated. punishment does the opposite
What are the strengths of the behavioural approach?
- Scientific credibility - The focus on observable and measurable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings ( replicable) makes it influential in development of psychology as a scientific discipline
- Real life applications - Operant conditioning can be used in token economy systems (rewarding tokens/privileges for good behaviour) or when treating phobias. Treatments too much effort from patient and is suitable for patients who lack insight
What are the limitations of the behavioural approach?
- Mechanistic view of behaviour - sees humans as machine-like responders to our environment, suggesting humans dont play an active role in their learning (ignores role of mental processes)
- Environmental determinism - Sees all behaviour as determined by past experiences, ignoring idea of free will
- Ethical and practical issues in animal experiments - Animals were placed under stressful and aversive conditions
What are the main assumptions for the Social Learning Theory?
- Much of our behaviour is learned from experience (like behaviourists)
- Behaviour is also learnt through observation and imitation
What is vicarious reinforcement? (SLT)
The idea that behaviour that is seen to have positive consequences is more likely to be imitated by the observer
Define the term ‘mediational processes’. (SLT)
Cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response
Name and describe the 4 mediational processes. (SLT)
- Attention - The extent to which we notice behaviours
- Retention - How well behaviour is remembered
- Motor reproduction - The ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
- Motivation - The will to perform the behaviour (often influenced by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished
What do the first 2 of the mediational process refer to?
the ‘learning’ of the behaviour
What do the last 2 of the mediational process refer to?
The ‘performance’ of behaviour
Do the ‘learning’ and ‘performance’ pair have to appear together?
No, the behaviour can be stored and performed at a later time
Define the term ‘modelling’ (SLT)
Imitating behaviour of our role models - of whom they ‘identify’
Define the term ‘identification’ (SLT)
When an observer associates themselves with their role model and wants to be like their role model
Who is most likely to be our role models?
People who are seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and have high status
What was the aim of Banduras experiment?
To investigate the behaviour of young children children who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards a Bobo Doll
Describe the procedure of Banduras experiment?
- Bandura split children into 3 groups
- -First group watched an adult beat the doll and get praised for it
- second group watched the adult get punished for it
- Third group saw no consequence
Describe the results of Banduras experiment?
- 1st group showed most aggression, then 3rd, then 2nd
2. Children who observed aggressive adult showed much more aggression than children who observed a non-aggressive adult.
What are the strengths of the Social Learning Theory?
- The importance of cognitive factors in learning: SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning (than behaviourist approach) by recognising role of mediational processes
- Explains cultural differences in behaviour: It explains how cultural norms are transmitted through particular societies; we observe and imitate behaviour from those around us
- Less deterministic than behavioural approach: We are not merely influenced by our external environment, we also exert an influence upon it, through the behaviours that we choose to perform, suggesting we DO have a sense of free will.
What are the limitations of the Social Learning Theory?
- Over reliance on evidence from lab studies: Most of his observations were carried out in labs, making it subject to demand characteristics, e.g. Children may have hit doll as they thought that was the intention of the exp. This makes studies low in internal validity
- Underestimates role of biological factors: boys were more aggressive to bobo doll, possibly because of testosterone levels. This important influence is not accounted for in SLT
What are the main assumptions of the Cognitive Approach?
- Our internal mental processes affect our behaviour
- Private internal operations such as perception and memory mediate between stimulus and response
- We can make inferences about the way mental processes operate, based on our behaviour
How do psychologists study the affect of cognitive processes on behaviour?
1- They use theoretical and computer models such as the information processing approach (I-E-S-R-O)
2- They use computer models to show there are similarities in the way info is processed:
- Central processing unit is the brain
- Concept of encoding
- The use of stores to hold info
These computer models have been useful in developing thinking machines/artifical intelligence
What is a schema and give an example?
A framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. They are developed from experience
e.g. our schema for a chair, is something we sit on, this helps us to respond appropriately
