Approaches in Psychology

Question 1

Biological Approach and Assumptions

Answer 1

thinks that behaviour is determined by our physiology and our biology
Assumptions
Believes that genes affect our behaviour
Brain is the main focus of explaining behaviour
Hormones secreted by glands in the body influence reactions to the environment

Question 2

Genotype

Answer 2

Genetic makeup

Question 3

Phenotype

Answer 3

Psychological Characteristic that someone displays due to their genotype and their environment

Question 4

Evaluation of Biological Approach

Answer 4

+ supports nature side of nature/nuture debate
+ leads to application in biopsychology
- does not consider the role of the environment in behaviour

Question 5

Behaviourism and Assumptions

Answer 5

thinks that behaviour is learned through the environment
Assumptions
behaviour is learned through experience
observable behaviour is measured scientifically
valid to study behaviour of animals
born a blank slate so no genetic influence on behaviour

Question 6

Classical Conditioning

Answer 6

when a response becomes associated with a neutral stimulus

Question 7

Operant Conditioning

Answer 7

learning through punishment and reward

Question 8

Pavlov Dogs

Answer 8

Ivan Pavlov 1890s - early 1900s
he decided to ring a bell whenever the dogs received food. At first, the dogs did not salivate when they heard the bell but after time, the dogs started to salivate when they heard the bell. This happened because the dogs were conditioned to salivate when they heard the bell

Question 9

skinner box - what is it? what’s it show? Eval?

Answer 9

B F Skinner
He had rats put into cages with a lever that when pushed would give the rat a food pellet. The rat quickly learnt that pushing the lever would lead to a food pellet

shows
positive reinforcement- get reward
negative reinforcement- stop something unpleasant
punishment - unpleasant consequence

eval:
- animals not humans
+ operant conditioing leads to learning by association
+ practical - used for systematic desensitsation
- sees people as passive

Question 10

Social Learning Theory and Assumptions

Answer 10

type of behaviourism which sees us learning from observable behaviour
Assumptions
behaviour is learned from the environment so no genetic influence on behaviour
behaviour is learned from observing others

Question 11

Bandura bobo doll experiment

Answer 11

Bandura, Ross and Ross 1961
lab
Aim: examine the effect of continual influence of the model and to examine if the sex of the model influence same-sex and opposite-sex participants to a different degree
Procedure: Participants were children who watched an adult being either violent towards a bobo doll or not being violent towards the bobo doll.
Conclusion: behavioural effect from observing aggressive behaviour
supports slt
Evaluation: - effects are only short-term
+ showed that children do copy aggressive behaviour
diff between cultures
-not explain why boys aggressive
+ more complete explanation than conditioning

Question 12

Evaluation of Behaviourism

Answer 12

+ supports nurture side of nature/nurture debate
- does not consider the influence of thought and cognitive processes
- spontaneous behaviour is not easily explained
+ scientific methods are used

Question 13

Evaluation of Social Learning Theory

Answer 13

+ takes thought processes into account
- does not explain all behaviour
+ explains the initiation of some behaviours
- research methods are unscientific

Question 14

Cognitive Approach and Assumptions

Answer 14

Prefer to use lab experiments to study thought processes because it is highly controlled and are looking for objective evidence
Assumptions
thought processes can be studied scientifically
mind work like a computer
stimulus and response is fine only when the thought processes between the stimulus and response is acknowledged
abnormality is faulty thinking

Question 15

Invisible Gorilla Experiment

Answer 15

Daniel J Simons and Christopher F Chabris 1999
Aim: to see how much individuals can be unaware of their visual field
Procedure: participants watched a video where people in white t shirts and people in black t shirts passed a basketball. There were two types of video: transparent and opaque. Half of the observers watched a video where a woman in an umbrella walked in and the other half watched a video where a man in a gorilla suit walked in. The participants were asked to record how many times the ball was passed and they were also asked if they saw anything unusual in the video.
Findings: 54% of the participants noticed the unusual event and less people noticed the unusual event in the transparent condition
Conclusions: we can miss what we see in our visual field due to inattention

Question 16

Schema

Answer 16

a collection of ideas about a person or situation formed through experience which helps the individual to understand and predict the world around them

Question 17

Information-processing model and parts

Answer 17

three-stage process which explains behaviour 
Parts of the model 
Input 
comes from the environment and is encoded by the individual 
Processing 
encoded information is processed 
Output 
behavioural response

Question 18

Evaluation of Cognitive Approach

Answer 18

+ takes thought processes into account
- does not consider emotion
+ produced good descriptions of what processes occur and this had lead to treatment
- research lacks validity

Question 19

Mediational Processes

Answer 19

Attention 
behaviour has to grab our attention 
Retention
behaviour has to be remembered  
Reproduction 
trying to imitate the behaviour 
Motivation 
rewards and punishments are considered

Question 20

Key concepts for social learning theory

Answer 20

Imitation
person observes behaviour from a role model
Identification
person is influenced to be like their role model
Modelling
person imitating the beh aviour of their role model
Vicarious reinforcement
by observing others get a reward for a certain behaviour, you are more likely to copy that behaviour

Question 21

evaluation pavlov experiment

Answer 21

+ little albert and experiment
+replicable lab experiment high scontrol measurability
- animals not humans
- not take into account biological factors \9neurotransmitters etc)
- people as passive in learning
- neglects free will
- doesn’t explain memory etc.

Question 22

Cognitive

Answer 22

mental processes

Question 23

Mental Processes

Answer 23

internal processes suck as perception and attention mediate between stimulus and response

Question 24

Inference

Answer 24

drawing conclusions about the way mental processes operate based on observable behaviour

Question 25

Cognitive Neuroscience

Answer 25

scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes
mapping areas of the brain and linking them to cognitive functions
due to technology, scientists can systematically observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes

Question 26

Theorectical Models + examples

Answer 26

models are incomplete and have to be revised frequently
Working Memory Model
Multi-Store Model

Question 27

Prototype

Answer 27

mental image or pinnacle example of a certain thing

Question 28

Algorithm

Answer 28

logical, methodical, step-by-step procedure that eventually guarantees a solution, but may be slow to work through

Question 29

Heuristic

Answer 29

simple strategy that allows us to solve problems faster and more error prone than algorithms

Question 30

Computer Brain Model

Answer 30

Similarities 
central processing unit is the brain 
stores hold information 
code information in a usable format 
brain = hardward 
experiences = software

Question 31

Wilhelm Wundt (what did he found main term?)

Answer 31

established experimental psychology as a science

term associated is introspection

Question 32

Introspection

Answer 32

process where someone gains knowledge by examining their conscious thoughts