Approaches in Psychology (Behaviourism and Cognitive)

Question 1

What is pscyhology?

Answer 1

The scientific study of the mind and behaviour

Question 2

Who was Wundt?

Answer 2

Wilhelm Wundt - ‘father of experimental psychology’ - made use of a structuralist and reductionist approach using methods such as introspection to study the mind.

Question 3

What is introspection and what are it’s weaknesses?

Answer 3

Introspection: the self-analysis of internal thoughts and feelings.
Weaknesses: very subjective and thus not objective, provides very unreliable data.

Question 4

What are the five features of a science?

Answer 4

P - predictability (using results and knowledge)
H - hypothesis testing (theories generate hypotheses; these are tested and results will support or disprove theory)
O - objectivity (observ. should be recorded without bias or be influenced by any other factors)
R - replicability (to increase confidence in results)
C - control (controlled conditions)

Question 5

What are the three assumptions of behaviourism aka the learning approach?

Answer 5

1. Nearly all behaviour is learnt, apart from inborn reflexes
2. Animals and humans learn by the same principles (stimulus-response associations)
3. The ‘mind’ is irrelevant (measurable data can only be obtained by observing behaviour)

Question 6

How did Pavlov come across classical conditioning?

Answer 6

He was investigating how dog’s salivation helps them digest food when he realised that they began salivating before they received their food - associated feeding with another stimulus.

Question 7

Outline how classical conditioning works

Answer 7

Before conditioning:
UCS triggers an UCR
During conditioning:
UCS presented with a NS repeatedly and triggers UCR
After conditioning:
CS triggers CR

Question 8

What are the types of operant conditioning?

Answer 8

Positive reinforcement = something ‘desirable’ is obtained by performing a certain behaviour
Negative reinforcement = something ‘undesirable’ is avoided by performing a certain behaviour
Punishment = something aversive is added to deter a behaviour

Question 9

Outline Skinner’s research

Answer 9

Aim: to investigate OC in rats
Procedure: rat placed into a ‘Skinner box’ containing a variety of different stimuli and a lever-activated food dispenser. The time taken for the rat to press the lever was recorded.
Results: the rat began finding the lever faster and faster every time it was placed into the box.
Conclusion: rats can learn behav. via OC and behaviours can be positively reinforced by receiving food.

Question 10

How does SLT expand on behaviourist theories?

Answer 10

Bandura suggested that behaviour was also learned in large part by observing social role models and that mediational processes were involved in stimulus-response associations.

Question 11

What is meant by ‘identifying’ with a role model?

Answer 11

Certain attractive qualities and charcs. of the model are picked out, increasing the likelihood that an individual will copy the model’s behaviour.

Question 12

What are the 4 (ARRM) mediational processes involved in SLT?

Answer 12

Attention
Retention
Reproduction (assessing whether you’re capable of reproducing the behav.)
Motivation (evaluate direct and indirect benefits of reproducing the behaviour

Question 13

Why is SLT reductionist?

Answer 13

Explains all behaviour through cause and effect mechanisms, ignoring any biological explanations.

Question 14

Outline Bandura’s study

Answer 14

Aim: to investigate imitation of aggression
Procedure: 36 girls and 36 boys (mean age 52 months) used. Matched ppts. based on aggression ratings from nurseries. Three conds: 1st aggressive adult models observed hitting a bobo doll, 2nd non-aggressive adult models observed who ignored the bobo doll, 3rd control (no model exposure)
Findings: children exposed to cond. 1 imitated the aggressive behav., conds 2 and 3 children were much less aggressive
Conclusion: aggr. behav. is learned through others behaving aggressively

Question 15

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 15

Seeing others being rewarded for a behaviour will influence whether an individual decides to imitate this behav.

Question 16

What are key features of the cognitive approach?

Answer 16

• Humans are treated as information processors and behaviour is seen as a form of output (reductionist)
• Computer and theoretical models are used to explain and make inferences about the mental processes that cause certain behaviours

Question 17

What are two key assumptions of the cognitive approach?

Answer 17

1. A control mechanism oversees all processes

2. There is a flow info that can be either sequential or parallel

Question 18

What is the basis for the computer analogy of the human mind?

Answer 18

Sense organs are sources of input, like keyboards. The brain is compared to a processor that handles input and output. Neurons function like wires, they pass info along.
Output is behavioural in humans, in computers its shown on a monitor.

Question 19

What are the weaknesses of the computer analogy?

Answer 19

• Humans are influenced by emotional and motivational factors.
• Humans have free will
• Human memory is unlimited but unreliable, the opposite of computers

Question 20

What is a schema?

Answer 20

A schema contains all the info you know about a certain object, concept or action.

Question 21

How do schema develop?

Answer 21

If info is consistent, it’s assimilated and strengthens the schema.
If info is inconsistent, it’s accommodated, changing the schema.

Question 22

What are the different types of schema?

Answer 22

Role schema = ideas about behaviour that are expected from certain social roles, settings and situations.
Event schema = scripts; what happens in a situation
Self schema = info about ourselves, both physical and personality-wise

Question 23

What is one problem with schemas?

Answer 23

Prejudice and stereotypes can be the outcome of schemas; we’re more likely to pay attention to things we can assimilate, rather than things that must be accommodated

Question 24

Who investigated schema?

Answer 24

‘The War of the Ghosts’ - a native american folk tale was read by English participants - details were changed so the tale fitted in with English culture and the ppts schema

Question 25

What is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 25

CN involves mapping human behaviour to brain function.