Approaches (P2) Flashcards
Behaviorism (AO1)
- born blank slates and behaviour is learned from the environment (internal mental processes)
- operant conditioning:
positive reinforcement (receiving a reward for a behaviour - increases likelihood)
negative reinforcement (doing a behaviour to avoid something unpleasant - increases likelihood)
punishment (unpleasant consequence for a behaviour - decreases likelihood)
skinners rats - rats in a controlled box with lights and levers for food tray (antecedent- accidentally presses lever and gets food/ behaviour - rat keeps pulling lever/ consequence - food keeps coming out)
classical conditioning:
(learning through association)
pavlovs dogs -
1: UCS (food) – UCR (salivation)
2: NS (bell) – NO UCR (no salivation)
3: NS (bell) + UCR (food) – UCR
4: CS (bell) – CR (salivation)
Behaviourism (AO3)
P: use of scientific methods (lab experiments)
E: control of variables - skinners rats
T: more accurate and reliable results - apply to real life
Skinners rats:
P: pratical and ethical issues in animal studies
E: cannot extrapolate behaviour and apply to humans as we are complex/ cannot breed humans for research
T: cannot be confident that generalizing results from animals can apply to humans if we cant actually experiment of humans
P: real world application of aversion therapy
E: treats addiction based on classical condition by reassociating it from pleasure to unpleasant
T:
P: ignores emotional and cognitive factors
E: suggests behaviour is not thought through but instead a result of consequences or associations
T: too simplistic
P: focuses too much on nurture
E: theory believes we are born a blank slate and behaviour is learned
T: too simplistic
Biological (AO1)
- evolution - process of natural selection ensures a species characteristics that provide a survival advantage are are passed on through generations
- neurochemistry - imbalances in number of neurotransmitters are associated with atypical behaviour (serotonin - mood regulator/ dopamine - reward/ adrenaline - stress)
- brain structures - (frontal lobe - motor/ parietal - somatosensory/ temporal - auditory/ occipital - visual)
- phenotype - expression of genes leading to observable charactericstics + interaction with the environment
- genotype - genetic makeup fixed from birth
- monozygotic - 100% DNA
- dizygotic - 50% DNA
Biological (AO3)
P: causation of often strongly implied in explanations with brain structures
E: OCD - lack of serotonin - only association
T: biological explanations claim to have causation but there is just a correlation
P: real world applications
E: drug therapy - based on research into neurotransmitters - SSRIs increase serotonin - improve QOL
T: biological approach is useful in society
P: ignored nurture
E: genes/ neurotransmitters/ brain structures
T: partial explanation
P: biologically reductionist
E: reduces complex behaviour to biological structures such as genes - OCD and lack of serotonin
T: too simplistic
Cognitive (AO1)
Mental processes - private and internal thought processes - memory
Inferences - going beyond immediate evidence to make assumptions about mental processes (inferring STM is 7 chunks - capacity by observing PPTs remember 7 items of info)
Schemas - mental frameworks of beliefs and expectations, developed from experience
Theoretical models - typically diagrams or flowcharts (MSM)
Computer models - linking human memory to input, storage and output systems
Cognitive neuroscience - study of how brain structures and biology affect mental processes (developed from brain scanning techniques)
- Broca’s area - speech production
- Prefrontal cortex - episodic and semantic memories
- Prefrontal cortex - central executive
- para-hippocampal gyrus - OCD
Cognitive (AO3)
P: real world application
E: CBT - challenges negative irrational thoughts
T: improves QOL
F: benefits the economy
P: uses highly controlled methods of research
E: memory - lab experiments can be replicated due to standardised procedures
T: high reliability - high scientific rigour
C: low mundame realism - task of recalling words does not reflect everyday life
P: interactionist view
E: nurture - learning and experience (schemas), nature - brains innate capacities as info processors
T: sole explanation
P: machine reductionist
E: reduces complex nehaviour down to information processing systems like a computer (memory -input, storage, output)- but anxiety can affect memory (emotion)
T: too simplistic
The humanistic approach
Self-actualisation - the desire to grow psychologically and fulfil one’s full potential
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:
- self actualisation
- esteem needs (respect from others)
- belongingness and love (family, friends)
- safety needs (shelter)
- physiological needs (food, water)
Congruence - when there is harmony (consistency) between the actual self (perception of yourself) and ideal self (who you would like to be)
Conditional positive regard - parents valuing an individual only when they meet specific criteria (conditions of worth - i will only love you if you get good grades
The humanistic approach - (AO3)
P: real world application
E: client-centered therapy - therapist provides patient with unconditional positive regard to reduce the incongruence
T: useful is society
F: benefits the patient (QOL) and the economy
P: doesn’t account for all behaviour
E: examples of self destructing include suicide/ addiction
T: incomplete explanation
P: supports freewill
E: believe behaviour is a choice
T: optimistic
P: lacks scientific riguor
E: self-actualisation is subjective, hard to measure
T: open to interpretation and can’t test scientifically
P: culture bias
E: collectivist cultures do not value self-actualisation
T: leads to devaluing of other cultures and viewing them as abnormal
The psychodynamic approach - (AO1)
Tripartile personality:
- ID - pleasure principle - instinct
- Ego - reality principle
- Superego - morality principle
Unconscious mind:
- not directly aware of it
- traumatic events are repressed here
- reveals itself as dreams or slips of the tongue
Defence mechanisms: (reducing anxiety caused by conflicts between the ID and the Ego)
- denial
- repression
- displacement
The psychodynamic approach - (AO3)
P: real world application
E: psychoanalysis therapy - aims to release represses emotions
T: useful in society
C: not suitable for everyone (SZ - paranoia and delusions)
P: uses untestable concepts
E: the concepts occur at the unconscious level so they are hard to test and prove falsifiable
T: not scientific
P: deterministic
E: human behaviour is governed by unconscious drives
T: pessimistic
P: gender bias
E: oedipus complex only focuses on penis envy
Social learning theory - (AO1)
Observation - paying close attention to someone’s behaviour
Imitation - copying behaviour
Role models - someone we look up to and identify with
Identification - associating yourself with the role model
Modelling - performs the precise demonstration of a behaviour
Vicarious reinforcement - observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
Meditational processes:
- attention - behviour is watched
- retention - behaviour is remembered
- motor reproduction - behaviour is imitated
- motivation - desire to imitate the behaviour (rewards)
Social learning theory - (AO3)
P: over relies on lab studies
E: Bobo doll study - demand characteristics and low external validity
T: tells us little about aggression in everyday life
P: ignores nurture
E: boys were more aggressive than girls - could be due to more testosterone
T: simplistic
P: real world application
E: showed children learn social behaviour such as aggression through observing - implications for the media
T: led to policies such as ofcom’s 9pm watershed and age certificates on films/ games - shows the value and usefulness of SLT
P: research support
E: Bobo doll study
T: increases credibility
P: ignores nature
E: focuses on learning behaviour from others
T: too simplistic
