approaches past paper questions Flashcards
briefly outline how Pavlov carried out classical conditioning (3)
food (UCS)—— > salivate (UCR)
bell (NS)———-> no response
food (UCS) and bell (NS)——> salivate (UCR) x multiple
bell (CS) ——–> salivate (CR)
using knowledge of social learning theory, suggest why Grace might be more likely to keep her room tidy if her sister is given £5 for it (5)
- observational learning may occur as Grace observes Lily’s behaviour/tidy room
- if Grace sees her mother reward Lily for tidying her room, she is more likely to tidy her own room in the
future (vicarious reinforcement) - Grace may identify with her sister and see Lily as a role model
- Grace may start to imitate Lily’s tidiness and tidy her own room
- mediational processes may be involved, eg Grace notices her mother rewarding Lily, this increases
Grace’s motivation to replicate the behaviour etc - eventually internalisation may take place/Grace may continue to tidy her room because she wants it to
be tidy.
outline what is meant by cognitive neuroscience (4)
- scientific study of brain/neurological structures, mechanisms, processes, chemistry that are
responsible for cognitive/mental/thinking processes - the use of scanning techniques
- the study of neurotypical individuals to locate the physical basis of cognitive processes in the brain
- use of examples. e.g. Broca’s area
briefly explain one strength of the cognitive approach in psychology (2)
soft determinism- the idea that although cognitive processes are limited to the realms of what we know, we do have some free will to control behaviour
so more reasonable approach than behaviourism which is deterministic
use your knowledge of genotype and phenotype to explain why Ellie received a higher intelligence score than Lucy even though they’re identical twins (4)
Ellie and Lucy have identical genes which code for different aspects of intelligence because they are
identical twins with the same genotype
* the twins’ genotypes are not expressed in their outward behaviour/scores on the test.
* Ellie and Lucy’s phenotypes are different as they achieved different scores on the intelligence test
suggesting Ellie might be more intelligent/better at intelligence tests than Lucy
* Ellie and Lucy’s phenotypes might be influenced by environmental factors such as different teachers
at school or different learning experiences which could account for their different scores
outline Wundt’s method of introspection (3)
introspection is a systematic analysis of one’s own conscious experience
* experiences are analysed in terms of their component parts/reference to ‘structuralism’
* these parts are elements like sensation, emotional reactions etc
* people were trained to do this analysis to make the data objective rather than subjective
* people were presented with standardised sensory events like a ticking metronome and asked to report
their reactions.
referring to Carissa’s experience of wanting to knit like her aunt, explain the role of mediational processes in learning (4)
- Carissa pays attention when her aunt is knitting – watches her carefully
- Carissa assesses her own ability or competence – as she thinks about whether she can do the same
or can reproduce the actions - Carissa remembers her aunt holding the needles/pulling the wool – thinks about what her aunt is
doing and tries copying it - Carissa is motivated to pay attention – she wants her knitting to be neat and accurate
Outline one difference between operant and classical conditioning (2)
- the response is involuntary in CC but voluntary in OC
- responses are reinforced in OC but not in CC
- CC explains acquisition of response, OC explains maintenance of response
- CC is is learning by association between two stimuli in time, whereas operant conditioning is learning
by association between response and consequence’.
explain the type of reinforcement being used by the teacher (she’s rewarding) (3)
this is positive reinforcement for both Group A and Group B
* the reward of either ticks and comments and smiley stickers for Group A or ticks and comments for
Group B follows the behaviour
* the rewards/consequences increase the likelihood of the behaviour of good work being repeated
* the rewards shape the behaviours of the children as desired by the teacher.
explain one assumption of the cognitive approach (3)
psychology should be the scientific study of internal mental processes- these are private but can be studied indirectly in lab settings by making inferences based on observable behaviour
explain one limitation of the cognitive approach (3)
machine reductionism of computer modelling
computer models are an example of a theoretical model which shows the mind to be much like a computer with input, processing, output
they ignore the influence of motivation and emotion on behaviour so are reductionist
proven that memory is impacted by emotions e.g. anxiety on EWT
How might vicarious reinforcement explain the different attitudes of Steph’s and Georgie’s
daughters to their schoolwork (4)
- Steph’s daughter has observed her mother receiving praise/admiration/positive consequence and
awards for her work (positive reinforcement) - Steph’s daughter is feeling enthusiastic about doing more work at school as she has indirectly
experienced the positive reinforcement her mother experienced when doing work - Georgie’s daughter has heard her mother being shouted at by her boss for missing deadlines and
sees her looking tired and staying up late as a result of being pushed too hard at work (punishment) - Georgie’s daughter is feeling anxious about doing difficult work at school as she has indirectly
experienced the punishment of being pushed too hard at work - Steph and Georgie both act as role models for their daughters making vicarious reinforcement more
likely.
Explain one strength and one limitation of using social learning theory to explain the
different attitudes of Steph’s and Georgie’s daughters. (6)
- SLT considers mediational processes so is less deterministic (soft determinism) than other
approaches e.g., behaviourist approach, so Steph and Georgie’s daughters have an element of choice
in whether they imitate the behaviour of their mothers.
SLT is too simplistic, ignoring the influence of hormones or genetics on behaviour therefore time could
be wasted trying to shape Georgie’s daughter’s attitude with positive role models (teachers/peers).
In what ways might the biological approach explain the different attitudes of Steph’s and
Georgie’s daughters to their schoolwork (4)
- Steph’s and Georgie’s daughters’ different responses to their schoolwork may arise from their differing
genotypes - Steph’s daughter may have inherited genes from her mother which make her more resilient/resistant
to stress, etc. The different set of genes Georgie’s daughter received from her mother may account for
the different attitudes the girls have to their schoolwork - differences in neurochemistry may cause Steph’s daughter to receive higher rewards for succeeding
in her schoolwork than Georgie’s daughter or may make Georgie’s daughter receive higher levels of
anxiety - differences in biological structures may account for the differing attitudes.
Social learning theorists refer to the role of mediational processes in learning.
Referring to Bradley’s experiences, explain the role of mediational processes in
learning. (4)
mental/cognitive processes occur between stimulus (Bradley’s observation) and response
(Bradley’s copying the behaviour)
specific examples here are: attention, motivation, retention/memory, assessment of own
ability
Bradley is motivated to attend to the relevant information (is keen to play well)
Bradley pays attention to the actions of the person he wants to copy (watches carefully)
Bradley tries to remember the action so he can do the same (thinks about how he was
holding the cue)
Bradley considers his own ability to perform (thinks…whether he can do the same.)
