Approaches to Psychology

Question 1

What is a schema?

Answer 1

Schema is a cognitive structure where thoughts and memories are linked together - it influences future thinking

Question 2

Types of schemas

Answer 2

Types of schemas:
Role schema (knowledge on how to act in a certain role)
Event schema (knowledge about what should happen in certain senarios)
Self-schema (our sense of self - who we are)

Question 3

Negatives of schemas

Answer 3

Negatives of schemas:
-Can lead to negative thoughts
-Bias and prejudice
-

Question 4

What is assimiliation?

Answer 4

Assimiliation is knowledge being added into our schema

Question 5

Benefits of using the computer model in cognitive approach

Answer 5

Benefits of using the computer model:
-Allows for inferences to be made
-Allows for indirect observation
-Can be tested using experiments

Question 6

Weaknesses of the computer model in the cognitive approach

Answer 6

Weaknesses of the computer model in the cognitive approach:
-Human mind does not exactly work like a computer; doesn’t take thoughts and emotions into account
-Deterministic
-Machine reductionism - reduces complex thought processes down to simple mechanical processes

Question 7

What is FMRI imaging?

Answer 7

FMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) allows people to do a cognitive task such as memory or attention test in a brain scanner so that researchers can see which parts of the brain become active

Question 8

What is the social learning theory?

Answer 8

The social learning theory is a developed behaviourist approach, where Bandura added that behaviour is learnt, and that our thought processes affect our behaviours. Learning happens through observation and imitation

Question 9

What was Bandura’s experiment?

Answer 9

Bandura experimented into SLT - models displayed different behaviours, which influenced children to immitate it depending on punishment and reinforcement.
Punishing models made the children less likely to re-enact the behaviour

Question 10

What is identification?

Answer 10

Identification is when people are more likely to imitate the behaviour of models with whom they identify

Question 11

Positives of the social learning theory

Answer 11

Positives of the social learning theory:
-Includes thought processes, which is more developed than Pavlov’s and Skinner’s theories
-Has real world application > allows for SLT to be realistically compared

Question 12

Weaknesses of SLT

Answer 12

Weaknesses of SLT:
-Relies on lab experiments: likelihood of demanded characteristics
-Doesn’t take biological elements into account such as hormones > decreases validity

Question 13

Assumptions of SLT

Answer 13

Assumptions of SLT:
-Thought processes should be studied scientifically in labs
-Stimulus and response is appropriate if thought processes between them are acknowledged
-Mind works like a computer : input of info, info processed, output produced (the behaviour)

Question 14

What are the three levels of processes that suggest the way we process information affects how well it is stored

Answer 14

3 levels of processing:
-Visual : seeing shapes and structures
-Auditory: hearing sound, rhythm
-Semantic: understanding meaning

Question 15

Outline the schema theory

Answer 15

Schema theory:
-Cognitive behaviours are affected by prior beliefs, knowledge and expectations
-our knowledge is organised in units (schematas)
-Schemas provide mental framework for interpreting incoming info > becomes more sophisticated as we age

Question 16

What are the patterns of distortion that affect our schemas?

Answer 16

Patterns of distortion that affect our schemas:
-Assimilation - changed to fit in with cultural expectations
-Levelling - shorter, missing out unimportant info
-Sharpening - adding details or emotions and themes to match cultures

Question 17

What is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 17

Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of the brain structures on mental processes

Question 18

Strengths of the cognitive approach

Answer 18

Strengths of the cognitive approach:
-Scientific and objective (highly controlled lab experiments, combination with biological approach in cognitive neuroscience)
-Real life application - treatments, testimonies etc
-Less deterministic - we have opportunity to think of our actions before carrying them out

Question 19

Weaknesses of the cognitive approach

Answer 19

Weaknesses of the cognitive approach:
-Machine reductionism - the computer analogy ignores the effect of emotions and motivation on our thought processes
-Application - artificial experiments

Question 20

Assumptions of the biological approach

Answer 20

Assumptions of the biological approach:
-Everything psychological is at first biological - genes, nervous system, neurochemistry

Question 21

MRI

Answer 21

MRI = magnetic resonance imaging = studies functions in the brain when someone carries out a task

Question 22

CT

Answer 22

CT = computer tomography = a more developed version of x ray as a means to study the brain

Question 23

EEG

Answer 23

EEG = electromagnetic stimulation = non invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression

Question 24

Genotype

Answer 24

Genotype is an organisms complete set of genetic material, of which cannot be changed

Question 25

Phenotype

Answer 25

Phenotype is the observable characteristics of an organism resulting form the expression of genes

Question 26

What are concordance rates?

Answer 26

Concordance rates express the likelihood that a trait present in one twin is also present in another

Question 27

Strengths of the biological approach

Answer 27

Strengths of the biological approach:
-Highly scientific - objective, reliable
-Practical applications - eg drug treatments

Question 28

Weaknesses of the biological approach

Answer 28

Weaknesses of the biological approach:
-Neurochemistry is an effect not cause > causality cannot be inferred
-Difficult to prove evolutionary theory
-Deterministic
-Favours only the nature debate

Question 29

What techniques did Wundt use?

Answer 29

Wundt used structuralism and introspection

Question 30

Structuralism

Answer 30

Structuralism is studying the mind by breaking down the behaviours into their basic elements

Question 31

Introspection

Answer 31

Introspection is when people express their feelings and emotions under strictly controlled conditions

Question 32

Immediate experience

Answer 32

Immediate experience is the content of psychological experience in it’s immediate nature, unmodified by abstraction + reflection

Question 33

Mediate experience

Answer 33

Mediate experience is conceptions, memories of experiences

Question 34

Strengths of behaviourism

Answer 34

Strengths of behaviourism:
-Influenced the development of psychology as a science
-Controlled conditions > replicable
-Can be applied to real life instances

Question 35

Weaknesses of behaviourism

Answer 35

Weaknesses of behaviourism:
-Using animals is passive (not entirely accurate to people)
-Ignores free will as it says that behaviour is conditioned only by past experiences
-Unethical testing on animals

Question 36

Types of reinforcement

Answer 36

Types of reinforcement:
-Positive reinforcement = makes behaviour more likely to be replicated in order to gain something desirable
-Negative reinforcement = makes a behaviour less likely to be replicated in order to avoid something undesirable
-Punishment - receiving consequence to a behaviour

Question 37

Positives of introspection

Answer 37

Positives of introspection:
-Provides useful information
-Used in research involving visual perception
-Principles funded with introspection can be generalised to all human beings

Question 38

Negatives of introspection

Answer 38

Negatives of introspection:
-Based on non observable responses
-Subjective (unreliable and unreplicable results)
-Result may be contrary to real behaviour
-Unaware of the processes of our conscious thoughts

Question 39

Pavlov’s experiment

Answer 39

Pavlov investigated into classical conditioning using the dog experiment. He used food as an unconditioned stimulus which produced and unconditioned response. He introduced a bell as the neutral stimulus which produced no initial response. Overtime, the dogs associated the bell with the food and so it became a conditioned stimulus which produced a conditioned response (salivation)

Question 40

Watson and Raynor experiment

Answer 40

Watsone and Raynor investigated into classical conditioning using Little Albert to produce a conditioned response.

Question 41

Classical conditioning

Answer 41

Classical conditioning is learning through association

Question 42

Operant conditioning

Answer 42

Operant conditioning is the approach that behaviour is leatn through reward and punishment. This can be done through positive and negative reinforcement.

Question 43

What are the mediational processes involved in the social learning theory?

Answer 43

Mediational processes in SLT:
-Attention = wether behaviour is noticed
-Retention = Wether behaviour is remembered
-Motor Reproduction = being able to do it
-Motivation = The will to perform the behaviour

Question 44

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 44

Vicarious reinforcement involves learning through observation of the consequences of actions for other people. When a learner observes someone they identify with and the role model receives reinforcement, the learner is motivated to imitate the behaviour as if they had been reinforced themselves.