Approaches To Psychology Flashcards
Classical conditioning
Learning through association when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together
Operant conditioning
Learning through reinforcement where behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences
Behaviourism
The theory that human and animal behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without considering thoughts or feelings
Learning
A relatively lasting change in behaviour that is the result of experience
Punishment
Receiving something unpleasant when a behaviour is performed which decreases the chance that the behaviour is repeated
Response
The reaction to a specific stimulus eg salivating when you see food
Stimulus
Anything in the environment detectable by the senses. E.g. sound smell etc
Vicarious reinforcement
Observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour and the consequences of their actions
Cognitive neuroscience
The study of how the brain enables the mind
Computer models
Software stimulations of internal mental processes created in collaboration with computer scientists
Inference
Process of drawing conclusions about general patterns of behaviour
Internal mental processes
The operations both conscious and unconscious that occur during thinking e.g. perception and memory
Mediating cognitive factors
Internal mental processes that lie between the stimulus and the response
Objective
Not influenced by private emotions, perceptions or biases
Schemas
Mental frameworks of information that we use to organise past experiences and to interpret and respond to new situations
Subjective
Affected by personal feelings, prejudices and interpretations
Theoretical models
Diagrammatic representations of the steps involved in internal mental processes e.g. the information-processing model
Holism
Can’t break down into simpler parts. Studies context and complexity of human behaviour
Reductionism
Isolate and study individual components of behaviour in isolation
Nomothetic
Generalised. Find laws and principles that can be applied to large groups
Idiographic
Individual. All about unique context. Uses case studies, interviews etc
Identification
Associating with a role model and adopting their behaviour because you want to be like them
Imitation
Copying or reproducing behaviour that has been learned through observation
Information processing model
The idea that information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages
Modelling
Imitating a role model or producing a specific behaviour that may then be imitated by the observer
Mediational process
Mental cognitive factors that intervene in the learning process to determine whether a new behaviour is acquired or not
Negative reinforcement
Avoiding or removing something unpleasant when a behaviour is performed that increases the chance of that behaviour being repeated
Positive reinforcement
Receiving something pleasant when a behaviour is performed that increases the chance the behaviour is repeated
Social learning theory
The view that people learn through observing others
ACTH
A hormone released by the pituitary gland. Stimulates the adrenal glands to release adrenaline into the bloodstream
Action potential
A spiking electric charge in an axon caused by sodium ions crossing the cell membrane
Adrenal glands
Small glands on top of each kidney that produce hormones such as adrenal and cortisol
Adrenaline
Key hormone in the stress response that is produced by the adrenal glands and increases heart rate, breathing, etc
Autonomic nervous system
Subdivision of peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary responses like breathing and heart rate
Axon
A single long slender fibre that carries the nerve impulse away from the cell body
Axon terminal
The very end of the axon that contains neurotransmitters and makes synaptic contact with the next neuron in the train