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AQA A level Psychology > Approaches to Psychology > Flashcards

Approaches to Psychology Flashcards

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1
Q

What investigation technique did Wundt create?

A

Introspection

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2
Q

What did Wundt do that helped turn psychology into a science?

A

Created the worlds first psychology lab in 1875

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3
Q

What was Wundt’s aim in his psychology lab?

A

To systematically study processes such as attention and perception

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4
Q

What is introspection?

A

Analysing mental processes by asking people to think carefully about how they do mental processes

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5
Q

How is introspection done?

A

Participants analyse their thought processes while doing tasks such as focussing attention into a single noise in a loud room.

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6
Q

What is structuralism?

A

Breaking down mental processes into their component parts, and looking at their structure

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7
Q

How did Wundt try to keep his introspection investigations controlled?

A

He trained all his participants extensively at introspection

He did many trial runs before counting his results

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8
Q

What problems are there with introspection?

A

It’s unreliable as the measurement is too subjective

Some mental processes are not conscious so cannot be investigated by introspection

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9
Q

What is a modern example of the use of introspection?

A

Mike Griffiths asked participants to say their thoughts aloud whilst using a slot machine. It was found that those with a gambling addiction had more irrational thoughts.

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10
Q

What are the CORE features of a science

A

Control

Objective

Replicable

Empiricism

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11
Q

On the 1920s - who said introspection was too subjective and observable measures only should be used in psychology?

A

John Watson

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12
Q

How did cognitive psychologists in the 1950s investigate non-observable mental processes?

A

They conducted experiments manipulating specific variables and looked at observable effects, and then made inferences.

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13
Q

What are the advantages of a scientific approach to psychology?

A

Studying behaviours scientifically leads to less bias treatments and social policies

Breaking complex processes down to testable hypotheses makes it easier to understand human behaviour.

The scientific cycle means that new theories should constantly be developing and improving, improving our understanding

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14
Q

What are the disadvantages of the scientific approach to psychology?

A

Studying people in controlled conditions can lead to unnatural behaviour or demand characteristics, so lacks validity

Most psychological processes are not directly observable

Human behaviour is more unpredictable than other sciences, may be hard to discover scientific laws.

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15
Q

What is your Genotype?

A

Your genetic makeup which you inherit from your parents, each individual’s genetic makeup determines their characteristics

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16
Q

What is your phenotype?

A

The combination of your genes and environment. Eg. Your build is influenced by both your genes, and your nutrition or exercise levels.

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17
Q

What disorders have been shown to have a genetic link?

A

Depression, schizophrenia, aggression, anorexia

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18
Q

Are mental disorders down to a single genotype?

A

No, it is likely you inherit a genetic disposition from many genes, and then the environment triggers this and you develop a mental disorder

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19
Q

What are MZ twins?

A

Monozygotic twins (identical)

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20
Q

What are DZ twins?

A

Dizygotic twins (non-identical)

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21
Q

Why might you use identical twins in biological studies?

A

They have 100% identical genes, so If a disorder is completely genetic, you would expect both twins to show symptoms

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22
Q

Why might non-identical twins be used on biological studies

A

They do not share identical genes, but share identical environment, so if they both show symptoms, it is likely a disorder is triggered by the environment

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23
Q

What is a concordance rate?

A

The rate of which twins show the same disorder. Eg if you have 10 twin pairs, and a 50% concordance rate, if 10 twin shows signs of depression, 5 of the second pairs will too.

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24
Q

What are hormones?

A

Chemicals that travel through the endocrine system, affecting organs etc, eg testosterone, adrenaline

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25
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A

Chemicals that travel across synapses in the CNS, eg Serotonin

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26
Q

Which neurotransmitter has been linked to disorders such as depression and OCD?

A

Serotonin

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27
Q

What is the key assumption of the ‘evolution part’ of the biological approach?

A

Organisms have evolved due to pressures in the environment, those with beneficiary mutations (eg can run faster from predators) survive long enough to reproduce, and pass on their genes.

28
Q

What are the advantages of the biological approach?

A

Scientific methods are used

Good practical application, eg drug treatment for depression and OCD

29
Q

What are the disadvantages of the biological approach?

A

Overly simple - humans have conscious thought and are not just a product of their genes

Deterministic - people may worry their genes have more control over their lives than they do.

30
Q

What are the three types of learning in the Learbing approach?

A

Classical conditioning

Operant conditioning

Social learning theory

31
Q

What study is associated with classical conditioning?

A

Ivan Pavlov and his dogs

32
Q

What study is associated with operant conditioning?

A

B. F. Skinner and Skinner’s box

33
Q

What research is best associated with social learning theory?

A

Bandura’s Bobo doll study

34
Q

What are the key assumptions of the learning approach?

A

All behaviour is learned, through either association, rewards and punishment or observation

We are all a blank slate, behaviour is a result of our experiences

35
Q

What is classical conditioning?

A

Where you are conditioned to associate a stimulus with a response, such as a bell with salivating.

36
Q

What was the operationalised dependent variable in Pavlov’s study?

A

The amount of saliva the dog produced.

37
Q

What is operant conditioning?

A

Learning through positive and negative reinforcement (rewards and punishments)

38
Q

A child beats up his friend and his parents praise him, what type of reinforcement is this?

A

Positive reinforcement

39
Q

A child breaks a you and is rewarded, are they more or less likely to do this again?

A

More, as the behaviour was positively reinforced

40
Q

What animals did skinner condition using his box?

A

Rats and later Pigeons

41
Q

How did skinner condition the rats (positively)?

A

When the rats pressed the lever, food was dispensed, rewarding the behaviour (positive reinforcement)

The rat therefore pressed the lever a lot (continuous reinforcement)

42
Q

How did skinner condition the rat in his box (negatively)?

A

The floor was electrified if the rat pressed the lever when the light was on, a punishment

Avoiding this punishment by not pressing the lever when the light was on was negative reinforcement.

43
Q

What are the advantages of classical and operant conditioning?

A

Scientific methods are used, objectivity strived for

Leads to practical applications, eg training guide dogs and rewards and sanctions at school

44
Q

What are the disadvantages of the approach of operant and classical conditioning?

A

Most research is done on animals and generalised to humans, but humans are more complex than other animals

Deterministic - eg evening excused from crimes because they are the product of their environment

45
Q

What are the key assumptions of social learning theory?

A

Behaviour is learned from the environment

It is learned from observing others and the rewards and punishments they receive

46
Q

When was Bansura’s Bobo doll study?

A

1961

47
Q

What were the three conditions children watched in Bandura’s Bobo doll study?

A
  1. Adults playing nicely with the Bobo doll
  2. Adult playing violently with Bobo doll
  3. Nothing (control group)
48
Q

Which group acted the most violently towards the Bobo doll?

A

The group shown the adults acting violently towards the Bobo doll

49
Q

Who is considered the founding father of psychology as a science?

A

Wundt (1832-1920)

50
Q

What is imitation?

A

When an individual copies a behaviour

51
Q

What is identification?

A

Where the individual feels connected to the model, whether they be a role model or the same gender, age or socio-economic status.

52
Q

What does Model mean?

A

This is the person being observed (in social learning theory)

53
Q

What is vicarious reinforcement?

A

This is where an individual sees a model being rewarded or punished, and is therefore encouraged or discouraged from the action.

54
Q

What are the Four key conditions needed for social learning to occur?

A

ARAM

Attention - individual must be paying attention to the model’s behaviour

Remember - the action must be something the individual remembers

Ability - the individual must have the ability to replicate the action

Motivation - the individual must be motivated to replicate the action, eg see the model be rewarded.

55
Q

What are the advantages of the social learning theory?

A

It can explain why certain behaviours, eg smoking and aggression, are imitated

It combines the cognitive approach (thought processes) with behaviouristic principles (operant conditioning) to create a holistic theory

56
Q

What are the disadvantages (or limitations) of social learning theory?

A

Bandura’s research was very artificial, children may have imitated violence as that’s what they thought they were supposed to do (demand characteristics)

Could be used to excuse people from crimes, eh Jamie bulger murders blamed on video games

57
Q

What are the assumptions of the cognitive approach?

A

Thought processes should be studied scientifically in a lab

The mind works like a computer, with input, process and output.

58
Q

Why is it hard to test internal mental processes?

A

We cannot directly observe them

59
Q

How can we test internal working processes?

A

We can isolate variables in lab studies, and analyse observable effects to make inferences about them

60
Q

What are schema?

A

Internal building blocks of knowledge, formed through experience and help us understand the world.

Also known as internal working models

61
Q

Why might we use a computer style model to explain behaviours?

A

Computer style models can visually explain schema, showing the input, process and output

62
Q

What is an example of a computer style model in Memory?

A

The multi-store model of memory

63
Q

Why would improvements in brain scanning help cognitive neuroscience?

A

Brain scanning allows observation of internal processes, as the level of activity in different areas of the brain can be observed, when different tasks are being used.

64
Q

Which study (on memory) used brain scanning techniques to look at the internal mental processes?

A

Paulesu

65
Q

What are the advantages of the cognitive approach to psychology?

A

It uses experimental methods with emphasis on objectivity

Some research has lead to treatment - eg CBT for depression

66
Q

What are the limitations of the cognitive approach to psychology?

A

Use of lab studies means lack of Ecological validity

Use of models overly simplifies complex human thoughts and behaviour

AQA A level Psychology (10 decks)

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