basic assumptions Flashcards
behaviourist approach basic assumption 1
john locke
the philosopher john locke 1960 described the mind as a tabula rasa(blank slate). The behaviourist approach is based on this view, believing that all behaviours are learnt, through experiences in our environment
behaviourist approach basic assumption 2
some behaviours are learn through classical conditioning which means learning through association
behaviourist approach basic assumption 3
some behaviours are learnt through operant conditioning which means learning through the consequences of our behaviour, which can either reinforce a behaviour or make a behaviour less likely to happen again
behaviourist approach basic assumption 4
the behaviourist approach believes that pysch should be scientific and objective and we should therefore only study observable behaviour not internal mental processes
positive reinforcement definition
when something desired is given in response to a desired behaviour. this leads to a desirable behaviour being repeated
negative reinforcement definition
when a response or behaviour is strengthened by stopping, removing, avoiding a negative outcome. this increases the likelihood of the desired behaviour
punishment definition
doing something unpleasant to stop an undesirable behaviour. this makes the behaviour less likely to happen again but does not achieve a desired behaviour
primary reinforcer
the reward is a basic need for example food
secondary reinforcer
the reward is something that can satisfy a basic need but isn’t a basic need for example money
slt basic assumption 1
slts share many assumptions with behaviourists, particularly the belief that people are shaped by their environment through learning processes. however slt focuses on observational learning
slt basic assumption 2
slt proposed we observe the behaviour of those we identify with, known as role models then we imitate their behaviour
slt basic assumption 3
whether we imitate an observed behaviour we partly depend upon the observed consequences of thar behaviour a process known as vicarious reinforcement
slt basic assumption 4
slt differs from the behaviourist approach by arguing that mediational processes play a role in learning
mediational processes definition
internal mental processes
cognitive approach basic assumption 1(mediational)
it believes that internal mental processes mediate between stimulus and response and these should be studied scientifically. therefore cognitive psychs have studied language, attention, problem solving etc these can not be directly observed so they makes inferences abt what is going on in peoples minds based on their behaviour
cognitive approach basic assumption 2
people are info processors. we do not just passively respond to stimulus in the environment. this means the human mind actively organises and manipulates info which is taken in from the environment via the senses
cognitive approach basic assumption 3
it proposes that the human mind operates the same way as a computer as both of them code store and output info. the computer analogy has been useful in helping us to understand how the mind processes info
cognitive approach basic assumption 4
each individual will respond differently to stimuli in the environment depending on how they make sense of the situation. we make sense of the world through our schemas which help us to organise the info into groups
psychodynamic approach basic assumption 1
it believes that behaviour is determined by unconscious mental conflict. Freud suggested that free will is therefore an illusion
psychodynamic approach basic assumption 2
he also proposed the tripartite structure of personality, consisting of the ego which has to balance out the opposing demands of the id and superego
psychodynamic approach basic assumption 3
when the ego becomes overwhelmed by the conflict between the id and the superego it sometimes uses defence mechanisms eg denial to prevent the unconscious conflict entering the conscious mind
psychodynamic approach basic assumption 4
freud placed huge importance on the role of childhood experiences and said that childhood development takes place through 5 psychosexual stages of development, the way in which conflict is dealt with in each stage influences our adult personality
humanistic approach basic assumption 1
it emphasizes the study of the whole person therefore it is a holistic approach to explaining human behaviour
humanistic approach basic assumption 2
it is a person centred approach which views each individual as being unique therefore it values the study of subjective experiences through methods such as unstructured interviews
