Behavioural science and socio-cultural psychiatry

Question 1

Classical conditioning - who and what?

Answer 1

Ivan Pavlov - response to stimuli

Question 2

Extinction - what?

Answer 2

If a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus then the conditioned response will disappear

Question 3

Stimulus generalization - what?

Answer 3

This is the extension of the conditioned response from the original conditioned stimulus to other similar stimuli

Question 4

Higher Order Conditioning - what?

Answer 4

This occurs when a new stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus when it is paired with an established conditioned stimulus

Question 5

Spontaneous recovery - what?

Answer 5

If the conditioned stimulus is not presented at all for sometime after extinction and is then presented again the conditioned response will return to some degree

Question 6

Simultaneous conditioning - what?

Answer 6

In this form of conditioning, the conditioned and unconditioned stimulus are presented at the same time

Question 7

Backward conditioning - what?

Answer 7

Here, the conditioned stimulus follows the unconditioned stimulus

Question 8

Temporal conditioning - what?

Answer 8

Here the unconditioned stimulus is paired to time. The unconditioned stimulus is presented at regular intervals (for example, every 20 minutes). Eventually the unconditioned response will occur shortly prior to the unconditioned stimulus

Question 9

Aversive conditioning - what?

Answer 9

A technique where an unpleasant stimulus is paired with an unwanted behaviour (such as nail-biting, smoking) in order to create an aversion to it

Question 10

Counter conditioning - what?

Answer 10

Teaching a different task or behaviour than the one that was previously occurring in a situation. For example, a dog lunges at the window when the postman walks by. The new task will be sitting quietly

Question 11

Incubation - what?

Answer 11

This occurs in fear responses. When a person is exposed to a stimulus which causes fear (for example being bitten by a dog), the fear response can increase over time due to brief exposures to the conditioned stimulus (for example to sight of dogs). This explains how fears can grow

Question 12

Declaration of Geneva - what?

Answer 12

Introduced following the crimes which had just been committed in Nazi Germany, the Declaration of Geneva was intended as a revision of the Hippocratic Oath.

Question 13

Declaration of Helsinki - what?

Answer 13

This is a statement of ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects.

Question 14

Declaration of Tokyo - what?

Answer 14

This states that doctors should refuse to participate in, condone, or give permission for torture, degradation, or cruel treatment of prisoners or detainees.

Question 15

Declaration of Malta - what?

Answer 15

This offers guidelines to doctors treating people who are on hunger strike.

Question 16

Declaration of Lisbon - what?

Answer 16

This is an international statement of the rights of patients.

Question 17

Declaration of Ottawa - what?

Answer 17

This sets out the principles necessary for optimal child health

Question 18

Operant conditioning - who and what?

Answer 18

The theory of operant conditioning (aka instrumental learning) was devised by B F Skinner. It is a theory of learning that’s suggests that people learn by operating (interacting) with their environments.

Question 19

Reinforcement and punishment - what?

Answer 19

A stimulus/ event that increases the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated is called a reinforcer. A stimulus that decreases the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated is called a punisher. Reinforcers/punishers can be positive and negative.

Question 20

Primary and secondary reinforcers -what?

Answer 20

Primary reinforcers are instinctual desires such as food, water, social approval and sex (be careful with social approval as it is considered by some to be a secondary reinforcer).

Secondary reinforcers (aka conditioned reinforcers) are not innately appreciated and people have to learn to like them through classical conditioning or other methods. Secondary reinforcers include things such as money.

Question 21

Filter model of selective attention - who, when, what?

Answer 21

Broadbent 1958 - Classed as an ‘early selection model’ (because the filtration occurs early).
Input is filtered before it is analysed for meaning. Filtered by way of physical characteristics (e.g. for voice this might be volume, pitch, speed etc).
Broadbent’s theory did not explain the ‘cocktail phenomenon’ (where you hear your own name across a noisy room even at relatively low volume). This implies processing beyond just physical characteristics.

Question 22

Attenuation theory of selective attention - who, when, what?

Answer 22

Treisman 1960 - Leaky filter model. Instead of a filter it is actually an attenuator (attenuate = reduce in force or effect) rather than being an all or nothing filter, it allows some things though be weakens them.
Two stage filter mechanism.
Includes a dictionary unit which emphasises that certain words have lower thresholds for getting our attention (such as our own name).

Question 23

Late stage model of selective attention - who, when, what?

Answer 23

Deutsch and Deutsch 1963 - Late selection model.

Input is analysed for meaning before filtering occurs.

Selection does not occur until the meaning has been processed.

Question 24

Diathesis-stress model - what?

Answer 24

The diathesis-stress model recognises that both experience (nurture) and genetics (nature) contribute to a persons behaviour.

It suggests that certain people have a predisposition (diathesis) towards a certain illness and that types of environmental stress can trigger illness in such vulnerable people.

Question 25

Power theory - who, when what?

Answer 25

French and Raven (1959) - 5 base theory of power. Legitimate power - The power held by an individual in an organisation
Referent power - The power held by a person with charisma who people gravitate towards
Expert power - The power of a person with specialist skills or knowledge
Reward power - The power of a person in a position to provide rewards
Coercive power - The power of a person who has the ability to apply negative influences such as demotion

Question 26

The Willowbrook School Study - what, when?

Answer 26

The Willowbrook school was a state supported institution for children with learning difficulties located in New York.

During the 1960s a study was carried out there which involved the inoculation of healthy children with hepatitis and the subsequent administration of gamma globulin to assess for its potential to treat the disorder.

Question 27

The Tuskegee syphilis experiment

- what?

Answer 27

The Tuskegee syphilis experiment was a follow up study of people with syphilis. It is very controversial as a significant proportion of those in the study were not informed of their illness and did not receive available treatment even though it became available half way through the study.

A report on the study called the ‘Belmont report’ introduced many changes into US law on research ethics.

Question 28

Stanford’s prison experiment

- what?

Answer 28

This study involved creating a simulated prison environment at Stanford University. 24 students were recruited who scored highly on measures of maturity and stability. Each participant was then assigned as either a prison or a guard.

Participants were given no guidelines for how to behave, with the exception of the guards who were told not to use physical abuse under any circumstances. Within only two days, the participants literally became the roles they were assigned. The guards began to act very harshly and sometimes even cruel to the prisoners.

While no one was physically hurt during the study, a few of the prisoners displayed extreme emotional reactions that warranted termination of the study after only six days.

Question 29

The Tearooms Study - what?

Answer 29

This study (conducted by Humphreys) involved him hanging around ‘tearooms’ (public toilets where men meet to have sex) in order to study the population and learn more about the types of men that did it.

It was the method however that was controversial rather than the topic. He never disclosed his motives when he interview the men and instead pretended to be a ‘watchqueen’. This raised the issue of informed consent in research.