Chapter 4 - Approaches In Psychology Flashcards
What is the definition of Psychology?
The scientific study of the human mind and functions,especially any affecting behaviour.
What is the Rene Descartes theory?
‘Cartesian dualism’ the brain isn’t the same as the mind
Who created the Empericism concept and what is it?
John Locke
The belief that knowledge is derived from sensory experience.
Who is Wilhelm Wundt?
He was the 1st psychologist
He separated psychology from biology and philosophy.
In 1879 he opened the first Psychology lab and wrote the first book on psychology.
What is the structuralism approach?
Unit used experimental methods to find basic structures, studied sensation
What is the structuralism approach?
Wundt used experimental methods to find basic structures, studied sensation and perception. He did this by changing a stimulus and measuring the reaction time.
What is introspection?
‘Looking into’ , participants were asked to reflect on their own cognitive processes and describe them.
What was the evaluation of introspection ?
Weaknesses :
Produced subjective data and often unreliable and varied
The study cannot be observed and measured and not empirical methods
What is the scientific method?
Step 1 - ask a question
Step 2 - hypothesis
Step 3 - conduct an experiment
Step 4 - analyse results
Step 5 - conclusion
What was Wundts method?
1 - all behaviour is being caused (determined)
2 - if the behaviour is determined then its possible to predict other conditions.
What are the 4 Pyschology goals ?
Description - ‘what’s occurred
Explanation - ‘why’ it occurred
Prediction - future behaviour
Change - prevent unwanted behaviour
Evaluation of scientific method
Advantages :
Knowledge required is accurate because of objective and controlled studies.
Allows behaviour to be tested and modified so that theories can be developed and can be used for therapies.
Disadvantages :
Only in strictly control environments, participants wont behave like this in a natural environment
There are certain areas of the mind and behaviour that cannot be observed and measured.
What is the behaviourist approach?
The study of behaviour that can be observed and measured.
Relient on lab studies
What is classical conditioning?
Pavlov suggested that you can learn through association
He demonstrated it with a dog and a bell.
This showed that a stimulus can be learned through a conditioned response through association
What is the Skinner box?
The Skinner box was a rat stuck in a box and choosing to make the right decisions based of pulling the lever and food coming out or touching the wire and being zapped
What are the 2 types of reinforcement?
Positive - receiving a reward
Negative - avoid doing something so not to face a punishment
Evaluate the behaviourist approach?
+ scientific credibility - it had measurable and observable behaviour
+ real life application - can be applied to a large range of real world behaviour
- ethical and practical issues - rats wasn’t ethically sound
Who came up with the social learning theory ?
Bandura
What is the definition of social learning theory?
A bridge between traditional learning theory and cognitive approach.Its different to conditioning because it involves cognitive processes.
What did Bandura suggest?
That we can learn directly from our experiences but we can also learn indirectly and observing + imitating other for a reward.
What is vicarious reinforcement ?
An individual will observe a behaviour and choose to imitate it, usually when they see someone rewarded
What is the name of the process prior to imitation?
The 4 meditational processes
What are the 4 meditational processes?
Attention - the extent behaviour is noticed
Retention - how well behaviour
Motor reproduction - ability to perform that behaviour
Motivation - the will to perform the behaviour
What is identification?
People are more likely to model behaviour of someone they know or respect, like an adult. Also known as modelling.
What is cognitive ?
Basically, a mental process
Assumptions of the cognitive approach
Internal mental processes are studied scientifically.
Psychologists have to make assumptions as it can’t be seen.
Use of computer models and theoretical models
Information is turned into useable format by coding.
Models to justify the cognitive approach
MSM, memory is sequential
Computer models, to see if. A program has the same ut come as a human and use that to find the processes.
What is a schema?
Packets of information that help us to remember events. We have them for people and place and mostly everything. They are developed with experience and help us process information quicker.
Who was responsible for the rat-man illusion ?
Bugelski and Alampay (1962)
What did the rat-man illusion show?
That by using cues we could prime the illusion.
What is classical conditioning and who discovered it?
Learning through association and Ivan Pavlov.
Dogs were conditioned to salivate at the sound of the bell.This is the association of a stimulus and another stimulus.
Pavlov was able to show how the neutral stimulus can condition a response.
What is operant conditioning?
Behaviour is shaped by its consequences, the consequence could be positive or negative reinforcement or punishment.
What is positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment in terms of operant conditioning?
Positive reinforcement - is receiving a reward for a behaviour
Negative reinforcement - avoiding something unpleasant
Punishment - an unpleasant consequence of behaviour
What are the cognitive approaches 5 key point?
Mental processes - they study mental processes that were ignored by behaviourists
Interference - mental processes are interfered by drawing conclusions about what goes on in someone head from their behaviour
Computer analogy - cognitive psychologists use models to explain cognitive processes based on a computer
Schema - packages of knowledge that can affect what we expect and can help sue to process information quicker
Cognitive neuroscience - the ability to connect different mental processes to different parts of the brain
Evaluate the cognitive approach
+ methods of study
- human emotion
- can be too abstract and theoretical
What is the biological approach?
A combination of psychology and biology that provides physiological explanations for human behaviour
What are the biological approaches basic assumptions?
- it investigates how biology impacts behaviour
- much human behaviour has a physiological cause which may be genetically or environmentally altered
- genes can affect behaviour and influence individual psychological difference between people
-evolutionary psychology considers genetic influence
- form a biological perspective the mind lives in the brain
What studies are used to determine genetics?
Twin studies are used to determine the likelihood of certain traits have the genetic basis by comparing concordance rated between twins
MZ twins - monozygotic twins - 50% same genes - non identical
DZ twins - dizygotic twins - 100% same genes- identical
Why do they study genetics?
To study the genetic makeup of up of organisms
What are concordance rates?
The extent to which both twins share the same characteristics
What are the methods for investigating the genetic basis?
Twin studies
Family studies
Adoption studies
Selective breeding
What’s is the difference between genotypes and phenotypes?
Genotypes - actually the genetic make-up
Phenotypes - ways that the genes are expressed
What is Darwins theory of evaluation of behaviour?
It states that humans have evolved and that our genes are what is evolved and passed down
Genes are located in the nucleus of each cell of our body
Darwin influenced the branch of evolutionary psychology which attempts the explain the behaviour in terms of people adapt to the changing environment
What is the psychodynamic approach?
Came after the behaviourism approach
Main figure is Sigmund Freud
19th century/ Victorian Era
What area the psychodynamic approaches assumptions?
- major cause of behaviour have their origin in the unconscious
- psychic determinism : all behaviour has a cause
- different parts of the unconscious mind are in constant struggle
- our behaviours and feeling as adults are rooted in childhood experiences
What are Freuds structures of the psyche( personality)?
Id - present form birth, instinctive part of us. It’s know as the pleasure principle or ‘inner child’. ‘I want it now’. Babies are described as bundles of Id
Ego - reality principle, it mediates between the superego and the id. It employs a number of defence mechanisms
Superego - formed at the end of phallic stage, it’s a moral sense of right or wrong.Morality principle and it represent moral standards of child’s same sex parent and punishes the ego through guilt.
What are Freuds structures of the psyche( personality)?
Id - present form birth, instinctive part of us. It’s know as the pleasure principle or ‘inner child’. ‘I want it now’. Babies are described as bundles of Id
What is the role of the unconscious
Iceberg analogy - Freud hypothesised that the mind was split into zones.
Unconscious mind:
- stores material that is distressing, painful or embarrassing which will damage psyche if recalled
- material can leak into the conscious during dreams
- Freud believes that dreams contain hidden desires which were more often sexual or violent desires
What is Dream Analysis?
We can access our unconscious through dreams.
Dream analysis:
Repressed ideas in the unconscious are more likely to appear in dreams than when we are awake. Freud refers to these ideas as the late et content of dreams
Manifest content is what we remember
Therapists interprets the dreams in order to provide insight about what the dream really represents.
What is free association?
The individual is encouraged to relax and says anything that comes into their mind
When they stumbled or hesitated Freud believed that this showed link to unconscious material
What is a Freudian slip?
Saying something in error that reveals subconscious feeling and could also reveal the unconscious
What are the defence mechanisms?
Repression - pushing material out into unconscious mind
Denial - unpleasant information is ignored ‘
Displacement - feelings are redirected to a less threatening thought?
(Humanistic approach)
What is free will?
Many of the approches are considered to be determinist to some degree and behaviour is entirely shaped by forces we have no control over.
Humanistic approach claims that humans are essentially self- determine and have free will
It still means that we can be affected by external influences but we are free agents we are all unique and psychology should concern itself with subjective experience than gernal laws
What is self-actualisation?
Every person has an innate tendency to achieve their best self.
Mallows hierarchy of needs regards personal growth and its an essential part of being human.Personal growth is concerned with becoming fulfilled
Not everyone manages this
What is self congruence and conditions of worth?
Rogers argued that for personal growth to be achieved an individual concept of self must be congruent with their ideal self
If the gap is too big then self actualisation may become difficult because of negative feelings
Client centred therapy was developed to close the gap
Rogers suggested that many a issues were caused by childhood and can often be explained through love or lack of from parents
Evaluate the Humanistic approach
+ Not reductionist - the idea that subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person. So it has more validity
- limited application - no real world application and limited impact to the displine of pyschology as a whole because lacking of sound evidence
- cultural bias - main ideas are associated form the western world.
Who is Carl Rogers?
Humanist who rejected reductionists and deterministic nature of behaviourist and psycholodynamic therapy
Treats the client as a whole human not functions and mental processes
We all have a real self and ideal self, anxiety stems w=from them being to far apart
What was Carl Rogers initial ideas?
Produced 7 characteristics of what a fully functioning person should have, openness to experience , creativity and leading a rich full life
This was a person centred so the client is to have their own conclusions and the nest way to move forward
What makes a good client centred therapist?
Its non-directive e and is to create a relationship that allows clients to solve their own problems
Its important that they feel they are understood - active listening
Criticism of person centred therapy
Midwestern optimism - it may not transfer to other places than America
Thepists - not all therapist can carry out the same conditions
Scripted - not real its going to give real example results
What is the order of the nervous system?
The nervous system
Split into: the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
The central nervous system is split into brains and spinal cord
The peripheral is broken into somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous systems
The autonomic system is broken down not sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic system
What is the peripheral nervous system?
Relays messages from the CNS to the rest of the body
What is somatic nervous system?
Carries sensory info from the outside world. To the brain to provide a muscle response
What is autonomic nervous system?
Plays a role in homeostasis by maintaining internal processes
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
Prepares the body for stress
Fight or flight
What parasympathetic nervous system?
Relaxes the body returns back to a normal state
What is the endocrine system?
It works alongside the nervous system to control vital functions in the body
Glands produce hormones which are secreted into the blood stream and affect any cell with a receptor for that hormone
What is the hypothalamus?
A gland which stimulates and controls the release of hormones from the pituitary gland
What 2 hormones does the pituitary gland release?
Adrenocortical trophic hormone - triggers the release of cortisol the stress hormone
Oxytocin - manages aspects of the reproductive system
What hormone does the pineal gland release?
Melatonin - encourages our body to sleep
What hormone does the thyroid gland produce?
Thyroxine - increases metabolic rate
What are the 2 hormones produced by the adrenal gland?
Adrenaline - prepares you for stressful situations
Cortisol - stress hormone
What hormone does the ovaries produce?
Oestrogen - female hormone
What hormone does the testes produce?
Testosterone
What are neurons?
Basic building blocks for the nervous system, they are nerve cells that process and transmit messages through electrical and chemical signals
What are the 3 types of neurons?
Sensory - carry messages form the PNS to the CS
Motor - connect the CNS to the effectors (muscles and glands)
Relay - connect the sensory and motor neurons together
What are the different parts of the neuron?
Nucleus - contains genetic information
Denderities - branch like structure that carries nerve impulses towards the cell body
Axon - carries impluse away form cell body
Myelin Sheath - protects axon and speeds up the electrical transmissions
Node of ranvier - gaps between the segments of Myelin
Terminal buttons - communicates with the next neuron in the chain across the synapse
What is a synaptic transmission?
When a chemical message reaches a synapse it must be transmitted across the gap so that…
Chemical trasmission happens. To travel across the signal must be transmitted chemically, so when the electrical impulse reaches the terminal and triggers the release of neurotransmitters that cross the gap and are then put back into an electrical impulse.
What is a neurotransmitter?
Released to cross a synapse all different types can be inhibitory or exhibitory
