comparison of approaches Flashcards
1
Q
views of development
A
- P: most coherent theory of development, tying its concepts and processes to specific psychosexual stages that are determined by age. however, freud saw very little further development once a child enters the genital stage in teen years
- C: stage theories have contributed to our understanding of child development. eg. as part of intellectual development, children from increasingly complex concepts (schema) as they get older
- Bi: maturation is an important principle as genetically determined changes in a child’s physiological status influence psychological and behavioural characteristics
- H: see development of the self as ongoing throughout life. however, chilhood is particularly imporant, a child’s relationship with their parent is important in terms of unconditional positive regard
- Be, SLT: do not offer coherent stage theories of development but instead see the processes that underpin learning as continuous, occurring at any age
2
Q
nature versus nurture
A
- Be: suggest that all behaviours come about through learned associations, reinforcement contingencies
- SLT: learning is through observation and imitation
- Bi: behaviour is a result of a genetic blueprint that we inherited from out parents (genotype) but the way it is expressed is influenced by the environment (phenotype)
- P: freud saw much of our behaviour as driven by biological drives and instincts, but he also saw relationships with parents as playing a fundemental role in future development
- H: regard parents, friends and wider society as having a critical impact on the person’s self-concept
- C: would regonise that many of our information processing abilities, such as schema, are innate, but are constantly refined through experience
3
Q
reductionism
A
- Be: is reductionist as it breaks up complex behaviour into stimulus-response units
- Bi: reductionist as it explains human behaviour and psychological states at the level of the gene or neuron
- P: reduces much of our behaviour to the influence of sexual drives and biological instincts. however, tripartite personality is more holistic
- C: machine reductionism as it presents people as information processing systems, ignoring the influence of emotion on behaviour
- SLT: reduces complex learning to a few key processes (eg. imitation, modelling) but do place emphasis on cognitive factors that mediate learning and how these interact with external influences
- H: holistic approach to understanding human behaviour. investigates all aspects of the individual, including the effects of interaction with others and wider society
4
Q
determinism
A
- Be: sees all behaviour as environmentally determined by external influences that we are unable to control (eg. operant conditioning)
- Bi: genetic determinism. assumes that much of our behaviour is directed by innate influences
- P: psychic determinism. unconscious forces that drive our behaviour are the ultimate cause of behaviour
- C: suggests we are ‘choosers’ of our own thoughts and behaviours, but these choices can only operate within the limits of what we know and have experience (soft determinism)
- SLT: reciprocal determinism. as well as being influenced by our environment, we also exert some influence on it through the behaviours we choose to perform
- H: humans have free will and operate as active agents who determine their own development
5
Q
explanation and treatment of psychological disorders
A
- Be: sees abnormality as arising from maladaptive or faulty learning as inappropriate or destructive patterns of behaviour have been reinforced. SD can condition new, more healthy responses and have been successfully applied to the treatment of phobias
- SLT: relatively little application to treatment, but principles of modelling and observational learning can be used to explain how negative behaviours such as aggression may be learned through the influence of dysfunctional role models
- P: freud saw anxiety disorders as emerging from unconscious conflict, childhood trauma and over use of defence mechanisms. psychoanalysis has had some success as a therapy but it is not appropriate for everyone as it requires considerable input from the patient and also ability to talk about and reflect on emotions
- C: CBT can identify and eradicate faulty thinking which is assumed to the cause of maladaptive behaviour
- H: counselling based on rogers’ idea of closing thee gap between the self-concept and the ideal self will increase self-esteem and stimulate personal growth
- Bi: has revolutionised the treatment of mental disorders with the development of drug therpay which regulates chemical imbalances in the brain
6
Q
idiographic and nomothetic approaches
A
- behaviourist, SLT, cognitive nad biological are the experimental nomothetic approach
- however, biological and cognitive approaches often draw upon data derived from case studies, especially those involving individuals with unusual abnormalities or deficits (eg. HM) which is a more idiographic approach
- psychodynamic and humanistic are idiographic as they favour the case study method, usually carried out within clinical settings
7
Q
the eclectic approach
A
- eclecticism is combining several approaches, methods and / or theoretical perspectives to provide a more comprehensive account of human behaviour
- many modern psychologists take a multidisciplinary approach to the study of human behaviour
- this is useful in the field of mental disorders
> combining treatment options from several different perspective (eg. drugs, cognitive therapy, family therapy) has led to more effective outcomes for people with schizophrenia and lower relapse rates (stein and test 1980)
8
Q
limitations of the eclectic approach
A
- contradictions and irreconcilable differences, including methodology
- some approaches are contradictory and cannot be combined
> eg. psychodynamic focuses on unconscious forces whereas humanistic argues we consciously choose our behaviour
- loss of theoretical basis
- ‘pick and mix’ of approaches may result in no more than common-sense explanations or weakened explanations
9
Q
interactionist approach and diathesis-stress
A
- many areas in psychology have benefitted from an interactionist theory that combine different levels of explanation
- diathesis-stress model in psychiatry accounts for the fact aht many mental disorders are a complex interaction of biological predispositions and environmental triggers
10
Q
biosocial approach
A
rejects the traditional distinction between nature and nurture by explaining how basic biological differences are reinforced by the environment during gender development, for instance
11
Q
overlap: SLT, behaviourist, cognitive
A
SLT was described as a ‘bridge’ between the behaviourist and cognitive approaches as it emphasised the importance of learning from the environment as well as the role of mediating cognitive factors
12
Q
overlap: cognitive and biological
A
fusion of these approaches has lef to the development of cognitive neuroscience - a sophisticated field that links mental states to biological structures
13
Q
overlap: psychodynamic, biologocal
A
both see biological drives and instincts as crucial determinants of human development
14
Q
overlap: humanistic, psychodynamic
A
person-centred in the way they place subjective experience at the centre of their research
