EVALUATION POINTS

Question 1

WHAT ARE 2 STRENGTHS OF THE BEHAVIORIST APPROACH?

(P)OINT

Answer 1

It is scientific.

Has successful applications

Question 2

WHY IS THE BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH SCIENTIFIC?

(P)OINT

Answer 2

It uses objective methods to measure observable behaviours, adopting scientific methodology and quantitative methods.

Question 3

WHY DOES THE BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH HAVE SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS?
(P)OINT

Answer 3

Classical and operant conditioning principles being used in therapy and education.

Question 4

WHAT ARE 2 LIMITATIONS OF THE BEHAVIORIST APPROACH?

(P)OINT

Answer 4

only focuses on nurture

environmentally deterministic

Question 5

WHY DOES THE BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH ONLY FOCUS ON NURTURE?

POINT

Answer 5

It views behaviour as being the result of our environment and upbringing.

Question 6

WHY IS THE BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH ENVIRONMENTALLY DETERMINISTIC?
POINT

Answer 6

We passively respond to our environment and our behaviour is influenced and controlled almost exclusively by the associations we make and the rewards / punishments provided by our environment.

Question 7

OTHER LIMITATIONS?
WEBSITES YOU CAN USE FOR + AND -
SIMPLY PSYCHOLOGY
TUTOR2U

Answer 7

ethical issues involved in the animal experiments N
over-simplifies the way we behave and only looks at how we react in the
environment N
overly deterministic N

Question 8

STRENGTHS OF SLT

WEBSITE-GET REVISING

Answer 8

supporting research from Bandura’s Bobo Doll studies.
SLT principles have been applied to a range of real world behaviours (practical applications).
it can explain aggressive behaviour in the absence of direct reinforcement.

Question 9

NEGATIVES OF SLT

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Answer 9

contrived lab studies using young children who were exposed to aggressive acts against the Bobo Doll.
Ethical issues make it difficult to test SLT experimentally
study lacks validity because the children may have been aware of what was expected of them (demand characteristics)

(WOULDNT REALLY USE THIS ONE)It portrays humans as simple creatures, and the stimulus presented in this theory ignores the role of cognitive factors as well as biological factors.

Question 10

STRENGTHS OF COGNITIVE APPROACH?

Answer 10

applications in the real world.
scientific, controlled methods.
Uses advanced technology

Question 11

LIMITATIONS OF THE COGNITIVE APPROACH?

Answer 11

considered reductionist, as it does not provide a full explanation of human behaviour- claims our minds are like computers.
Theories are hard to test because mental processes are hidden from view, and not directly observable.
laboratory experiments- lowers ecological validity

Question 12

BEHAVIOURAL APPROACH TO EXPLAINING PHOBIAS EVALUATION +

Answer 12

Real world application (exposure therapy)
Behavioural explanation was used to help develop exposure therapies (SD). This shows value of the two-process model
Cognitive aspects of phobias
scientific - little albert
This explanation is useful for developing therapies

Question 13

BEHAVIOURAL APPROACH TO EXPLAINING PHOBIAS EVALUATION -

Answer 13

Phobias and traumatic experiences
The behavioural approach/two-process model of phobias can be criticised for being deterministic.- PSYCHOLOGY HUB
The behavioural approach/two-process model of phobias can be criticised for being reductionist

Question 14

STRENGTHS OF SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION?

Answer 14

Strengths of SD
Effectiveness (Lisa Gilroy et al 2003)
People with learning difficulties
Less traumatic

Question 15

FLOODING
2 +
1 -

Answer 15

Flooding
effective for simple (specific) phobias,
Cost-effective
Traumatic

Question 16

BECKS NEGATIVE TRIAD EVALUATION (EXPLAINING DEPRESSION)
2 +
1 -

Answer 16

Research support (+)
Real-world application (+)
Only a partial application (-)

Question 17

ELLIS ABC MODEL EVALUATION (EXPLAINING DEPRESSION)
1 +
2 -

Answer 17

Real-world application (+)
Only explains reactive depression and not endogenous depression (-)
Not all depression is caused by life events, it may not be clear what led the individual to be depressed at any one time.
Ethical issues (-)

Question 18

COGNITIVE APPROACH TO TREATING DEPRESSION EVALUATION.

Answer 18

(+) Evidence for effectiveness in the form of research support
(-) Not suitable for all clients including those with severe learning difficulties
(-) If depression is so severe, they may lack motivation to engage with CBT at all = not effective
(-) High relapse rates
(+/-) Client preference – Not everyone wants to tackle their depression in this way. Some want their symptoms to be gone as quickly as possible!

Question 19

INDEPENDENT GROUP +

Answer 19

There will be no order effects – ppts only complete one condition so they will not become bored or get better (practice effect). Increases the internal validity

Less chance of demand characteristics. Ppts take part in only one condition, they are less likely to work out the purpose of the study and change their behaviour to help or hinder. This increases the internal validity of the study

Question 20

INDEPENDENT GROUP -

Answer 20

Requires more participants than as the researcher will need to get two separate groups of ppts to end up with the same amount of data

. Impossible to control all participant variables because only the key ones can be matched for – there could be others which could effect the research. This lowers the internal validity

Question 21

REPEATED MEASURES +

Answer 21

Requires fewer participants as ppts take part in all conditions. Meaning a potentially larger sample can be used. Increasing external (population) validity

Participant variables are removed e.g. IQ/Age as ppts take part in all conditions. Increasing the internal validity.

Question 22

REPEATED MEASURES -

Answer 22

Results may be affected by order effects – participants may become bored by the second condition and so do less well or better (practice effect). Lowers the internal validity.

Increased chance of demand characteristics as when ppts do the second condition they may work out the purpose of the study and change their behaviour to help or hinder. Lowers the internal validity.

Question 23

MATCHED PAIRS +

Answer 23

Controls for individual differences/ participant variables i.e. ppts are matched on one or more key characteristics such as age, IQ, gender that may affect the results. Increasing the internal validity.

There will be no order effects – ppts only complete one condition so they will not become bored or get better (practice effect). Increases the internal validity.

Question 24

MATCHED PAIRS -

Answer 24

The most time consuming experimental design as the researcher needs to identify all important participant variables and spend time matching participants

Individual differences/participant variables i.e. the different characteristics of the participants such as age, gender may affect the results. Lowers the internal validity.

Question 25

OBSERVATIONS
1 +
2 -

Answer 25

They capture what people actually do
What people say and what people do can be very different! +

There is the possibility of observer bias
Our interpretation of what we see can be influenced by our expectations -

You cannot establish cause and effect with an observation
Although do note that observational techniques may be used in experiments and aid in detecting cause and effect relationships -

Question 26

UNSTRUCTURED OBSERVATIONS

2 +
1 -

Answer 26

Unstructured observations

+ Appropriate when observations are small in scale and involve few participants, e.g. observing interactions between a couple and a therapist in a marriage guidance counselling session

+Richness and depth of detail in data collected (qualitative data)

-There may be too much going on in an observation to record it all

Question 27

STRUCTURED OBSERVATIONS
1 +
1 -

Answer 27

Structured observations
+Recording data is easier and more systematic (quantitative data)

-Lack of richness and depth of data

Question 28

CORRELATIONS EVALUATION +

Answer 28

A useful preliminary tool for research – often used as a starting point to assess possible relationships or links between variables before researchers commit to an experimental study.

A useful research method to use when it is not possible or not ethical to carry out an experimental study into an area.

Question 29

CORRELATIONS EVALUATION -

Answer 29

This means that correlations can be misinterpreted by the media and society when a link has been found between two variables.

Some may assume a conclusion can be made about the causes for the relationship (e.g. that one co-variable caused a change in the other co-variable) which can then be misused by the public to support or contradict an argument

Correlations cannot establish cause and effect.
For example, imagine we are studying the link between stress and illness and we have found a positive correlation between the two.

We don’t know ‘which comes first’ – is it stress causing illness or is it illness causing stress?

There may also be intervening ‘hidden’ variables here as well, e.g. being stressed leads to unhealthy behaviours such as poor diet and it is these unhealthy behaviours contribute to illness.

Question 30

SELF REPORTING TECHNIQUES GENERAL WEAKNESS

Answer 30

With any self-report method there is no guarantee that participants will answer truthfully. They may answer in a way that makes them ‘look good’.

This can create a bias known as social desirability bias.

This is a problem because it means we are not gathering valid (accurate) data.

Question 31

QUESTIONNAIRES +

Answer 31

The researcher does not need to be present when a participant completes a questionnaire as they can be carried out online or distributed via post or email.

This means that we can study people who are geographically distinct.

Question 32

QUESTIONNAIRES -

Answer 32

Questionnaires rely on people completing and returning them to the researcher.

Questionnaires require a certain level of literacy.

Question 33

INTERVIEWS +

Answer 33

Structured interviews, like questionnaires, are straightforward to replicate due to their standardised format.

The standardised format also reduces differences between interviewers.

There is much more flexibility in an unstructured interview. The interviewer can follow up points as they arise and is much more likely to gain insight into the worldview of the interviewee, including eliciting unexpected information.

A skilled and experienced interviewer should be able to create a rapport between researcher and participant, allowing for the discussion of sensitive and personal topics.

Question 34

INTERVIEWS -

Answer 34

Given the nature of structured interviews, it is not possible for interviewers to deviate from the topic or explain their questions. This will limit the richness of the data collected as well as limit unexpected information.

Analysis of data from an unstructured interview is not straightforward as the researcher may have to sift through much irrelevant information, and drawing firm conclusions may be difficult.

There is the risk of bias, including both interviewer bias, where the interviewer might control the discussion and interpret responses in the way that fits in with their expectations, and also social desirability bias when interviewees lie to ‘look good’.