evaluations Flashcards
behaviourist
● strengths:
p: scientific - lab experiments
e: skinner - rats
c: standardised procedure - allows experiment replication - tested for reliability
counter: lacks ev - doesn’t generalise to how people learn behaviour irl
p: real world application
e: phobias learnt through classical conditioning - little albert study
c: can treat phobias - systematic desensitisation and flooding - increases sufferers qol
● limitations:
p: supports environment determinism
e: argues behaviour’s out of our control - criminals positively reinforced for stealing - likely to do it again
c: goes against free will - harder to convict criminals
p: use of animals in research
e: skinner - unethical - rats in cramped conditions - do studies apply to human learning?
c: limitation as costs outweigh benefits in terms of our knowledge of operant conditioning in humans
counter: learning processes of rats - similar to humans - some generalisability
slt
● strengths:
p: emphases importance of cognitive factors
e: neither classical conditioning or operant conditioning omit cognitive factors
c: more complete explanation of human learning than behaviourist approach - recognising role of meditational processes
counter: argued slt reductionist - doesn’t reference role of biological factors on social learning - mirror neurones
p: useful - understanding why media has negative impact on children’s behaviour
e: children observe and imitate those they identify with (even if its cartoon)
c: approach led to tighter restriction for age limits on films and tv shows - watershed - children less likely to see violence on tv and imitate it
● limitations:
p: over reliance on evidence from lab studies
e: control in studies - bobo doll experiment - ideal conditions - unlike real world
c: lacks ev - tells us little about how children actually learn behaviours irl
p: supports environmental determinism
e: criminals not able to control behaviour because of slt - observe role model performing criminal act -more likely to imitate - out of their control
c: goes against free will - harder to convict
biological
● strengths:
p: uses scientific methods
e: scientific methods are used to study brain - fMRI brain scans - twin studies - quantitive data - easier to analyse and compare dz and mz twins
c: based on objective and reliable data - allowing us to draw scientific conclusions about biological basis of behaviour
p: real life application - treatments for mental health disorders
e: depression caused by low serotonin levels in brain - doctors and psychologists now able to treat depression using SSRIs - increase serotonin levels
c: treating people using biological treatments allows them to manage their condition - better qol - able to go back to work - save companies money on sick pay / cover - helps economy
counter: treatments don’t work on everyone - reductionist as reduces depression down to low serotonin level - ignoring factors like life experiences
● limitations:
p: supports biological determinism
e: argues behaviour is predetermined by forces out of our control (genetics and neurochemistry)
- criminals that inherited criminal gene - more likely to commit crime - out of their control
c: goes against idea of free will - criminals could excuse behaviour and blame their biology - harder to convict
cognitive
● strengths:
p: scientific - brain scanning - allow psychologists to make inferences about behaviour
e: MRI and PET scans - controlled conditions - have standardised tasks (e.g. remembering words in a list) in order to observe neurological basis of mental processes involved in memory
c: can be replicated to draw conclusions about mental processes
counter: lacks ev - testing people on mental processes (memory) involves learning list of words with no relevance to participants’ day to day life - artificial - results may not generalise to how mental processes e.g. memory actually operate irl
p: real world application - treatment of depression
e: know depression caused by irrational thoughts due to faulty mental processing - treat depression using cbt - less invasive and more successful (in long term) than taking antidepressants
c: people with depression treated of symptoms - better qol - by treating their thought processes, effect is longer lasting
● limitations:
p: reductionist- over simplifies complex behaviour down to one cause
e: only considers cognitive processes and that depression caused by faulty mental thought processes- ignores biological factors - low serotonin
c: researchers won’t gain understanding of true cause of behaviour if only cognitive explanation is considered - people maybe misdiagnosed- mistreated for depression
psychodynamic
● strengths:
p: evidence gathered from case studies
e: little hans - 3-5 years old during study (phallic stage) - suggested his fear of horses represented a fear of father - what we’d expect during oedipus complex
c: high in EV - findings reflective of real life and approach used to help people with phobias irl
counter: can not generalise results - other young boys may not experience oedipus complex - unique to little hans
useful
p: useful - treating mental disorders like depression
e: psychoanalysis uses free association - focuses on specific repressed trauma, rather than believing depression arises due to low serotonin
c: therapy - more focused on individual - better at treating root cause of depression - allows them to manage their condition- experience a better qol
able to go back to work and save companies money on sick pay / cover - helps economy
● limitations:
p: considered unscientific
e: id or oedipus complex occur at unconscious level - unconscious mind can not be accessed - making ideas impossible to test
c: lacks scientific rigour - theory is considered pseudoscience rather than real science
p: supports psychic determinism
e: criminal behaviour could be caused by underactive superego and overactive id - individual is engaging in reckless behaviour - they can not control
c: goes against free will - criminals could argue behaviour is due to unconscious factors beyond their control - difficult to convict them.
humanistic
● strengths:
p: bringing person back into psychology
e: promotes positive image of humans compared to approaches like psychodynamic theory -suggest all slaves to our past, constantly exist somewhere between ‘common unhappiness and absolute despair’
c: offers refreshing and optimistic alternatives, seeing all people as good and free to control their lives, working towards the overall achievement of meeting their own chosen life potentials/goals
useful
p: useful - development of person centred therapy
e: pct is technique that ensures client is expert- will discover their own solution by examining present problems and how to move forward - rather than other therapies that dwell on the past (psychoanalysis) - pct offers unconditional positive regard (not shown in childhood) - developing healthier self-concept or more realistic ideal self
● limitations:
cultural bias
p: considered culturally biased
e: principles proposed (personal growth) are based on concepts associated with individualistic cultures. collectivist cultures emphasises needs of group, community and interdependence - don’t see individual achievement and self actualisation as beneficial - see traits as selfish
c: approach product of cultural context within which it was developed - may not generalise to collectivist cultures
unscientific
p: considered unscientific
e: humanistic psychology includes a number of vague ideas - abstract and difficult to test under experimental conditions - self actualisation and congruence
c: lack of empirical evidence to support claims made by approach
cognitive neuroscience
● strengths:
scientific
brain scans used to discover neurological basis of mental processes. use controlled methods, creating objective data
useful
provides neurological basis of certain psychological disorders (e.g. parahippocampal gyrus in OCD) - could lead to new treatments for OCD
● limitations:
determinism
if someone with OCD feels they have no control over their disorder - could make them feel like they could not change. controversial use of mind mapping for lie detection in court
ethics
is it a completely accurate method? could lead to wrongful convictions
wundt
● strengths:
scientific
p: some of wundt’s methods were well controlled and scientific
e: all introspections recorded in controlled environment of lab and instructions carefully standardised, so participants received same information (e.g. same ticking metronome sound) and were tested in same way
c: strength as wundt is often referred to as ‘founder of modern psychology’. his research set foundation for future approaches, particularly the behaviourist and cognitive approach
● limitations:
unscientific today
p: some aspects of wundt’s research considered unscientific today
e: wundt relied on participants self-reporting their mental processes. Its difficult to report and people could lie (social desirability bias) about what they are thinking and feeling
c: limitation as it questions wundt’s role as founder of scientific psychology, other approaches such as the behaviourist approach are more useful for us today
