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Key approaches Flashcards

biological behaviourist social learning cognitive psychodynamic humanistic

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1
Q

What are the basic assumptions of the biological approach?

A
  • behaviour and thought processes have an innate biological basis
  • the mind and brain are the same
  • our characteristics are due to our genetics
  • genes have evolved to adapt behaviour to the environment
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2
Q

what research has supported the idea that genes do influence our behaviour?

A
  • genetic influence of behaviour has been reasearched using non human species (rats and mice)
  • by manipulating genes we can measure effects on behaviour // genetic mapping, selective breeding programmes, genetic engineering have contributed to our understanding of genes and behaviour
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3
Q

research example of genes influence on behaviour?

A

Beck and Goode - male mice reared alone have a strong tendency attack other male mice when exposed. exhibited behaviour by themselves as they were not taught to be like that.
-research implies aggression is a natural biological tendency

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4
Q

what do primitive behaviours show?

A

evolution - Darwin’s theory of natural selection suggetsts stronger genes survive and are passed onto the next generation whilst weaker genes die out

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5
Q

name another example of primitive behaviour in the biological approach

A

-sexual selection
male species display traits such as mating calls etc to attract a mate and successfully pass on their genes
-the rooting reflex in babies.
babies will instinctively turn their head when something brushes their cheek. this enhances chances of survival

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6
Q

evaluate the biological approach on behaviour(strengths and weaknesses)

A

strengths -

  • scientific experimental procedures in its investigations
  • provides the nature side to the nature nurture debate
  • useful applications such as drugs that alleviate disorders such as bipolar depression

weaknesses -

  • reductionist: all thoughts and behaviours are explained in terms of nerves and chemicals
  • over simplistic: fails to incorporate environmental factors
  • raises ethical issues such as genetic mapping// is it right to manipulate genes?
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7
Q

basic assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

A
  • everything is learnt from the environment
  • can be determined by reinforcement and punishment
  • can only observe what we see (behaviour) and we cannot study the mind
  • should investigate the laws of learning
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8
Q

what did john locke say?

A

the mind is a ‘tabula rasa’ meaning blank slate. he believed behaviour was learnt solely from the environment and dependent upon our interactions and experiences with the environment

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9
Q

Discuss watsons claim

A

all human behaviour was determined by the environment and behaviour could be shaped and manipulated
-stated the laws of learning in animals could be applied to humans after conducting experiments on animals

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10
Q

what is thorndike’s law of effect? and discuss an experiment for it

A
  • events in the environment produce rewards for some behaviours and not for others. this causes behaviours to be repeated or not
  • experiment where cats were placed in a box had had to find their way out. over time and through experience, the cats were able to find their way out quicker (influencing skinner to produce the operant conditioning theory)
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11
Q

Discuss Skinner’s theory

A

-claimed all behaviour was learnt as a result of consequences in our environment (rewards and punishment)

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12
Q

describe the skinner box experiment

A
  • hungry rat in a box with a lever
  • when the rat pressed on the lever, food pellets came out
  • when the rat realised, it kept pressing the lever
  • skinner observed that due to the consequences, the rat’s behaviour was modified with positive reinforcement
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13
Q

what are the two types of reinforcement?

A

Positive reinforcement: provides a feeling of satisfaction
negative reinforcement: removal of unpleasant experiences
punishment: punished for unwanted behaviour

all reinforcements cause a desired behaviour

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14
Q

how has operant conditioning been applied to areas of psychology?

A

prisons and psychiatric institutions
-modify speech in autistic children (when child imitates therapist, the therapist gives praise; causes positive reinforcement)

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15
Q

Describe classical conditioning

A

Pavlov

  • a dog salivates when exposed to food (unconditioned stimulus and response)
  • add conditioned stimulus to unconditioned stimulus (ring of bell to food) and the dog provides the unconditioned response
  • conditioned stimulus by itself -> conditioned response (dog salivating when hearing the bell)

paired associated is known as a conditional reflex

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16
Q

describe and evaluate watson and rayner’s study of little albert

A
  • little albert was less than a year old
    he would be presented with a white rat cause albert to be happy
    -then strikes a bell when presenting the white rat causes albert to be scared
    -after doing this repeatedly, when presented with the rat, albert was scared

ethical issues as it causes distress
results hard to reproduce and even harder in adults

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17
Q

how has classical conditioning been applied to areas of psychology?

A

treatment of alcoholism (bitter taste when presented with alcohol) known as aversion theory.

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18
Q

strengths and weaknesses of behaviourist approach to behaviour

A
  • rigorous experimental methods od research: validity
  • nurture side of nature nurture argument
  • practical applications and techniques to shape behaviour
  • ignores mental processes (unlike the cognitive approach)
  • rejects biological factors
  • passive learners to the environment ( humanistic believes humans are active agents)
  • operant and classical do not account for spontaneous behaviour in humans (thieves idk)
  • use of animals have been criticised since humans are more complex than mice
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19
Q

basic assumptions of social learning theory

A
  • mediating processes (between stimulus and behaviour) influence behaviour
  • observatonal learning has four conditions: attention, retention, motor production and motivation
  • learning can occur when observing role models in environment
  • learning can be a results of direct reinforcement (operant/classical) or vicarious reinforcement
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20
Q

what is social learning theory

A
  • a bridge between behaviourism and cognitive approach
  • Bandura said learning could occur by observing others
  • mind behaviour and environment play an important role in learning (taking into account the importance of cognitive processes)
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21
Q

what is banduras theory?

A

mediating cognitive processes:

  • attention: noticing
  • retention: remembering observation
  • motor reproduction:replicating behaviour
    motivation: individual seeks to demonstrate behaviour observed
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22
Q

conditions for effective modelling?

A
  • by watching others, people can learn through vicarious reinforcement.
  • motivation to reproduce behaviour (rewards)
  • two types of models: live and and symbolic

however, not all behaviour is reproduced as you need to have the right skill/assets

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23
Q

explain the two types of models

A

live: in the environment (family/school/friends)
symbolic: media/tv
- symbolic are considered to have more impact in cultures where media is widely available.

24
Q

how has SLT been applied to areas of psychology?

A

gender development:

  • bobo doll experiment by bandura
  • -children saw other children behaved aggressively towards a bobo doll.
  • -the children then saw 3 endings: positive feedback/negative feedback and no feedback
  • -children were then placed in a room with a bobo doll
  • -boyds tended to act more aggressively than girls towards bobo doll.
  • -girls appeared more influenced by negative feedback than boys
  • -children observe via models in environment and with other mediating cognitive processes, imitate behaviour
25
Q

strengths and weaknesses to SLT

A
  • involves cognitive processes
  • experimental and non experimental methods of research
  • applied to areas of psychology e.g. gender roles
  • doesn’t explain individual differences (what some perceive as reinforcement others may not)
  • doesn’t account for all learning (criminals)
26
Q

basic assumptions of cognitive approach?

A
  • mental processes lie between stimulus and response
  • humans are information processors
  • actively organise and manipulate information from the environment
  • mind operates like a computer (encode, store and output data)
27
Q

what is the cognitive approach?

A

Neisser: ‘cognition’ meaning the processes by which the sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered and used.

due to world war II developments in computer science/artificial intelligence. research on human performance and attention

28
Q

how is the cognitive approach different from other approaches?

A
  • adopts use of scientific experimental methods to measure mental processes:rejecting psychodynamic use of introspect (self reporting)
  • advocates the importance of mental processes (beliefs, desires, motivation) unlike behaviourist approach
  • focus on internal procceses like memory.
  • how individuals learn to solve problems and mental processes lying between stimuli and responses.
29
Q

discuss the information processing approach

A
  • compared to a computer
  • encode, store/transform and provide an output
  • explains many everyday behaviours (playing sport)

encoding information from environment > transformation of information using mental procceses > output or behavioural response

30
Q

what is the computational and connectionist models?

A
  • computer analogy largely using simulations
  • what is involved when information is processed
  • it tries to explain how our cognition system operates in terms of goals, plans and actions invalid in our tasks
  • uses a neural analogy: mind is made up of a huge array of neurons/nodes and they connect forming an activating patter representing something meaningful or learnt
  • associating between two or more stimuli
31
Q

how has the cognitive approach been applied to areas of psychology?

A

eyewitness testimonies; understand the different ways in which individuals process and recall information > more reliable accounts of the crime scene

32
Q

strengths and weaknesses of cognitive approach

A
  • focuses on strong internal mental processes
  • uses scientific methods unlike humanistic approach
  • information processing approach has been used to explain mental processes
  • too simplistic - ignoring complexities of the mind
  • humans are viewed as machines
  • performance of artificial lab tasks: low ecological validity
33
Q

basic assumptions of psychodynamic approach

A
  • unconscious processes determine our behaviour
  • instincts/drives mitigate our behaviour and energise the mind
  • childhood experiences determine adult personality
  • personality is made up of id, ego and superego
34
Q

who is freud and what did he believe about the unconscious

A

Freud developed an idea where deeply traumatic experiences were hidden away into the unconscious/forgotten/
by using free association, people were able to identify the underlying causes of their neurotic symptoms

35
Q

What is the role of the unconscious mind

A

-choices/decisions are determined by hidden mental processes.
-unaware of this and free will is an illusion
-act in ways little to do with conscious thoughts
-iceberg analogy: surface = conscious mind (thoughts and experiences)
just below the surface: preconscious mind = thoughts/feelings we are not always aware of but we can easily access
under the surface: lies the unconscious mind = significant psychic events take place, symbolic significance. place for traumatic memories that were push into the unconscious by a ego defence mechanism (repression)

36
Q

what’s wrong with the unconscious mind theory?

A
  • the concept of the existence of the unconscious in relation to its scientific vanity and whether it exists at all
  • Karl Popper: theory was not falsifiable and therefore unscientific (investigations were not falsifiable)
37
Q

what are the psychosexual stages of development?

A

instincts or drives that motivate our behaviour: two categories consisting of -
Eros (erotic and self preservation)
Thanatos (aggression and self destruction)

Oral (0-18 months // mouth)
Anal (18-36 months // butt),
Phallic (3-6 years // oedipus/electra complex),
Latent (6 years to puberty // sexual drive is dormant)
Genital stages (puberty and beyond // sex)

38
Q

fixations during the psychosexual stages

A
  • child experiences trauma
  • may result in fixation at certain stage, unable to fully move onto the next one
  • creates our adult personalities (oral stage fixation = over dependent on others)
39
Q

criticisms of the psychosexual stages?

A

feminists (mostly) have noted that freud’s theories are too male orientated.

40
Q

structure of personality?

A

Id - governed by ‘pleasure principle’, selfless part of the personality where we desire things

Superego - forms during phallic stage. internalising our parental values and social standards. ‘morality principle’ where we learn right from wrong

Ego - mediator between id and superego. reduces conflict created by the id and superego. one of doing this is using an ego defence mechanism

41
Q

what are the ego defence mechanisms?

A

unconscious resource used when the ego is in conflict with the id and superego - protecting us from feelings of guilt and anxiety:

  • denial (reducing anxiety by refusing to see reality)
  • displacement (redirecting emotions from a dangerous thing to a safer thing)
  • rationalisation (construct logical justification for decisions)
  • sublimation (refocussing or channelling impulses into something socially acceptable
  • repression: pushing it into the unconscious
  • reaction formation: opposite actions to thoughts
  • projection: displaying ones own feelings onto someone else
42
Q

discuss and evaluate the tidy of Rat Man

A
  • rat man suffered from obsessive thoughts about rats eating people’s butts he was afraid for his dad and a woman
  • freud stated the behaviours were due to the hate and love rat man felt for his father who he whited to torte with rats
  • according to freud, OCD helped reduce the anxiety feelings of guilt caused by this.
43
Q

criticisms of rat man study

A
  • no reference to his mother who was particularly domineering figure in his life
  • feelings of abandonment as a child could lead to ocd feelings as an adult
  • as it’s a case study, it lacks generalisability
44
Q

strengths and weaknesses of psychodynamic approach

A
  • childhood experiences determining adult personality
  • offers casual explanation for atypical psychological conditions
  • psychoanalysis is still used today
  • unfasifiable and therefore unscientific
  • lacks generalisability
  • controversial as infants display sexual behaviour?!
  • effectiveness of psychoanalysis is questionable
45
Q

basic assumptions of humanistic approach

A
  • humans to be viewed as a whole
  • humans as active agents = control and determine environment
  • strive towards achieving self actualisation
  • real self and ideal self must be congruent to be psychologically healthy
46
Q

what is the humanistic approach?

A

Carl Rogers stated psychoanalysis failed to fully appreciate and deal with the nature of healthy growth in a human

  • dissatisfied with the deterministic nature and scientific approach of behaviourism
  • third force in psychology as it sees humans as a whole, active agent with free will
47
Q

five core features of humanistic approach?

A
  • whole and not be reduced to counterparts
  • unique and must be valued as such
  • awareness of oneself in the context of other people
  • have free will
  • seek meaning, value and creativity
48
Q

what did carl rogers believe?

A

holistic form of psychology that is the focus on positive growth within individuals.

committed to forming an establishment dedicated to individual, unique issues such as self actualisation, growth, love and creativity

49
Q

discuss person centred therapy

A

counselling - revolutionising therapy as a while and the relationship between the therapist and client

  • focuses on the immediate situation of the patient
  • more personal relationship = client can be brought to a state of realisation and help themselves
  • it’s a non directive, talking therapy.
  • therapist is a mirror and reflects the clients thoughts and feelings
  • client has free will to decide what changes they want in their life so they can achieve personal growth
50
Q

what is the concept of growth?

A 
to achieve personal growth they must become congruent with their sense of self
there are 3 selves:
-self concept (how they see themselves)
-ideal self (who we want to be)
-real self (who we are)
51
Q

what is the aim of person centred therapy?

A 
aim: increase the clients level of congruence - close the gap between self concept and ideal self.
3 essential elements to helping client:
empathy with emotions
genuineness
unconditional positive regard
52
Q

discuss the conditions of worth

A

psychological problems experienced as adults are due to a lack of positive regard from our mothers as children
children who are raised in environments where they only feel worthy when meeting certain conditions = conditions of worth

children receiving unconditional positive regard have the opportunity to fulfil their potential

therapists provide this and helps the client work towards achieving full potential (mallow’s self actualisation)

53
Q

What is mallow’s hierachy of needs?

A

Maslow proposed all humans have certain needs that need to be met in order to achieve full potential/self actualisation

four lower levels: esteem, love, safety physiological needs are deficiency needs
-all levels must be met first then they can move up the heir achy.

when all deficiency needs are met, they can work towards self actualisation

54
Q

Strengths and weaknesses of Maslows hierarchy?

A
  • impact and practical application within the workplace
  • ignores cultural restraints and third world countries problems (safety etc) so they can’t ever reach self actualisation
55
Q

strengths and weaknesses of humanism

A
  • control and determine own development unlike behaviourism)
  • promote free will
  • experience of person is important
  • therapy is used today and are effective in helping
  • hard to falsify, lack predictive power and therefore unscientific
  • lacks empirical evidence
  • overestimate ability to change: ignoring cultural restraints
  • emotiosn and consciousness are difficult to study objectively

psychology as level (6 decks)

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