Key schools of thought for psychology Flashcards
Behaviourism
Theory that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning and conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment.
Stimulus-response behaviours.
Ivan Pavlov
Classical conditioning - learning
BF Skinner
Learning is a function of change in overt behaviour. Changes in behaviour are the result of an individual’s response to events (stimuli) that occur in the environment.
What is classical conditioning
Classical conditioning is a learning process governed by associations between an environmental stimulus and another stimulus which occurs naturally.
According to behaviourists, behaviour is modified in which three ways
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Social learning theory
Bandura - social learning theory
Emphasises the importance of observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviours, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Social learning theory considers how both environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human learning and behaviour.
What is classical conditioning acquired and maintained by?
Acquired by association and maintained through reinforcement.
What is operant conditioning
Behaviours learned to obtain rewards through reinforcement and avoid punishments.
What is the psychodynamic approach
States that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality
What did Freud believe
That our personality is controlled by our subconscious thoughts and our experiences.
What 3 types of treatment did Freud do
Talking therapy, hypnosis and free association
What are the 3 levels of awareness that control our behaviour according to Freud
Conscious
Preconscious
Unconscious
What is the ID, EGO and SUPEREGO
The id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories, the super-ego operates as a moral conscience, and the ego is the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego.
What are the stages of personality development according to Freud (psychosexual development)
Oral (birth - 1) Anal (1-3) Phallic (3-6) Latent (6-puberty) Genital (puberty to adult)
What was Alfred Adler’s theory
Adler’s theory suggested that every person has a sense of inferiority. From childhood, people work toward overcoming this inferiority by “striving for superiority.” Adler believed that this drive was the motivating force behind human behaviours, emotions, and thoughts.
What is the birth order theory
The order in which a child is born will determine their personality.
What are the 8 stages of Erikson’s psycho-social development theory
- basic trust vs mistrust
- autonomy vs shame and doubt
- initiative vs guilt
- industry vs inferiority
- identity vs role confusion
- intimacy vs isolation
- generativity vs stagnation
- ego integrity vs despair
What is the cognitive approach
Focuses on how humans process information and how this processing leads to behaviour
scientific study of the mind as a human processor
what are the cognitive processes
perception, attention, language, memory, thought
What is Noam Chomsky’s theory of cognitive development
All languages contain similar structures and rules (a universal grammar), and the fact that children everywhere acquire language the same way, and without much effort, seems to indicate that we’re born wired with the basics already present in our brains
What is Eysenck’s personality theory
Personality is based on biological factors, individuals inherit a type of nervous system that affects their ability to learn and adapt to the environment.
What are the two dimensions personality can be measure across according to Eysenck?
Extraversion - introversion.
Neurotic - stable.
What are Piaget’s 4 stages of cognitive development
Sensorimotor (birth-2)
Pre-operational (2-7)
Concrete-operational (7-11)
Formal-operational (12 up)
What is the humanistic approach to psychology
The humanistic approach emphasises the personal worth of the individual, the centrality of human values, and the creative, active nature of human beings.
