Links to Area of Psychology Flashcards
Loftus & Palmer - Cognitive Area
Assumption: The cognitive area looks at mental processes as key to understanding human behaviour. The mind can be seen as an information processor it’s important to consider the input, processing and output of information.
Aim: Loftus and Palmer wanted to see the effect leading questions had on the memory of an event. Specifically if changing a word within a question could have an effect on the answer given – in regard to speed estimates or reporting of broken glass.
Findings: Participants who received the verb ‘smashed’ in the critical speed estimate question gave a higher mean average speed (40.5mph) than participants that received the verb ‘contacted’ in the same question (31.8 mph).
Link: This showed that data input after an incident is witnessed can interfere with the processing and output, what the witness reports.
Grant - Cognitive Area
Assumption: The cognitive area looks at mental processes as key to understanding human behaviour. The mind can be seen as an information processor it’s important to consider the input, processing and output of information.
Aim: Grant aimed to look at how context-dependency effects recall of material. Specifically, whether the presence or absence of noise during learning and retrieval (matching or mis-matching conditions) effects the recall of meaningful material.
Findings: Participants in the matching conditions either silent-silent (6.7) or noisy-noisy (6.2) scored higher on the short answer questions than those in mis-matching conditions silent-noisy (4.6) and noisy-silent (5.4).
Link: This showed that environmental data (such as noise) is input when we try to learn information, it is then stored with the memory (processing) and environmental cues can help improve recall (the output). Therefore people should keep the environment they learn and recall information as similar as possible.
Moray - Cognitive Area
Assumption…The cognitive area suggests that the mind is like a computer that the way we process information effects our responses and behaviour.
Aim of study … Moray studies how attended auditory information is processed more than unattended auditory information, the study showed that the human mind uses a attentional block so that only selected information is processed.
Evidence/findings …This is evident from experiment 1 which found that p’s recognised more information from a shadowed message than a rejected message.
Link back to the assumption….Therefore linking to the cognitive area as it shows how the mind has to pay attention to be able to process information and recongise it.
Simons and Chabris - Cognitive Area
The cognitive areas main assumption is that the mind can be seen as an information processor i.e. Input, processing and output of information.
The aim was to investigate the nature of visual inattention, by showing observers a 75 second video where they were instructed to count the number of passes a certain team made. 44-48 seconds into the video an unexpected event occurred (a gorilla/lady holding an umbrella) passed through the screen. Observers were asked if they saw it happen.
This study therefore links to the cognitive area as it specifically investigates selective attention by trying to find out if an unexpected event that is in our central field of vision might be missed if a person focuses their visual attention on a different feature of a visual event (inattentional blindness). 46% of observers missed the unexpected event due to them paying attention to another task
Bandura - Developmental Area
The developmental area suggests that behaviours develop over our lifespan and may be in response to NATURE and NURTURE.
Aim: Bandura’s study points out that the experiences children have, behaviours they are exposed to, can alter the way they act.
Results: It was found that children in the aggressive model condition showed significantly more imitation of physical and verbal aggressive behaviour than children in the non-aggressive model or control (no model) conditions.
(Link to the area) This suggests that nurture influences a child’s behaviour, as the findings show how adults in the child’s immediate environment have impacted on their behaviour.
Chaney - Developmental Area
Assumption
The Developmental area suggests that behaviour can be influenced by nurture- the environment (parenting) of children as they grow can impact their behaviour.
Aim
To show that the use of a novel spacer device, the “Funhaler” can provide positive reinforcement which leads to improved adherence in young asthmatics
Results
81% of children took the funhaler compared to 59% when using the standard. Parents were also happier – 61% compared to 10%
Conclusions
This study suggests that positive reinforcement can be used to increase the use of asthmatic medication by children. If children are rewarded for taking the inhaler, for example by some form of entertainment such as a game or whistle, they are more likely to increase the behaviour.
Milgram - Social Area
Assumptions of Area -
Aim -
Results -
Bocchiaro - Social Area
(Principle) One assumption of the social area is that peoples behaviour is influenced by the presence of others and groups.
(Link to study, Aim) Bocchiaro studied how many p’s would obey, disobey, or whistle blow to an unethical request.
(Findings) The majority of p’s obeyed at 76.5% by writing the supporting statement, they obeyed a stern male experimenter who was present in their immediate environment.
(Link back to principle of social area)
Therefore Bocchiaro’s study has shown how the participants were strongly influenced by the presence of an authority figure.
Sperry - Biological Area
Sperry’s study links to the biological area because it is looking at the effects of hemisphere de-connection; an alteration to a structure in the brain.
Participants in the study had all had their corpus collosum – a band of nerve fibres connecting the two brain hemispheres - severed to treat their epilepsy (which was not controllable by medication). As a result of altering this part of the brain behaviour was affected.
For example participants were unable to name or describe objects shown only to their left visual field as the information was only received by the right hemisphere which has no language abilities and due to the absence of a corpus collosum, the information could not be passed to the left hemisphere for processing
Casey - Biological Area
Different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours
Aim of the study was to investigate whether delay of gratification in childhood predicts impulse control abilities in adulthood.
MRI scans showed that in comparison with high delayers, low delayers (those who give in to temptation) had greater levels of activity in the Ventral Striatum, Basal Ganglia and Basal Ganglia resulting in impulsive, emotional and reactive behaviour. High delayers (those who resist temptation) had greater levels of activity in the Pre Frontal Cortex and Inferior Frontal Gyrus resulting in controlling, reflective behaviour. This demonstrates that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours.
Freud - Individual Differences Area
Assumption-The individual differences area sees everyone as unique in both their genetic and physiological make up, their personal qualities and their social experiences. These differences are displayed through their behaviour so everyone behaves differently.
Aim- To report the findings of the treatment of a five year old boy for his phobia of horses.
Findings- Little Hans had an obsession with his widdler which was evidence of him being in the phallic stage. He had fantasies about his mother indicated by the giraffe fantasy which resembled his desire to be with his mother and getting rid of his father. It was evidence to show that he was going through the Oedipus complex. His fear of horses was the real fear of his father displaced.
Link- Freud’s study is relevant to this area as it shows how his fear was unique to him and his experiences at the time, which led to the development of his phobia needing therapy.
Baron-Cohen - Individual Differences Area
Assumption
Individuals differ in their personality and behaviour
- Aim
- Baron-Cohen was looking at diagnosing autism in adults, he developed a new test - eye task comparing this with an existing test- Happe’s strange stories
- Findings
He found that the 16 HFA’s scored a mean of 16 out of 25 when trying to understand emotions based on just human eyes but the 10 tourettes and 50 normal adults scored an average of 20.
• Link
Therefore this shows that individuals who have autism have differences in their behaviour as they lack a theory of mind-they struggle to read emotions in other people
Kohlberg - Developmental Area
Principle of the Developmental area…
Thinking and behaviour changes through crucial stages of development.
Aim; The aim was to show that morals develop in stages.
Findings; Once a participant had reached a particular stage, they either stopped or continued to move upward. No adults in Stage-4 had been through Stage-6, but all Stage-6 adults had gone through at least Stage-4.
Link back to the principle; Therefore, this links to the dev. Area as it shows that to reach the highest level of moral reasoning, ind. must work through set stages.
Lee - Developmental Area
The developmental area main assumption is that individuals change their thinking and behaviour systematically through crucial stages of development.
The aim was to investigate if Chinese children compared to Canadian children would rate truth telling in pro-social situations less positively than lie telling in the same situations
Lee et al.’s study is considered developmental because children at different ages were studied which shows how attitudes towards truth telling and lying telling develop, the Chinese children ratedlying in prosocial situations significantly more positivelythan the Canadian children and this was stronger the older the children were.
Levine
One assumption of the social area is that behaviour is determited by the social environment, this influences how we relate to others around us
Levine studied how the cultural values of the country
you live in have a strong influence on your response to
those in need
Levine’s findings showed that those who live in simpatia. cultures who value the well being of others were more helpful than those who live in Individualistic cultures, where people are more concerned about their own well being
Therefore showing how cultural values are reflected in a
cities social environment and impact on behaviour
