paper 2 - approaches Flashcards
define introspection
a scientific and systematic method of collecting data by observing the inner mental state to infer general theories about mind processes eg. perception or memory
who was Wilhem Wundt (1832-1920)
- the first person to call himself a experimental psychologist
- believed the human mind could be studied scientifically and with strictly controlled experiments in his lab (Germany)
what did Wundt mean by introspection
He used introspection to study mental processes as memory and used the data to infer about theories
- showed participants a controlled stimulus eg. hard puzzle and recorded data ( body language and participants described inner feelings and thoughts) to infer and gain insight
describe the introspection we carried out in class
showing a student a hard maths equation and recording results to gain insight into mental processes
why did Wundts approach fail
not reliable to reproduce by other scientists
what are the weaknesses of introspection
1) results not reliable to reproduce by other scientists
2) we can not use this method on everyone eg. children, people with learning difficulties
3) ‘certain attitudes exist out of conscious awareness, self reports would not uncover and this challenges the value’ ~ Nisbett and Wilson (1977)
what are the strengths of introspection
can be paired with another approach to give more reliable and accurate result
- used by hunter (2003) to study teenage happiness throughout the day and gave researchers a way of understanding more clearly the momentary conditions that affect happiness
define paradigm
shared set of assumptions and beliefs about how behaviour is being studied and explained
define paradigm shift
change in a paradigm/ thinking
name 5 paradigm shifts within psychology
philosophical approach - Rene Descartes and lock
scientific - Darwin and Wundt
psychoanalysis - freud (1900) ‘talking cure’ not scientific
ideas of self ,philosophical - Rogers
cognitive neuroscience - modern day fMRI
define science
knowledge about the natural world based on facts learnt through experiments and observations (empiricism)
what are the major features of science (ocphre)
objectivity control predictability hypothesis testing replicability empiricism
define objectivity
observations and experiments should be unaffected by bias
- based on external facts
- universal
- absolutism
define control
must be able to control variables
define predictability
can the results of an experiment be used to say what will happen in the future
define hypothesis testing
when you have a theory making a hypothesis and null hypothesis and choosing correct experiment to prove either
what is deduction theory construction
reasoning from the general to the particular, starting with theory and looking for instances that confirm this
what is induction theory construction
involves reasoning from the particular to the general, observe natural phenomenon and come up with general law or theory
what is replicability
important that research can be repeated and similar results obtained. adds to reliability
what is empiricism
information gained throughout direct observation or experiment
what is generalisability
general statement obtained by inference from specific cases
name the 2 types of behaviourist approach
1) classical conditioning - association (pavlov)
2) operant conditioning - reinforcement (skinner)
name the 4 assumptions of behaviourism
1) all behaviour is learnt , believe in idea of tabula rasa (blank slate) everything from the moment your born is learnt , unlearning is just as easy as unlearning
2) animals and humans learn in the same way, can extrapolate (generalise) findings from animals to humans
3) science is essential indicating the direction of causality
4) free will is an illusion everything is environmentally determined
what is classical conditioning
all animals are born with a number of natural reflexes eg. such as salivation when food is placed in the mouth
- reflexes are made up stimulus and a naturally occurring response
- when other stimuli are are consistently associated with this stimulus and predict its arrival then eventually trigger the same response we describe as being classically conditioned.
explain pavolv’s research
dogs salivation with food and bells
- during the acquisition phase, a neutral stimulus which does not correspond to the UCR, is presented shortly after the UCS. After many pairings of the NS and the UCS the NS is now able to produce the same response in absence of the UCS. The NS is now a controlled stim (CS) and produces a conditioned response (CR)
what is timing in relation to classical conditioning
If the NS cannot be used to predict the UCS (eg. if it occurs after the UCS or time gap is too large) then the conditioning does not take place
what is extinction in relation to classical conditioning
pavlov discovered that unlike the UCR the CR does not become permanently established as a response, can loose ability to produce the CR
what is spontaneous recovery in terms of classical conditioning
following the extinction, if the CS and UCS are paired once more the link between them is made much more quickly
what is stimulus generalisation in terms of classical conditioning
once an animal has been conditioned, they will also respond to other stimuli that are similar to the CS
explain the little albert research within classical conditioning
Watson and Rayner
- 9 month old and showed him neutral stim eg. monkey, dog and rabbit
- paired the neutral stim with a loud noise
- classically conditioned an emotional response (phobia acquisition)
- one month later in a different setting he had a spontaneous recovery (generalisation)
give a real life example of spontaneous recovery
drug addiction with a cue or trigger eg. seeing a person they did drugs with connected to a happy feeling
what is operant conditioning
positive and negative reinforcement
pos = reward therefore likely to repeat the behaviour, by using variable schedule of reinforcement to get people addicted eg. gambling (£20 then £40 then £0 then £100) the concept of winning keeps people going and shaped behaviour
neg= punishment or threatening to change or learn behaviour
give application to real world with operant conditioning
1) in school punished for being late = stops people being late
2) speeding = threat of license revoked so stops people speeding
3) merit system in school = more good deeds to get more merits
explain skinner’s research with operant conditioning
The rat moves around the cage, when accidently presses the lever a food pellet (the reinforcement) is released, in no time the rat keeps pressing the lever to gain food
Also experimented with an unpleasant environment eg. loud noise and could only be turned off by the lever
final was punishment, if rat pressed the lever an electric shock was delivered, subsequently frequency decreased.
explain evaluation of over reliance of non human animals within research in the behaviourist approach
Skinner’s research has received criticism because experiments involved animals not humans
- can tell us little about human behaviour as humans have free will
Skinner argued free will is an illusion and is merely a product of external influences that guide our behavior
explain the benefits of operant conditioning based on experimental work
skinner’s reliance on the experimental method using controlled conditions to discover a possible causal relationship between variables
- able to accurately measure the effects on the rat’s behaviour, establish a cause and effect relationship
explain how classical conditioning has been applied to therapy
applied in the development of treatment for the reduction of anxiety associated with various phobias.
- works by eliminating the learnt anxious response
