Paper 2 - Approaches to Psychology AO3 (Evaulation)

Question 1

Give a strength of the Behaviourist Approach regarding SC

Answer 1

• Increased the scientific credibility of psychology.
• It aligned psychology with the methods of natural sciences by focusing on measuring observable behaviours in controlled labs
• Helping psychology gain credibility as a scientific field.

Question 2

Give a strength of the Behaviourist Approach regarding RLA

Answer 2

• Applied to real life
• For example, operant conditioning is used in token economy systems in prisons and psychiatric wards, where good behaviour is rewarded with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges.
• This shows that behaviourism is useful in everyday settings.

Question 3

Give a weakness of the Behaviourist Approach regarding simple view of HB

Answer 3

• Oversimplifies human behaviour.
• It claims behaviour is shaped only by conditioning, which might apply to animals, but humans are also influenced by thoughts and emotions.
• This shows that behaviourism doesn’t fully explain human behaviour.

Question 4

Give a weakness of the Behaviourist Approach regarding EI

Answer 4

• Ethical issues in many conditioning experiments.
• Animals were often exposed to stressful or harmful conditions
• It’s debated whether the findings justify the treatment of the animals.

Question 5

Give one strength of the SLT that can explain CD in behaviour

Answer 5

• It explains cultural differences in behaviour.
• It shows how children learn from people around them
• Helping us understand how cultural norms and gender roles are passed on.

Question 6

Give one strength of the SLT that can support the importance of I and give an example of a campaign that used I ?

Answer 6

• Supports identification
• Use in real-world, such as in health campaigns that use similar role models to target audiences improving message effectiveness. (Andsager et al. (2006) found that perceived similarity to a model in an anti-alcohol advertisement )
• Positive real life applications

Question 7

Give one weakness of the SLT regarding how is ignores the importance of BF

Answer 7

-It ignores biological factors.
- For instance, in Bandura’s Bobo doll study, boys were consistently more aggressive than girls. Differences can be attributed to hormonal factors, particularly higher levels of testosterone in boys, which are associated with aggressive behaviour.
- a factor not explained by SLT

Question 8

Give one weakness to show that there are many problems with Bandura’s research

Answer 8

• Bandura’s study has ethical concerns
• Aggressive behaviour they were shown may have stayed with them
• Indicating that they were not adequately protected from potential psychological harm.

Question 9

Give one strength of the Cognitive Approach relevant to their methods of study

Answer 9

• Utilises controlled and rigorous study methods
• Collects reliable, objective data for accurate conclusions about mental processes.
• Integration with cognitive neuroscience provides a solid scientific basis for the study of the mind

Question 10

Give one strength of the Cognitive Approach relevant to its RLA

Answer 10

• Links psychological disorders (e.g., depression) to faulty thinking.
• Supports effective treatments like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps individuals challenge irrational thoughts.
• Demonstrates practical usefulness in real-world settings.

Question 11

Give one weakness of the Cognitive Approach regarding its validity

Answer 11

• Research often uses artificial stimuli in laboratory settings that may not represent everyday experiences
• This may result in a lack of ecological validity, making findings less applicable to real-life situations.

Question 12

Give one weakness of the Cognitive Approach regarding its analogies

Answer 12

• The computer analogy is criticized for overlooking the role of human emotions in information processing.
• Emotional factors, such as anxiety, can significantly affect human memory
• Indicating that the analogy may be overly simplistic.

Question 13

Give one strength of the Biological Approach relevant to their methods of study

Answer 13

• Uses scientific method of study
• These include brain-scanning techniques, such as fMRI and EEGs, and drug trials.
• Methods are highly controlled and objective providing reliable and valid findings, enhancing the scientific credibility of psychology.

Question 14

Give one strength of the Biological Approach relevant to their RLA

Answer 14

• Significant applications to the real world
• Research on neurochemical imbalances in depression has led to effective drug treatments.
• While not effective, for everyone these treatments have transformed care, allowing many individuals to manage their conditions and maintain normal lives, highlighting practical applications of biological research.

Question 15

Give one weakness of the Biological Approach to do with Twin Studies

Answer 15

• A crucial assumption underlying twin studies is that the environments of MZ and DZ twins are equivalent
• Joseph (2004) highlighted that MZ twins are often treated more similarly than DZ twins, which may skew concordance rates.
• Differences in concordance rates could result from environmental factors rather than genetic similarity.

Question 16

Give one weakness of the Biological Approach regarding its reductionist approach

Answer 16

• The approach is criticised for being reductionist, focusing solely on biological influences on behaviour.
• Critics argue that a comprehensive understanding of behaviour requires consideration of cognitive, emotional, and cultural factors as well.

Question 17

Give one strength of the Psychodynamic Approach regarding its ability to help shift psychological thinking

Answer 17

• Represented a significant shift in psychology, alongside behaviorism, as a dominant force in the early 20th century.
• Used to explain various phenomena, including personality development and psychological disorders.
• Highlights the connection between childhood experiences and later behaviour, indicating its influential role in psychology.

Question 18

Give one strength of the Psychodynamic Approach to do with treatment of psychoanalysis

Answer 18

• Freud created psychoanalysis, which employs techniques like dream analysis and hypnosis to access the unconscious mind.
• A review by Maat et al. (2009) found that psychoanalysis led to significant and lasting symptom improvements, demonstrating the approach’s effectiveness in treating psychological disorders.

Question 19

Give one weakness of the Psychodynamic Approach relevant to falsification

Answer 19

• Karl Popper criticised the psychodynamic approach for not meeting the scientific criterion of falsification.
• Concepts like defence mechanisms operate at an unconscious level, making them difficult to test or disprove.
• This leads to the characterisation of psychodynamic theory as pseudoscience rather than legitimate science.

Question 20

Give one weakness of the psychodynamic approach regarding Freuds research ?

Answer 20

• Based on intensive studies of single individuals
• Making it difficult to form universal claims about human nature from such a small sample. Additionally, Freud’s interpretations were highly subjective
• Suggests his methods lack scientific rigor

Question 21

Give a strength regarding the Humanistic Approach

Answer 21

• Promotes positive image of human conditions
• Freud states that humans live in between a state of complete disspair and unhappiness
• Where as the humanistic approach believes that all humans are free to work to achieve their full potential and in control of their lives

Question 22

Give a weakness regarding the Humanistic Approach and their unrealistic views of HB

Answer 22

• Overerly idealised, unrelatists view of human behaviour
• Believes humans main focus is growth ordinated and fails to recognise humans self destructive behaviour and pessimism
• Postitive view in an oversimplification

Question 23

Give a weakness regarding the Humanistic Approach ideas

Answer 23

• Vague Ideas which are hard to scientifically validate and test
• For example self actualisation, congruence are all hard to test under experimental conditions
• Short of empirical evidence to support claims

Question 24

Give a weakness if the Humanistic Approach regarding Maslows hierarchy of needs

Answer 24

• Maslows hierarchy of needs = culturally biased
• Concept of self actualisation relates to individualistic cultures due to focus on individual self fulfilment. However not relevant to collectivisric cultures where an emphasis on the need to be part of a community or group
• Cannot apply to all contexts so may be only relevant to specific cultural context to when research was conducted