psych understanding over time

Question 1

clinical psych through time

Answer 1

• used to think SZ could be explained by the original dopamine hypothesis - claimed that hyperdopaminergia (hyperactive dopamine) in the mesolimbic pathway of the brain caused positive symptoms
• now we know that SZ is caused by a mix of NTs - dopamine, glutamate and serotonin. found that FGAs that only targeted dopamine were ineffective because of this. D2 is high in mesolimbic, low in mesocortical with levels influenced by glutamate so SGAs are more effective in reducing effects of SZ.
• Carlsson 2000 literature review supports idea of improved dopamine and glutamate hypothesis in explaining SZ - Lindstroem found inc D2 receptors in medial prefrontal cortex of SZs in post mortem studies. Miller and Abercrombie also showed that hypoglutamatergia increased development of psychotic symptoms. Carlsson’s use of 33 studies increases validity and reliability as he could gather lots of supporting evidence, leading him to conclude that a third generation of antipsychotics is necessary.

Question 2

social psychology through time

Answer 2

• ethics of research has changed, before introduction of BPS guidelines, Milgram’s 1963 study deceived ppts to make them believe the electric shocks from 15V-450V they were giving to a confederate learner were real. there was little protection from harm and while 65% continued to 450V most ppts exhibited distress and moral strain e.g. nervous laughter/trembling and 3 even experienced seizures
• Burger 2009 replicated Milgram’s study with improved ethics such as a maximum shock of 50V rather than 450V and participants were screened for mental disorders beforehand
• supports BPS guidelines in how they’ve created a safer way for studies to take place - we can experiment on socially sensitive topics in an ethical way so more people will participate

Question 3

biological psych through time

Answer 3

• used to trust Freud’s psychodynamic theory of aggression, which contained abstract views that the subconscious consisted of the Id, Ego and Superego. criticised by other studies as unfalsifiable explanation for aggression being due to the Id craving instant gratification
• led to new theory of hormones such as high testosterone and low cortisol causing reduced impulse control and so more aggression
• Wagner et al found that castrated mice had lower testosterone but when injected with testosterone their pre-castration levels of aggression returned. supports idea that high testosterone levels cause aggression, making more recent explanations more credible
• theory has useful applications to reducing recidivism rates in offenders - Maletsky found that hormone therapies using anti-androgens like MPA reduced sexual offences by reducing testosterone and thus aggression

Question 4

cognitive psych through time

Answer 4

• police interviewing has changed over time, we used to use traditional police interviewing techniques such as interrogation and standardised leading questions to gain a confession
• now the cognitive interview has been developed due to our understanding of Tulving’s reconstructive memory and schemas that cause distortion to recall. the CI uses 4 stages, the most effective seen by Milne and Bull as the context reinstatement and report everything steps as they gain the most detailed and accurate recall
• however, while Kohken found an 81% increase in correct information found from the CI, there was a 61% increase in incorrect info given compared to standard interviews and Geiselman found it to be ineffective in children under the age of 8, suggesting that while the CI can use cognitive theories of memory to find more info about a case, it is not always effective for different memory abilities, so standard interviewing may still be used to this day