psychology Flashcards
what is the agentic state
a state where people don’t take responsibility for their actions as they believe they are following someone’s orders.
why did Milgram want to study obedience
the trial of Adolf Eichmann
what is the autonomous state
where someone can act or behave based on their own principles and morals and feel responsibility for their actions.
what is the agentic shift
the shift from autonomy to agency
what was Milgram’s reasoning for agentic shift
a person believes someone else is a figure of authority and they have greater power, this causes the shift.
what are binding factors
aspects of the situation that allow a person to ignore or minimise the damaging effects of their behaviour
what do binding factors do to a person
they reduce the moral strain that the person feels by shifting the responsibility to the victim and denying the damage that they were doing.
what are some examples of people with authority
police, parents, teachers, security guards.
behaviourist approach
explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable in terms of learning
classical conditioning (pavlov)
learning through association
operant conditioning (skinner)
operate on environment, behaviour shaped by consequences.
positive reinforcement
receiving a reward when certain behaviour is performed
negative reinforcement
doing something to avoid an unpleasant outcome
strengths of behaviourist approach
highly controlled lab settings, other possibles variables removed, cause and effect relationships established, scientific credibility. real world application like token economy systems which is reinforcement to learn.
limitations of behaviourist approach
over simplified learning process, doesn’t take into account mental processes, social learning theory and cognitive approach do
ethical issues of skinner box
animals housed in harsh conditions and kept below normal weight so they are always hungry. also electrically shocked
social learning theory
people learn behaviour by observing others and imitating
SLT and behaviourist
agreed with behaviourist that behaviour is learnt from experience but in a different way, through observing and imitating others
vicarious reinforcement
someone observes the consequences of another person’s actions and then imitates those actions
4 mediational processes
attention , retention , motor reproduction , motivation
learning of behaviour and performance of behaviour
attention and retention - learning
motor reproduction and motivation - performance
attention
notice certain behaviours
retention
how well behaviour is remembered
motor reproduction
the ability to perform behaviour
motivation
the will to perform the behaviour
identification and modelling
people, mainly children, are more likely to copy behaviour of someone they identify with. imitating a role model is modelling. the person showing the behaviour is also called modelling
banduras research study A
children watched an adult act aggressively towards a bobo doll, children then play with toys including a bobo doll and they acted more aggressively.
banduras study B
showed videos where adults acted aggressively towards the bobo doll, one group saw the adult praised, one saw the adult getting told off. first group acted more aggressive than the second
strengths of SLT
recognises importance of cognitive factors in learning, how humans and animals store info about behaviour of others to make judgements about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions.
real world application. cultural differences and norms.
limitations of SLT
little reference on biological factors. recent research suggests observational learning may be the result of mirror neurons in the brain, allow us to empathise with and imitate other people
reciprocal determinism
person’s behaviour both influences and is influenced by personal factors and the social environment
the cognitive approach
studies mental processes, such as attention, memory, perception, and decision-making, to understand how they affect behaviour and emotions
cognitive approach and behaviourist
internal mental processes should be studied, opposite to behaviourist approach.
schemas
cognitive frameworks that help people interpret new situations based on their past experiences. schemas become more developed and accurate as we get older due to new experiences
theoretical models
information goes through your brain into different stages
computer model
comparing the brain to a computer
strengths of cognitive approach
highly controlled methods of study in lab, cognitive neuroscience enabled 2 fields of biology and cognitive psychology to come together, enhance scientific basis of study , enabled study of brain to become more scientific. real life application, AI and treatment of depression
limitations of cognitive approach
too abstract and theoretical in nature, relies on inference of mental processes,no direct observation of behaviour,
origins of psychology
Wilhelm wundt, first lab for studying mind, Germany(1879)
behaviourist
behaviour learnt from environment
classical conditioning
learning through association, pavlov dog
operant conditioning
learning through consequences, reinforcement makes it more likely behaviour is repeated. Punishment makes it less likely behaviour is repeated.(BF skinner box)
strengths of behaviourism
well controlled research, lab setting. all stimuli removed. applied to real life problems
limitations of behaviourism
oversimplified learning process, ignoring human thoughts. ignores influence of free will on behaviour
ethical problems with skinner box
rats left underfed so constantly hungry, rats have not consented to being tested on
biological approach
influence of genes and biological structures on behaviour, genetic bases of behaviour.
twin studies
study twins to see if psychological characteristics have agenetic base
concordance rates
extent to which twins share the same characteristics
neurochemistry
chemicals in the brain, can lead to psychological disorders. lots of dopamine and less serotonin can lead to schizophrenia
strengths of biological approach
real life application. drugs made due to biological approach, depression treated with antidepressants that increase amount of serotonin in the synapses. uses scientific methods, FMRI scans and EEGs so are based on objective data
limitations of biological approach
antidepressants dont work for everyone, brain chemistry may not account for all cases of, depression. determinist, we have no choice its all up to our genetics. we know phenotype is influenced by the environment
nervous system
specialised network cells, communication system, collects, processes and responds to information
central nervous system
brain and spine. connects nerves to PNS
peripheral nervous system
transmits messages through millions of neurons. automatic and somatic nervous system
endocrine and autonomic system
hypothalamus activates the sympathetic branch of ANS. changes from parasympathetic to sympathetic (resting state to awake). adrenaline triggers physiological changes in the body, happens automatically after a threat detected.
parasympathetic
decreases breathing, stimulates digestion, relaxes rectum
asches study
cards with lines
sympathetic
increases heart rate, dilates pupils, inhibits saliva production
