Psychology

Question 1

What are the two ways in which psychology is used?

Answer 1

Experimental: involves setting up experiments to see how individuals act in particular situations
Clinical: involves developing programs for treating individuals with mental illnesses or behavioural disorders

Question 2

Outline psychoanalytic theory, including the 3 parts of the mind.

Answer 2

-mind is divided into two parts: conscious and unconscious
-aware only of our conscious
-out unconscious mind actually has more influence on our behaviour
3 parts: ID (seeks satisfaction;instinctual), SUPEREGO (encourages moral behaviour against desire), EGO (referee, most conscious part)

Question 3

What is behaviouralism?

Answer 3

The belief that psychologists can predict and control or modify human behaviour by identifying the factors that motivate it in the first place.

Question 4

Describe the learning theory.

Answer 4

Humans are born with little instinct but much learning potential. Most human behaviour is learned, especially in children and youth.

Question 5

What is the difference between cognitive dissonance and consistency?

Answer 5

• we strive for cognitive consistency, avoiding attitudes that conflict with each other
• when two attitudes conflict, we feel discomfort and the need to regain consistency by changing our attitudes
• for example, exhibiting a behaviour, such as smoking, that conflicts with your moral belief that smoking is bad, would result in cognitive dissonance

Question 6

What is psychology?

Answer 6

The study of how and why an individual acts as they do

Question 7

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 7

The changing of behavior by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response. Reinforced behaviour is repeated, if not then it is extinguished

Question 8

What is a neutral operant?

Answer 8

Responses from environment that neither increase nor decrease the probability of a behavior being repeated.

Question 9

What is a reinforcer?

Answer 9

Responses from the environments that increase the probability of the behavior being repeated. Can be positive/negative (addition of pleasant reinforcer/removal of unpleasant reinforcer)

Question 10

What is a punisher?

Answer 10

Response that decreases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated. Punishment weakens behaviour.