Psychology Approaches

Question 1

What is Freud’s theory of the unconscious Mind?

Answer 1

Unconscious Mind - This was where our behaviours are not controlled or stored consciously but products of the conscious mind e.g. trauma.

Question 2

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 2

These are triggered when we face something we are unable to deal with.
Repression - Blocking unacceptable thoughts however the trauma still affects behaviour
Denial - Acting like something did not happen even though it did
Displacement - Taking out your feelings on another object or person

Question 3

What are the structures of personality?

Answer 3

The ID - Pleasure Principle, focuses on human instincts such as sexual arousal and pleasure.
Ego - What decides to use the Superego or the ID
Superego - This is our morality and what influences us to keep good behaviour.

Question 4

What are the Psychosexual Stages?

Answer 4

Oral 0-2 Yr - Mouth is the point of sensation and where early sexual energy is experienced.
Anal 2-3 Yr - Become aware of demands of reality, Stage where child needs to learn toilet training and the expulsion of waste.
Phallic - 3-6 Yr - Sexual Energy focused on the genitals. Development of the Oedipus Complex where the child develops hatred towards the father and a desire to possess the mother, child identifies with the father
Latent - 6-12 Yr - Mastery of the world around, repressed memories of the previous stages
Genital - 12 Yr + - Psychosexual development and focus on the genitals which directs us to the basics of sexual intercourse.

Question 5

What is Monozygotic and Dizygotic?

Answer 5

Monozygotic - Identical genotype Twins 75% - 100% identical
Dizygotic - Non identical Twins share 25% - 50% identical

Question 6

What is the Genotype and Phenotype

Answer 6

Genotype - Genetic code for inherited physical or behavioural characteristics, inherited from parents
Phenotype - Characteristic that differentiates from environment

Question 7

What are the types of Neurons?
What is the Reflex Arc?

Answer 7

Sensory - Sends information from the senses to the brain
Relay - Connects other neurons to the brain
Motor - Sends messages from brain to muscles
Reflex Arc - cells that transmits info from the source and decides responses

Question 8

What are the types of neurotransmitters?

Answer 8

Inhibitory - Neurons fire less
Excibatory - Neurons fire more

Question 9

What is the endocrine system and what are the glands?

Answer 9

Endocrine System - Chemical messaging system that slowly releases chemicals into the bloodstream as a result of negative feedback
Pituary Gland - Master gland that controls other glands
Thyroid Gland - Releases thyroxine
Adrenal Gland - Releases Adrenaline
Pancreas - Releases Insulin
Ovaries and Testes - Releases Oestrogen and testosterone

Question 10

How does behaviour evolve?

Answer 10

Charles Darwin - Theory of natural selection where those with desirable genetics that increases survivability are most likely to reproduce and share their genes

Question 11

What can brain structure say about our behaviour

Answer 11

If we suffer abuse or have depression our brains may be scarred or be less active than usual.

Question 12

Biological Approach A03?

Answer 12

Biological takes a scientific approach and is therefore reliable as it uses studies
Real life application to depression (brain scans)
Causal conclusions as a limitation
Deterministic view of behaviour which thinks our biology determines our behaviour
influence of nature or nurture in twin studies and how it can not be separated.
Reductionist and doesnt fully explain disorders

Question 13

Psychodynamic Approach A03

Answer 13

Psychodynamic approach has aided in real life treatments and shift in psychological approach.
Uses scientific methodology therefore it is scientific
Gender Bias (Generalised to women)
Culture Bias (Western)
Comprehensive Theory (Real life application)

Question 14

What is a schema?

Answer 14

Packages of ideas developed into experience which we use as a mental framework. Uses pre existing beliefs to create shortcuts or stereotypes

Question 15

What is the computer Model

Answer 15

Sensory information is coded and input through the senses and combined with previous info to complete a task

Question 16

What is the theoretical Model?

Answer 16

Uses the working memory model and how we store memories through the visuospacial sketchpad, phonological loop (articulatory control system and phonological store)

Question 17

What do PET Scans show?

Answer 17

Conditions like alzheimers show that parts of the brain e.g. memory stores are affected by the condition

Question 18

Cognitive Approach A03?

Answer 18

Addresses shortcomings of SLT and behaviourism however neglects influence of emotions
Has led to understanding in how to treat psychological disorders however REBT might be unethical
Uses experimental methods to ensure a scientific approach
Interactionist
Reductionist and doesnt give a full explanation
Computer model too simplistic for the human mind
ignores emotion and motivation

Question 19

What is imitation, identification and modelling

Answer 19

Imitation - Child learns by imitating another persons actions and copying their behaviour
Identification - Relating to a model and feeling like you are similar to them
Modelling - Attitude of behaviour is learned through role models which is the cause of imitation

Question 20

What is Vicarious Reinforcement?

Answer 20

Where you observe or perform behaviours and adapt around the response to such behaviour

Question 21

What was Bandura’s Bobo Doll study?

Answer 21

study that split groups of children into 3 conditions. An aggressive adult, an peaceful adult and no adult. consisted of 36 boys and girls put into groups of 24. Walked into different rooms such as wait room, play room and a room before those.

Found that children who observed an adult performing aggressive behaviour replicated such behaviour. This was further reinforced if it was the same gender.

A03 - Nature Nurture Debate (doesnt take interactionist approach)
Support - Gee and Leith found in 200 games of Hockey the top players were raised by aggressive models who encouraged aggressive behaviour
Culture Bias - Generalisation of western values
Artificial environment
high reliabilty
real life application
ethical issues

Question 22

What are the meditational Processes?

Answer 22

Attention - How we notice certain behaviours and how we perceive the consequences of such behaviour
Retention - How the behaviour is remembered
Reproduction - Possibility to perform behaviour, if this can not be done then we will find another way
Motivation - Will to carry out the behaviour

Question 23

What is the two process Model?

Answer 23

Classical conditioning - Learning through association
Operant Conditioning - Maintaining behaviour through reinforcement and punishment

Question 24

What is Pavlovs Dogs study?

Answer 24

Unconditioned stimulus (food) causes a response (saliva)
Neutral stimulus (Bell) is rung with the unconditioned stimulus (food) to create an unconditional response (drool)
Conditioned stimulus (Bell) is rung which causes the dog to drool (conditioned response)

Question 25

What is Skinners rats study?

Answer 25

1) Pressing lever rewards food (positive reinforcement, makes the rat repeat the action for reward)
2) Pressing the lever to avoid shock ( Negative reinforcement where the lever is pressed to avoid punishment)

Question 26

What is the A03 for behaviourist approach?

Answer 26

Controlled artificial environment promotes scientific methods and reliability however lacks ecological validity
Ignores genetic influences e.g. rats respond to taste not smell (makes generalisations to other species)
Too basic in explaining human behaviour
Has helped real life cases e.g. teaching autistic children and behavioural therapies
Deterministic
ethical issues (animal cruelty)
Nature Nurture

Question 27

What is introspection?

Answer 27

Looking into mental and emotional states where we record our own conscious thoughts to document the nature of human consciousness

Question 28

What is Empiricism?

Answer 28

Experiences obtained through sense
Knowledge comes from experience and observation to apply to human beings. All behaviour has a cause

Question 29

What is Scientific Methods?

Answer 29

Facts, Concepts, Principles to explain things we do not know

Theory is created —> hypothesis based on theory is then created —> empirical data is produced from this hypothesis –> interpretation is created

Question 30

What is the issues and debates for biological?

Answer 30

scientific
nomothetic
biological reductionism and determinism
nature side

Question 31

What is the issues and debates for behaviourism?

Answer 31

behavioural/environmental determinism/reductionism
nomothetic
nurture
scientific

Question 32

What are the stages in maslows hierarchy of needs?

Answer 32

physiological - safety - love and belonging - self esteem - self actualisation

Question 33

What is Rogers humanistic approach to therapy

Answer 33

Counselling where he believed people were influenced by others and the conditions of their worth. uses empathy to allow the participant to solve their own problems and be able to understand themselves for self actualisation

Question 34

What is congruence and self image?

Answer 34

Self image - how we perceive ourselves based on interactions with others
Congruence - how close our self image is to how we want our ideal self.

Question 35

What has Wundt contributed to psychology?

Answer 35

Started the institute for experimental psychology
established experimental psychology
Structuralism as he inplemented the experimental methods and breaking down how participants observed things