psychology approaches

Question 1

whats one strength of slt? real life…

Answer 1

1.real life examples demonstrate slt
2.james bulger was murdered and tortured by 2 10 year olds. it was discovered that both boys came from homes of high domestic abuse and the ways they tortured the boy was similar to that in the movie chucky which was found in one of the homes.
3. this supports slt as the boys attempted to imitate the methods of torture they had observed from their role models on james , demonstrating key concepts of observation and imitation.

Question 2

whats one limitation of social learning theory?

Answer 2

1.it underestimates the influence of biological factors.
2. Bandura makes little reference to the fact that the boys were more aggressive with the bobo doll than the girls.Since they watched the same video slt cant explain this. This is a biological influence in the difference of testosterone in boys and girls which is ignored by slt.
3. As a result this theory is reductionist

Question 3

assumptions of the behaviourist approach

Answer 3

there are 2 types of learning: operant and classical
all species learn in a similar way so we can use animals to experiment.
only measure behaviour that can be measured and observed (in a lab).

Question 4

what are the 2 types of hypotheses and what do they explain?

Answer 4

1. Directional - makes it clear what the difference will be between 2 conditions (higher or lower)
   used when the findings of previous research suggest a particular outcome
2. states that there is a difference between conditions but does not specify what this will be
   used when no previous research has been done so there’s no indication to predict the direction of results

Question 5

operant conditioning: who and what?

Answer 5

skinner
theory suggests that our behaviour is learnt through reinforcement and punishment
behaviour is shaped and maintained by consequences: neg or pos reinforcement and punishment

Question 6

schema

Answer 6

A package of beliefs and expectations about a topic based on prior experience

Question 7

pavlovs dog

Answer 7

ucs(food) = uc response
ns(bell) = no cs
bell + food = paired association =ucr
bell= conditioned response

Question 8

Assumptions of social learning theory

Answer 8

people learn behaviour through observation and imitation
learning can occur indirectly through: imitation, identification and vicarious reinforcement

Question 9

what are the 2 types of extraneous variables and examples?

Answer 9

participant - individual differences between participants that may affect the Dv e.g mood, personality type, IQ , amount of sleep, health

situational - features of the experiment situation that may affect the dv e.g time, temperature, weather, noise, lighting, conditions

Question 10

assumptions of the cognitive approach

Answer 10

internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically
as these processes are unobservable we must study them indirectly and make assumptions based on observable behaviour.
studies memory, perception and thinking

Question 11

what are the 3 main concept of social learning theory?

Answer 11

imitation: observes behaviour form role model and attempts to copy it
identification: role models- possess similar characteristics, high status or attractive
vicarious reinforcement: indirect learning through the behaviour of others and their consequences (likely to be imitated if rewarded)

Question 12

pros and cons of schemas

Answer 12

PROS:process information quickly-mental shortcut that helps us from being overwhelmed from stimuli
make predictions about what will happen, dont have to relearn

CONS: inaccurate memories/biased recall (see what we expect)
can distort our interpretation of sensory information

Question 13

mediational process example

Answer 13

1. jane paid attention to role model dying her hair pink
   2.jane then retained this information
2. jane thought about if she can do this too(she has enough money to get it done)
3. Jane is motivated to dye her hair pink to be like her favourite model

Question 14

1 strength of the cognitive appproach

Answer 14

1. It has real life application in the treatment of depression.
2. this is done through reality testing which challenges irrational thought. The client is told to write down when someone says something nice to them or when they were successful and its used to challenge irrational thought.
3. this supports the cognitive approach and proves imp are the cause of behaviour

Question 14

strength and limitations of slt

Answer 14

neg- underestimates influence of biological factors
pos- real life examples - james bugler- vicarious reinforcement and imitation
strength- banduras study increases the validity of the theory

Question 15

assimilation and accommodation

Answer 15

assimilation : interpret and help us to respond to incoming information
putting new ideas or concepts into understanding and practice while aligning them with older ideas and practice.

accommodation: occurs when incoming information doesnt fit our schema
changing older ideas and concepts into new and completely different concepts and ideas because of experiencing new information.

Question 15

strength of the behaviourist approach

Answer 15

p: the token economy has real life application
e: this uses positive reinforcement in institutions like schools and prisons and can explain behaviour irl context. People take part in good behaviour to get tokens to get privileges.
e: this approach has been used to promote socially acceptable behaviour, preparing people for the real world

Question 16

cognitive approach strengths and limitations

Answer 16

1.drawback- machiene reductionist -emotional factors influence eyewitness-complex
2.strength-treatment of drepression- imp cause behaviour
3.strength- less deterministic than other approaches- we have free will- explains behaviour more

Question 16

assumptions of the biological approach

Answer 16

everything psychological is first biological
thoughts and feelings have a physical basis because the mind lives within the brain

Question 17

drawbacks and pros of the behaviourist approach

Answer 17

1.D- doesnt acknowledge the fact that human behaviour is more complex
2. P- the token economy - real life application
3. Pavlovs dog proves ba - lab experiment is objective

Question 18

what are the 2 types of twins

Answer 18

monozygotic (identical) twins share 100% of their genes
diszygotic twins share 50% of their genes

Question 19

strength of the behaviourist approach

Answer 19

p: scientific credibility
e: pavlov lab experiment shows classical conditioning can make a dog salivate at the sound of a bell
e: ba is based on evidence carried by controlled experiments. the experiments were replicable and the data obtained was objective and measurable giving psychology more credibility.

Question 20

3 key points of natural selection

Answer 20

1. NS preserves a functional advantage that allows other species to compete better in the wild
2. Ns preserves and accumulates advantageous genetic mutations
   3.animals with the trait are more likely to survive and reproduce and pass the trait to offspring

Question 21

limitation of the cognitive approach

Answer 21

1. It is considered machine reductionist
2. This means it ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation in our ability to make decisions. Researchers have found it evident that emotions such as anxiety influences our memories
3. it also dismisses the complexity of human behaviour

Question 22

What are the 3 evaluations of the biological approach?

Answer 22

1. lacks internal validity- with twins cannot separate nature and nurture - cant establish a causal relationship
2. Uses scientific methods - fmri brain scanning to investigate the genetic basis of behaviour- can objectively study the brain and neural processes - increase reliability and validity
3. real life applications - suggests mental illness is caused by abnormal levels of neurotransmitter - psychologists made anti depressants - supports the biological approach

Question 22

cognitive neuroscience

Answer 22

study of brain structures that are responsible for thinking
ocd, autism, dyslexia can be studied with mental processing
mental imaging can study the effects of normal aging of strokes on the brain.

Question 23

2 types of models in the cognitive approach

Answer 23

theoretical models: input -processed through schema - output
computer models: compared to a computer brain = central processing unit

Question 24

second strength of the cognitive approach

Answer 24

1. It is less deterministic than the other approaches
2. cognitive approach recognizes that we have free will before responding to stimulus whereas behaviourist argue we are passive responders to the environment
3. Strength because acknowledging free will helps to understand our differences in behaviours and is less reductionist.

Question 25

who was wundt and what did he discover?

Answer 25

wundt was the first person to open a lab in 19th century germany
wundt recorded his own conscious thoughts and broke them into parts which is called structuralism
introspection is the examination of ones own mental and emotional processes
method: highly trained assistants would be given a stimulus and report on what it made them think or feel.

Question 26

classical conditioning what and who?

Answer 26

pavlov learnt he could create paired association with a bell and food
cc involves learning to associate 2 stimuli together to react to one in the same way we already respond

Question 26

the peripheral nervous system

Answer 26

this is made up of the autonomic nervous system which has 2 branches- sympathetic branch and the parasympathetic branch
also made up of the somatic nervous system

Question 26

drawback of the behaviourist approach

Answer 26

1. doesnt acknowledge the fact human behaviour is more complex
2. human behaviour is more complex than animal behaviour and this study was done on animals which doesnt acknowledge how feelings and thought change behaviour
3. not accurate as it was done on animals so cant be directly applied to humans

Question 28

evaluation of introspection

Answer 28

introspection helped psychology become a science because Wundt’s methods were controlled and scientific. Instructions were standardized and extraneous variables were controlled.

one limitation is that the findings are subjective as participants had to report their internal mental mental processes, participants may have hidden some thoughts.

Question 29

Evauluation of the neural

Question 30

how does fight or flight work in 4 steps?

Answer 30

1. hypothalamus triggers activity in the sympathetic branch and you go from resting state to arousal
2. adrenal gland releases adrenaline into the blood stream
3. adrenaline triggers physiological changes and we decide to fight or flight
4. when the threat is gone the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to resting state

Question 31

what does the endocrine system do

Answer 31

1. the endocrine system contols vital physiological processes in the body.
2. releases hormones from glands into the bloodstream which then bind to specific receptors to regulate cell and organ activity in the body.
3. e.g adrenaline released form the adrenal medulla for fight or flight.
4. imbalance of these hormones may lead to dysfunction.

Question 32

what does the central nervous system consist of?

Answer 32

the brain : the centre of all conscious awareness

the spinal cord : an extension of the brain responsible for reflex actions e.g pulling away hand from a hot plate

Question 33

what does the peripheral nervous system consist of?

Answer 33

this transmits messages to and from the cns via millions of neurons.

autonomic ns: governs vital bodily functions like breathing and digestion and this is involuntary and has only motor pathways
this is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches

somatic ns: consciously controls muscle movement with sensory and motor pathways. transmits info from brain to receptors via the spinal cord to produce movements.

Question 34

explain the process of neurotransmission

Answer 34

1. messages are passed down the neuron electrically and at the end of the neuron they are passed down the synapse chemically.
2. this triggers the release of neurotransmitters from tiny sacs called vesticles
3. they diffuse from presynaptic receptor and are taken up by the post synaptic receptor sites in the next neuron

Question 35

what did introspection consist of?

Answer 35

Highly trained assistants would be given a stimulus and be asked to reflect on their experinece, reporting what it made them think or feel. structuralism is where he broke down thoughts into parts

Question 36

ao1 of the biological approach

Answer 36

everything psychological is first biological. we must study genes, neurochemistry and the nervous system.

the mind lives in the brain and our thoughts and feelings have a physical basis.

twin studies determine the likelehood that certain traits have a genetic basis by comparing concordance rates