psychology - approaches Flashcards
what is empiricism?
the belief that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience
what is introspection?
the process by which a person gains knowledge about his or her own mental and emotional states as a result of the examination or observation of their conscious thoughts and feelings.
what was Wundt’s belief about the human mind?
it could be studied scientifically along with all other aspects of nature
what is structuralism?
a school of thought that seeks to understand the structures of the human mind by observing the basic components of consciousness
what is introspection?
Introspection is a process by which a subject, as objectively as possible, examines and explains the components of their conscious experience.
what are the evaluation points for Wundt’s work?
Nisbett and Wilson- participants don’t actually know how the human brain works
does the introspective technique have real world application?
Hunter (2003)- bleepers that went off at random times of the day would prompt teenagers to write down their thoughts and feelings, they found that the teenagers were happiest when they were doing a challenging task
what are the strengths of the scientific method ?
it is made to be replicable meaning other researchers can repeat it with different circumstances meaning the can approve of the work. You can also establish cause and effect
what are the limitations of the scientific method?
it is difficult to measure aspects of human development such as cognitive development. the data’s reliability is limited to human interpretation
What is the process of classical conditioning
a NS is paired with a UCS and then association forms, this means the NS->CS and the CS forms a CR
what is the process of operant conditioning?
adding or taking away something good or bad in order to manipulate a certain behavior
what is classical conditioning?
learning through association- involves a natural reflex response
what is operant conditioning?
involves shaping behavior through consequences i.e. rewarding behavior that is encouraged and punishing behavior that is discouraged
what is the fundamental belief of behaviorism ?
behavior is learnt.(through classical and operant conditioning) behavior is not innate
what is meant by stimulus generalization?
once a behavior is conditioned the response can happen with other similar stimuli
what is partial reinforcement?
the behavior is learnt through occasional reinforcement
What is modelling?
a form of learning where individuals learn a particular behaiour by observing another individual performing that behaviour
what is imitation?
the act of using someone or something as a model and copying their behaviour
what is identification?
the extent to which the individual relates to the model, they must feel they are similar enough to experience the same outcome of the behaviour
what is vicarious reinforcement ?
learning through observing others and imitating behavior that are rewarded
what is the fundamental belief of the biological approach?
all behaviour can be explained in terms of the individuals biology
what are the influences for the biological explanation of behaviour?
genetic basis of behaviour, genotype and phenotype, biological structures, neurochemistry and evolution
What does hereditary mean?
The passing of genes from one generation to the next and this is how we “take after our parents”
What is genotype?
The genetic code written into the DNA of an individuals cells
What is phenotype?
The physical appearance of the individual as a result of this inherited information
What is the peripheral nervous system?
Somatic and automatic nervous system. The nervous system carries messages around the body via neurons.
What is the frontal lobe responsible fpr?
Speech, thought, learning
What are the temporal lobes responsible for?
Hearing and memory
What are the parietal lobes responsible for?
Process sensory information e.g. touch temperature and pain