psychology approaches Flashcards
what approach did Wundt use?
structuralist and reductionist
what method did Wundt use?
introspection
what is introspection?
analysing your own thoughts internally, pts asked to describe their experiences when presented with a set of stimuli and their reactions were recorded
what are the problems with introspection
doesn’t explain how the mind works
what was Griffiths study using introspection
investigated people who gambled regularly with those who did not. proposed that the thought process of gamblers would be more irrational than non gamblers. pts were told to think aloud when playing the fruit machine game. as expected, gamblers thoughts were more irrational
evaluate Wundts methods (strengths)
+ - methods are still used in useful ways in more recent research. a study was done into teenagers response to a beep, where they had to say their thoughts out loud, when focused on a challenging task, teenagers were more upbeat, this could improve their quality of life
+ - his work paved the way for later controlled research and was very influential in psychology as a science , helping it to be recognised as a science
evaluate Wundts methods (weaknesses)
- we have little knowledge of the causes and processes underlying our behaviour (eg - people may not be aware of their own stereotypical thinking) causing introspection reports to be inaccurate. furthermore, pts might have thoughts they consider as undesirable and therefore lie.
- studies unobservable mental processes so his theories are unfalsifiable. this means that its difficult to test the ideas scientifically so cannot be falseifiable
whats the behaviourist approach
argues that psychologist must focus on observerable events rather than internal events, as it is more objectively measured
how does behaviourist approach believe learning occurs
classical conditioning
operant conditioning
what is classical conditioning
learning by association
how discovered classical conditioning
Pavlov
what did pavolov find with his dogs
noticed dogs didn’t only salivate when food was placed in their mouth, but also salivated in reaction to stimuli that was present at the same time as food
what happens before classical conditioning
unconditioned stimulus (food) > unconditioned response (saliva)
a tone was established that didn’t make them salivate
tone= neutral stimulus
what happens during classical conditioning
presented tone with food
unconditioned stimulus (food) + neutral stimulus (tone) > unconditioned response (saliva)
what happens after classical conditioning
conditioned stimulus (tone) > conditioned response (saliva)
what is operant conditioning
learning by consequence of behaviour
whos idea is this
skinners
how does learning happen in operant conditioning
through reinforcement
what are the types of reinforcement
positive
negative
what is positive reinforcement
occurs when behaviour produces a consequence that is pleasurable and therefore increases likelihood of a response occurring because it involves a reward for the behaviour
what is negative reinforcement
increases likelihood of a response happening because it involves the removal of unpleasant consequences - doing something to stop a bad thing happening
what was skinners box investigation
rat moves around the box and accidentally presses a lever to receive food, which is a reward. this is positive reinforcement. another version of the box delivers an electric shock through the box, the rat learns to press the lever to stop it. this is negative reinforcement
evaluate behaviourist approach (strengths)
+ - concepts have real life application. classical conditioning has led to the treatment of various phobias, fear and relaxation being response and conditioned response
+ - operant conditioning has led to token economy system being successfully used in institutions (eg - prisons), reward appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges
+ - increased scientist credibility of psychology by using lab experiments and focusing on observable behaviour within highly controlled settings
evaluate behaviourist approach (weakness)
- most research is carried out on animals so cannot be generalised to humans
- reductionist, reduces complex human behaviour down to only learning through rewards and associations
- deterministic - our past experineces will produce behaviour , this does not allow any free will we may have over our behaviour
what is the social learning theory
people imitate the behaviour of ‘models’ behaviour is learnt faster through them
what increases the likelihood of imitating behaviour
- if they identify with the model
- they believe they have the ability to reproduce that behaviour ( self efficacy)
- vicarious reinforcement - see another person rewarded for certain actions
what are the fourth components of the SLT
- attention
- retention
- motor reproduction
- motivation
explain the first phase of SLT
ATTENTION - individuals need to perceive and attend to significant features of modelled behaviour
explain the second phase of the SLT
RETENTION - in order to reproduce modelled behaviour, the individuals must code the information into long term memory
exaplain the third phase of the SLT
MOTOR REPRODUCTION - observer must be able to reproduce models behaviour
explain the fourth phase of the SLT
MOTIVATION - in this process, the observer expects to receive positive reinforcements for modelled behaviour
keys study in SLT
Bobo doll study -
72 children, 1/2 boys and 1/2 girls - there were three conditions and the children were matched on aggression. one group watched an aggressive model hitting a bobo doll with a hammer and punching it saying saying pow and boom. the second group saw a non aggressive model that played quietly in corner of the room. the third had no model (control group)
found group 1 frequently imitated acts of the same aggression whereas the other two groups showed very little aggression
evaluate SLT (strengths)
+ - CC OR OC can offer an adequate account of learning on their own, SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning by recognising the importance of cognitive mediational process
+ - real life application - SLT can explain criminal behaviour = strongest cause of violence in adolescents was because they saw it modelled and rewarded
evaluate SLT (weakness)
- bobo study done in a lab - cannot be generalised to real life
- causality - theory suggests that watching the aggressive, however it may be adolescents who already have deviant attitudes seek out deviant role models
- reductionists - too simple to argue that behaviour is only learnt through imitation
what is the cognitive approach
study of internal mental processes in order to understand behaviour
what are the three areas of cognitive psychology
- schemas
- theoretical and computer models
- emergence of cognitive neuroscience
what are schemas in cognitive psychology
cause us to exclude anything that does not conform to our established ways of thinking, focusing instead on things that confirm our pre existing beliefs and ideas
what are theoretical models
multi store and working memory model
what are computer models
idea that memory is like a computer - info inputted through the senses and encoded into our memory and combined with previously stored information. LTM similar to hard drive
what is emergence of cognitive neuroscience
brain scans have developed to study the living brain and different brain structures (eg - PET scans and fMRI)
evaluate the cognitive approach (strengths)
+ - been applied in many areas of psychology (such as social psychology) and can explain real life behaviour (bias)
+ - can explain psychopathology - explains how the dsyfunctional behaviour shown by people can be traced back to faulty thinking processes, this has led to treatments such as CBT
evaluate the cognitive approach
- terms storage and encoding borrowed from the field of computing, however there is a difference between the sort of information processing that takes place within a computer program, therefore this cannot generalise to humans
- reductionist - reduces human behaviour down to thought processes. however, the approach fails to explain why this process happens
what is the psychodynamic approach
people are born with basic instincts and needs and that behaviour is part of controlled by the unconscious mind
who is this approach associated with
sigmund freud
what is the role of the unconscious
the iceberg describes our mind - most of our everyday actions are not controlled consciously but are a product of our unconscious mind
what is the structure of personality
frued described personality as a tripartite:
- the id operates as the unconscious - is the pleasure principle - demand gratification regardless of circumstances. present from birth and linked to libido
- the ego is next to develop. around 2 years old. resolves conflicts between the id and the superego and follows the reality principle. usually manages this through defence mechanisms
- the superego develops last at 5 years old. its our sense of right and wrong and is based on the morality principle - represents moral standards a child has been socialised to
what are defence mechanisms
ego has a difficult job balancing id and superego, if there is a circumstance it is unable to resolve, it triggers defence mechanisms. these operate unconsciously by distorting reality so that anxiety is reduced
examples of defence mechanisms
- repression
- denial
- displacement
what is repression
the unconscious blocking of unacceptable thoughts and impulses. these continue to influence behaviour without the individual being aware of the reasons behind their behaviour
what is denial
refusing to acknowledge some aspects of reality
what is displacement
you redirect your feelings to another target
what is stage one of the psychosexual stages
oral
what age is stage one
birth - 1 year
describe stage one
the mouth is the main focus of pleasure - tasting and sucking - learns gratification and develops ego - successful completion of this stage is weaning
what are the problems with this stage
smoking, biting nails,
what is stage two
anal
what age is stage two
1 - 3 years
what is the id desire for stage two
anus
describe stage two
beginning of ego development. child gains pleasure from holding and expelling faeces, child learns toilet training
what is the problem of stage two
anal retentive, anal expulsive
what is stage three
phallic
what age is stage three
3 - 5 years
what is the id desire in stage three
genitals
describe stage three
sexual energy focused on genitals. major conflict : male child unconsciously wishes to possess their mothers and get rid of their fathers. female also gets this - but with their father
what is the problem in stage three
Oedipus complex (male child in love with mum)
Electra complex (female child in love with dad)
what is stage four
latency
what age is this stage
6 - 12 years
describe stage four
focus on developing same sex relationships
what is stage five
genital
what age is stage five
12+ - puberty
describe stage five
develop healthy adult relationships - this should happen if earlier stages have been successfully negotiated
evaluate psychodynamic approach (strengths)
+ = helpful - observations are ore helpful rather than relying on introspection
+ - has practical applications - freud made a new form of therapy called psychoanalysis
evaluate psychodynamic approach (weakness)
- research based on in depth detailed analysis of his own little number of patients (mainly case studies) this cannot be generalised
- popper argued that psychodynamic approach does not meant to the scientific certification of falsification
- deterministic - we have no freewill over behaviour - all adult behaviour is determined by childhood
what is humanistic psychology
believes freud’s approach deals with ‘sick’ side of population, instead deals whilst the ‘healthy’ side of people
emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each persons capacity for self determination
who developed the hierarchy of needs
maslow
what are the levels of the hierarchy of needs
first to last:
- physiological
- safety
- love/belonging
- esteem
- self actualization
what does maslow believe about the hierarchy of needs
that everyone has an innate ability to achieve their full potential. he called this self actualisation.
each level must be filled before a person can move to the next level
not everyone will make it to the top
what is Rogers model
self worth, congruence and conditions of worth
what are the two basic needs rogers thinks people have
- a feeling of self worth
- positive regard from other people
what is the feeling if self worth
how we perceive ourselves
the closer together our ideal self is with our real self, the greater our feelings of self worth our
what is a congruence
when there is a similarity between the self and and their ideal self worth
what is an incongruence
when there is a difference between a persons ideal self and their self
what is positive regard from other people
formed as the result of the child interactions with parents and significant others and is important for determining our self worth and congruence
what are the two types of regard from other people
- unconditional positive regard
- conditional positive regard
what is unconditional positive regard
when love and acceptance is unconditional and a person is accepted for who they are
what is conditional positive regard
when people are only accepted if they do what others want them to do
evaluate the humanistic approach (strengths)
