Section 5: Approaches Flashcards
Who is Wilhelm Wundt?
the first ‘psychologist’, studied origins of psychology
What is structuralism?
Wundt’s approach to psychology, using experimental methods to find the basic blocks of thought and investigate how they interacted
What did Wundt study and how?
sensation and perception, by:
- systematically changing the stimuli he presented to participants
- measuring how long it took for them to respond
- inferring that the longer it took to respond, the more mental processes must be involved
What is introspection?
the process of observing and examining your own conscious thoughts and emotions, no longer used in scientific psychology
How did Wundt measure introspection?
He used controlled environments and stimuli, to get detailed observations from participants
What is empiricism?
stating that the only source of knowledge comes through our senses, all knowledge is based on, or may come from experience
Name two key psychologists in the behaviourist approach
Pavlov
Skinner
Name three assumptions of the behaviourist approach
- Psychology should be seen as a science
- People have no free will
- All behaviour is learned from environment
Describe classical conditioning
learning through association.
two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response
Describe the process of classical conditioning with terminology for a dog, with food, and a bell
neutral stimulus
no response
unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned response
conditioned stimulus
conditioned response
Who theorised classical conditioning?
Pavlov
Who theorised operant conditioning?
Skinner
Describe operant conditioning (4)
Behaviour made more likely: reinforcement
Behaviour made less likely: punishment
Something is given- positive
Something is taken away- negative
Give 3 strengths of operant conditioning
- scientific methods used, so seen to be credible
- believes behaviour is learnt, supports nurture in debates
- research can improve behaviour in schools and prisons
Give three weaknesses of operant conditioning
- scientists don’t study thought processes, so dk the influence
- dont argue that we have control over our own behaviour, deterministic, consequences in legal system
- animals were used in research, inappropriate due to differences in animal and human behaviour
Who theorised the social learning theory?
Bandura
List 3 assumptions of the social learning theory
- Believes meditational processes occur between stimulus and response
- Focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context
- Learning occurs from observing others
How is behaviour explained in the social learning theory?
modelling
What is modelling?
learning through observation of other people (models)
leads to imitation of behaviour
What are the three types of model in the social learning theory?
- Live models: real life individuals
- Symbolic models: fictional
- Cultural models: where media is not widely available
What are the three stages of learning behaviour in modelling?
Identification- associating with model
Imitation- copying or reproducing behaviour of model
Reinforcement- consequences of the action for the learner e.g. internalisation
When is it most likely that a child will imitate role models behaviour?
when they can identify with them, e.g. same sex
What is vicarious reinforcement?
a learning process in which an individual behaves in a certain way because they have observed someone else being reinforced or rewarded for that behaviour.
What is the social learning theory mediational processes? (4)
- Attention- noticing behaviour
- Retention- remembering behaviour and mechanisms
- Motor reproduction- imitating behaviour
- Motivation- desire to repeat behaviour
What theory does the ‘Bobo doll study’ provide research support for?
Social Learning Theory
Describe the Bobo doll case study
- Bandura
- Children from Stanford university
- Aged 3-6 years
- The children had observed either a male or a female aggressive or non-aggressive model
- The aggressive-model condition involved an adult behaving aggressively towards a large, inflatable clown toy (the Bobo doll)
What were the results and findings of the Bobo doll study?
Children who observed an aggressive model imitated the aggression they saw (plus adding additional ‘freestyle’ aggressive behaviours), particularly when they had observed a same-sex model
Children who had not observed an aggressive model were not aggressive towards Bobo
Give two strengths of the social learning theory as an explanation for behaviour
- real life application to health campaigns e.g. anti alcohol advertisements
- controlled lab conditions used: repeatable, reliable
Give two weaknesses of the social learning theory as an explanation for behaviour
- Using lab-based research to investigate behaviour learned in social contexts lacks ecological validity as it uses artificial tasks in unnatural settings
- SLT does not account for innate and biological factors such as the influence of genes, hormones, brain structures on behaviour which limits its scope
Name three assumptions of the cognitive approach
- believe it is necessary to look at internal mental processes to understand behaviour
- all behaviour is the result of processing
- comparisons can be made between minds and computers, by describing thinking as info processing
Define schema
a package of beliefs and expectations on a topic that come from prior experience
What is the effect of schemas?
they can cause us to exclude anything that does not conform with established ideas, causing us to focus on things that establish pre-existing ideas
What can schemas lead to?
faulty conclusions, unhelpful behaviour
Describe computer models in the cognitive approach
input - processing - output
Give two strengths of the cognitive approach
- uses scientific and empirical methods
- application: treating psychological disorders like depression
Give two weaknesses of the cognitive approach
- computers are not humans, dont make mistakes or forget, inaccurate representation
- because things can only be inferred it means that it is detached from real life, lacks external validity
What is an assumption of cognitive neuroscience?
cognitive neuroscience is a branch of both biological and cognitive psychology
What mental/ cognitive processes does the cognitive neuroscience focus on?
- memory
- perception
- attention
What are the specific areas of study in cognitive neuroscience?
human cognition: neural processes underlying memory, attention etc.
social cognition: brain regions when we interact with others
cognitive impairments: how impairments may characterise different psychological conditions
How can cognitive neuroscience be applied?
- use of brain scans to study mental processing patients with OCD or depression
- scanning images can locate different areas of the brain active in memory, leading to memory problem treatments
Give one weakness of the cognitive neuroscientific approach
too simple
ignores emotions and motives in behaviour
reductionist
means it doesn’t consider people as a whole
Give one strength of the cognitive neuroscientific approach
it uses highly specialised brain technology
highly reliable
counter: lacks ecological validity
Give three assumptions of the biological approach
- the genes an individual possesses influence his or her behaviour
- brain seen as main focus when explaining behaviour
- the chemistry of the body impacts behaviour
Define genotype
the set of genes a person has
Define phenotype
an individual’s observable traits
What is a recessive gene?
only shows if the individual has two copies of the same gene
What is a dominant gene?
the gene always shows, even with only one copy
Name five methods of study in the biological approach
- animal studies
- case studies
- drug therapies
- scans
- twin/family studies
What is the difference between monozygotic and dizygotic?
identical and non-identical
Give two strengths of the biological approach
uses scientific method, high validity
provides clear predictions, so real world application e.g. research into drug treatments for depression
Give two weaknesses of the biological approach
- approach is reductionist, meaning other factors are not accounted for e.g. emotional
- twin studies do not separate nature and nurture,
Who investigated the psychodynamic approach?
Freud
Give three assumptions of the psychodynamic approach
- we are aware of our conscious mind but this is only a small part of what goes on
- all human behaviour can be explained in terms of inner conflict of the mind
- childhood experiences have significant importance in determining our personality when we reach adulthood
What 2 things can come out via the Freudian slip?
- things you want to say but haven’t been able to express
- unrealised feelings that haven’t entered your conscious yet
Name and describe the three structures in personality
the Id- instinct we are born with, operates on pleasure principle
the ego- reality principle, balances id and superego
the superego- the ideal force, operates on morality principle
Name the 5 psychosexual stages
Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latency
Genital
Old Age Pensioners Like Gin
Describe the oral psychosexual stage including the consequences of fixation
0-1 Age
Mouth
focuses on breastfed or dummy
consequences:
orally aggressive: chewing gum/pens
orally passive: smoking/eating
Describe the anal psychosexual stage including the consequences of fixation
2-3 Years
Bowel and bladder
toilet training- competition between id and ego
Anal retentive: obsession with organisation
Anal repulsive: reckless, careless, disorganised
Describe the phallic psychosexual stage including the consequences of fixation
4-6 years
genitals
Electra complex: fancy father, castration anxiety
Oedipus complex: fancy mother, penis envy
Describe the latency psychosexual stage including the consequences of fixation
7-10 years (until puberty)
dormant sexual feelings
develop friends/ hobbies
sexually unfulfilled as a consequence
Describe the genital psychosexual stage including the consequences of fixation
11+ years
sexual interests mature
psychological detachment from parents
consequences- impotence, unsatisfactory relationships
What are the three defence mechanisms?
Repression
Denial
Displacement
Describe repression as a defence mechanism
A traumatic memory is forced into the unconscious, so it can’t be remembered
Describe denial as a defence mechanism
Refusal to accept reality
Describe displacement as a defence mechanism
Taking out anger on another person
What case study did Freud use?
Little Hans- phobia of horses
Give two strengths for the psychodynamic approach
Practical application- Freud introduced psychoanalysis as therapy, produces significant and long lasting improvement in symptoms
Research support- Meta analysis of 2500 studies conducted found support for role of unconscious determine behaviour, and deference mechanisms role.
What does the humanistic approach state?
Humans are self determining and have free will.
Give the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Self actualisation
Esteem
Love/belonging
Safety
Physiological needs
What is the purpose of completing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
To reach self actualisation
What is self actualisation?
A person’s motivation to reach his/her full potential
What is congruence?
A similarity between the current self, and the ideal self
Allows us to feel self worth
What is incongruence?
When the ideal self and the actual self don’t align
Can cause negative feelings of self worth
What did Rogers believe?
For a person to achieve self actualisation, they must be in a state of congruence
Conditions of worth can cause unhapppiness
What are conditions of worth?
When we are not given unconditional positive regard
Conditions on love given
Who developed person centred therapy?
Rogers
Explain person centered therapy
- Counsellor aware of their own feelings and genuine
2 Unconditional positive regard - Empathy
Give two strengths to the humanistic approach
- Positive approach, focuses on growth in people
- Holistic approach, only one! Whole person considered, more validity, real life context
Give two weaknesses of humanistic approach
-Cultural bias: concepts such as individual freedom and personal growth considered western. China study found self actualisation defined more in contributions to the community
-Untestable concepts: self actualisation untestable, approach lacks empirical evidence
What are the four ways to compare approaches?
Free will v determinism
Nature v nurture
Reduction v holism
Mental health treatments- except SLT
