Topic 5 - Approaches Flashcards
What is cartesian dualism?
The idea that the mind and the body are pioneered by Rene Descartes in the 17th century - this was a clear starting point for psychological thought.
What is John Locke’s “tabula rasa”?
The idea that the mind is a blank slate at birth, all knowledge is derived from sensory experience and can be studied using the scientific method (Empiricism).
Who is Wundt and what did he propose?
In 1873 Wilhelm Wundt published the first book on psychology ‘Principles of Physiological Psychology’ and in 1879 opened the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. He is often considered to be ‘the father of psychology’. His approach to psychology was to study the structure of the human mind, by breaking down behaviours into their basic elements, hence his approach became known as structuralism.
What is introspection?
Wundt used introspection to investigate the human mind. Introspection comes from Latin and means ‘looking into’. Basically, participants were asked to reflect on their own cognitive processes and describe them.
Wundt established psychology as a science by using the scientific method – his ideas would lead to multiple different psychological perspectives.
What does the theory of behaviourism state?
All behaviours are learnt from our environment, and it focuses on observable behaviour (behaviour that can be seen).
Who first demonstrated classical conditioning and what did they do?
Pavlov showed that dogs could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time that they were given food.
Explain the process of classical conditioning.
Food (UCS) -> Salivation (UCR)
Food (UCS) + Bell (NS) -> Salivation (UCR)
Bell (CS) -> Salivation (CR)
Who first demonstrated Operant conditioning?
Skinner.
What is positive reinforcement?
Receiving a reward for desired behaviour.
What is negative reinforcement?
Performing the desired behaviour in order to avoid punishment.
In what year did Skinner complete his rat box experiment?
1953.
Explain what Skinner did in his rat box study.
A hungry rat was placed in a cage. Every time he activated the lever a food pellet fell in the food dispenser (positive reinforcement). In another experiment, a rat was placed in a cage in which they were subjected to an uncomfortable electrical current (see diagram above) as he moved around the cage the rat hit the lever, this immediately switched off the electrical current (negative reinforcement).
