Topic 5: Approaches in Psychology Flashcards
What are the 5 approaches ?
Behavioural
Cognitive
Biological
Psychodynamic
Humanistic
Who was the father of experimental psychology ?
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
Introspection
This is a technique devised by Wundt so a person can gain knowledge about their own mental and emotional states as a result of the examination of their conscious thought and feelings.
Psychology
The scientific study of the mind and behaviour
Problems with introspection
- doesn’t explain how the mind works
- relies on people describing their thoughts and feelings , which usually isn’t objective
- doesn’t provide data that can be used reliably
Reductionism
Wundt believed in reductionism - the idea that things can be reduced to smaller, measurable parts
Features that make something a science
Objectivity
Control
Predictability
Replication
Hypotheses testing- theories generate predictions (hypotheses)
Arguments for psychology as a science
- Allport (1947) said psychology has the same aims as science - to predict, understand and control
- the behaviourists , cognitive and biological approaches use scientific procedures.
Arguments against psychology as a science
- there are approaches in psychology which use unreliable methods - interview techniques which can be biased
- psychological experiments are also open to extraneous variables which can be hard to control
Behaviourist approach
A learning approach that suggests all children are born as “tabulae rasae” (blank states), learning through their interactions with their environment
Biological approach
A learning approach that views human behaviour as a result of genetics and proposes that individual psychology stems from internal psychology
Classical conditioning
A form of learning which occurs by associating naturally occurring instinct with new stimuli, thus creating a “conditioned” response
Cognitive approach
A learning approach which likens the human mind to a computer, with internal mental processes turning an input to an output. This approach suggests studying these internal processes by inference is the key to understanding human psychology.
Congruence
When a persons ideal self and actual self are aligned
Defence mechanisms
Strategies employed by the ego to protect the mind from feelings that may be too overwhelming
Displacement
A defence mechanism utilised by the unconscious mind. This mechanism works by substituting the real target of overwhelming emotions with a (usually) defenceless target . This allows for a cathartic release of emotions that would not be possible with the original target
What are two defence mechanisms
Denial
Displacement
Contrast the behavioural and biological approaches
• Behaviourists believe all behaviour is learned through your environment (through classical and operant conditioning) whereas biological psychology theorises that behaviour is determined by genes, hormones and neurochemistry.
• Behaviourists take the side of nurture while biological psychologists favour nature
• Both are reductionist as they only focus on either environment or biology, rather than taking a more holistic approach and considering psychodynamic explanations, for example.
• Both have informed effective treatment methods, for example Classical conditioning has been applied to systematic desensitisation, and this has been helpful in helping people deal with phobias, while many medications have been developed to treat a whole range of mental illnesses.
Schema
mental framework in which you would file all your knowledge about certain objects, situations, groups of people and even yourself
Schemas become increasingly complex during development as we gain more information about each object/idea.
What approaches are on the side of nature in the nature vs nurture debate
Biological
Psychodynamic
What is the role of reinforcement in behaviour ?
This refers to things that strengthen and increase the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated in the future
What approaches take the side of nurture in the nature vs nurture debate ?
Behaviourist
Humanistic
Social Learning theory
Psychodynamic
Vicarious reinforcement
learning a behavior by watching someone else get rewarded for doing that same behavior
Define conditions of worth
the expectations and standards that people get from others, which shape how they view themselves
Free will
the belief that people have the ability to make their own choices and decisions, not being completely controlled by external factors
Determinism
the idea that all human behavior is caused by factors outside of our control, like past experiences, genetics, or environment, and that we don’t have true “free will” to make choices
Three types of determinism
Biological
Environmental
Psychic
Describe classical conditioning in Pavlov’s study
- Pavlov paired the ringing of a bell with the arrival of dog food.
• The ringing of a bell was a neutral stimulus (it did not naturally produce salivation in the dogs) while the food was an unconditioned (innate) stimulus which naturally resulted in salivation.
• Through pairing of these stimuli, a conditioned response was formed.
• The bell became a conditioned stimulus - producing a conditioned response of salivation, even in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus, the food.
Outline the emergence of cognitive neuroscience
due to advances in brain imaging techniques such as fMRI and PET scans, which allow scientists to study the neurobiological basis of mental processes like memory.
Define self-actualisation
Essentially, a persons full potential, which can be achieved after primary needs have been met
List Freud’s psychosexual stages
Oral (0-1 years)
Anal (1-3)
Phallic (3-5)
Latent (6-12)
Genital (12+)
How does Freud separate the personality
Ego
Id
Superego
Ego
The ego is the psychological component of the personality that is represented by our conscious decision-making process
Id
the biological component, the only one present at birth and only concerned with desires and achieving them.
Superego
the social component of our personality and conscience .
Psychosexual stages
A theory by Freud which suggests personality develops via overcoming a series of stages in childhood. Failure to complete a stage would result in fixation, which manifests as some sort of disorder in adulthood.
Repression
A defence mechanism utilised by the unconscious mind. This mechanism prevents disturbing thoughts/memories reaching the conscious mind, in an attempt to prevent harm.
Social learning theory
A learning approach that combines the behaviourist ideas of learning through our environment and the cognitive ideas of involvement of internal mental processes. It proposes that new behaviours can be developed by a process called socialisation
Psychodynamic approach
A learning approach that describes human behaviour as a product of unconscious processes..
Humanistic approach
A learning approach which presumes all humans are fundamentally good. It suggests that people have free will and are capable of making choices that can lead to personal growth and self-actualization.
Genotype
The genetic profile of an individual I.e. the genes they carry
Operant conditioning
A form of learning by direct consequences for behaviour, whether that be reinforcement (consequences that increase behaviour) or punishment (consequences that decrease behaviour)
Phenotype
an observable trait. “Pheno” means “observe” (height , hair colour)
Identification
A form of learning according to the social learning theory, which suggests humans can learn by observing role models whom they perceive as similar to themselves. It suggests we internalise the beliefs of someone we “identify” with i.e. are similar to, perhaps in gender, age, or goals.
Modelling
When a role model enacts a behaviour than can be imitated by an observer
Imitation
A form of learning suggested by social learning theory, which proposes that people learn through copying the behaviour of a role model they identify with
Maslows hierarchy of needs
A theory that suggests humans have multiple needs that need to be achieved in a particular order to fully achieve a persons potential
