Topic 5: Approaches in Psychology

Question 1

What are the 5 approaches ?

Answer 1

Behavioural
Cognitive
Biological
Psychodynamic
Humanistic

Question 2

Who was the father of experimental psychology ?

Answer 2

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

Question 3

Introspection

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

Psychology

Answer 4

The scientific study of the mind and behaviour

Question 5

Problems with introspection

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

Reductionism

Answer 6

Wundt believed in reductionism - the idea that things can be reduced to smaller, measurable parts

Question 7

Features that make something a science

Answer 7

Objectivity
Control
Predictability
Replication
Hypotheses testing- theories generate predictions (hypotheses)

Question 8

Arguments for psychology as a science

Answer 8

• Allport (1947) said psychology has the same aims as science - to predict, understand and control
• the behaviourists , cognitive and biological approaches use scientific procedures.

Question 9

Arguments against psychology as a science

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

Behaviourist approach

Answer 10

A learning approach that suggests all children are born as “tabulae rasae” (blank states), learning through their interactions with their environment

Question 11

Biological approach

Answer 11

A learning approach that views human behaviour as a result of genetics and proposes that individual psychology stems from internal psychology

Question 12

Classical conditioning

Answer 12

A form of learning which occurs by associating naturally occurring instinct with new stimuli, thus creating a “conditioned” response

Question 13

Cognitive approach

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Congruence

Answer 14

When a persons ideal self and actual self are aligned

Question 15

Defence mechanisms

Answer 15

Strategies employed by the ego to protect the mind from feelings that may be too overwhelming

Question 16

Displacement

Answer 16

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

Question 17

What are two defence mechanisms

Answer 17

Denial
Displacement

Question 18

Contrast the behavioural and biological approaches

Answer 18

• 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.

Question 19

Schema

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

What approaches are on the side of nature in the nature vs nurture debate

Answer 20

Biological
Psychodynamic

Question 21

What is the role of reinforcement in behaviour ?

Answer 21

This refers to things that strengthen and increase the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated in the future

Question 22

What approaches take the side of nurture in the nature vs nurture debate ?

Answer 22

Behaviourist
Humanistic
Social Learning theory
Psychodynamic

Question 23

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 23

learning a behavior by watching someone else get rewarded for doing that same behavior

Question 24

Define conditions of worth

Answer 24

the expectations and standards that people get from others, which shape how they view themselves

Question 25

Free will

Answer 25

the belief that people have the ability to make their own choices and decisions, not being completely controlled by external factors

Question 26

Determinism

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Three types of determinism

Answer 27

Biological Environmental Psychic

Question 28

Describe classical conditioning in Pavlov’s study

Answer 28

- 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.

Question 29

Outline the emergence of cognitive neuroscience

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

Define self-actualisation

Answer 30

Essentially, a persons full potential, which can be achieved after primary needs have been met

Question 31

List Freud’s psychosexual stages

Answer 31

Oral (0-1 years) Anal (1-3) Phallic (3-5) Latent (6-12) Genital (12+)

Question 32

How does Freud separate the personality

Answer 32

Ego Id Superego

Question 33

Ego

Answer 33

The ego is the psychological component of the personality that is represented by our conscious decision-making process

Question 34

Id

Answer 34

the biological component, the only one present at birth and only concerned with desires and achieving them.

Question 35

Superego

Answer 35

the social component of our personality and conscience .

Question 36

Psychosexual stages

Answer 36

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.

Question 37

Repression

Answer 37

A defence mechanism utilised by the unconscious mind. This mechanism prevents disturbing thoughts/memories reaching the conscious mind, in an attempt to prevent harm.

Question 38

Social learning theory

Answer 38

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

Question 39

Psychodynamic approach

Answer 39

A learning approach that describes human behaviour as a product of unconscious processes..

Question 40

Humanistic approach

Answer 40

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.

Question 41

Genotype

Answer 41

The genetic profile of an individual I.e. the genes they carry

Question 42

Operant conditioning

Answer 42

A form of learning by direct consequences for behaviour, whether that be reinforcement (consequences that increase behaviour) or punishment (consequences that decrease behaviour)

Question 43

Phenotype

Answer 43

an observable trait. “Pheno” means “observe” (height , hair colour)

Question 44

Identification

Answer 44

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.

Question 45

Modelling

Answer 45

When a role model enacts a behaviour than can be imitated by an observer

Question 46

Imitation

Answer 46

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

Question 47

Maslows hierarchy of needs

Answer 47

A theory that suggests humans have multiple needs that need to be achieved in a particular order to fully achieve a persons potential