Approaches - The Emergence Of Psychology As A Science

Question 1

What are the are the 4 goals psychology has

Answer 1

Description – tells us “what” occurred
2) Explanation – tells us “why” a behaviour or a mental process occurred
3) Prediction – identifies conditions under which a future behaviour or mental process is likely to
occur
4) Change – applies psychological knowledge to prevent unwanted behaviour and to bring about
desired change

Question 2

Who was descartes

Answer 2

1596-1650
French philosopher suggested that the mind and body are independent from each other
Cartesian dualism
Mind an object of study in own right

Question 3

Who was Locke ?

Answer 3

1632 to 1704
Empiricism
All experiences can be obtained through the senses
Human beings don’t inherit knowledge or instincts
Behaviourist approach - investigate only observable and measurable

Question 4

Who was Darwin

Answer 4

1809-1882
Evolutionary theory
All human and animal behaviour changes over successive generations
Stronger genes survive and reproduce, survival of fittes
Social behaviour evolved due adaptive value
Biological

Question 5

What do empiricist believe

Answer 5

Knowledge comes from observation and experience alone

Question 6

When did psychology emerge

Answer 6

When Wundt applied empiricism to study of human beings

Question 7

What does the scientific method refers to

Answer 7

Investigative methods that are observable standardised and replicable

Question 8

What did john. B Watson do in 1913

Answer 8

Criticised introspection
Too subjective
Concepts measured could not be seen and varied among individuals
Difficult to establish general principles
Scientific psychology should restrict itself to study phenomena that is observable and measurable
Behaviourist approach

Question 9

What did Watson and skinner bring

Answer 9

Methods of natural sciences into psychology

Question 10

What did behaviourists like skinner 1953 focus on and do

Answer 10

Scientific processes
Use of carefully controlled lab experiments
Experimental method

Question 11

What emerged in the 1950ws

Answer 11

Cognitive approach used scientific procedures to study mental processes

Question 12

Following the cognitive revolution what happened

Answer 12

Mental processes were seen as legitimate and highly scientific area area within psychology
Cognitive psychologists able to make inferences on private mental processes - lab tests

Question 13

What emerged in 1980s

Answer 13

The biological approach

Question 14

What did the biological approach allow researchers to do

Answer 14

Take advantage of advances in tech to investigate physiological processes as they happen

FMRI and EEG scans to record live rain activity

Question 15

What is a strength of modern psychology

Answer 15

Psychology can claim to be a scientific discipline

For example due to the empirical (scientific) methodologies, Hypotheses are created and tested through objective methods which have as little opinion as possible.

This allows data to be collected that helps to build, refine, falsify (prove wrong) information therefore used to help produce scientific theories.

Question 16

What is a limitation of modern psychology

Answer 16

P) One limitation with psychology is that not all approaches use observable methods.

E.g.) The humanistic approach is anti-scientific and does not attempt to formulate general laws of behaviour. It is concerned only with documenting unique subjective experience. The psychodynamic approach makes use of the case study method. This is based on interview techniques which are open to bias, and no attempt is made to gather a representative sample of the population.

Parts of psychology where the effectiveness of the scientific approach cannot be seen as it is not possible or appropriate