approaches in psychology Flashcards
define psychology
scientific study of behaviour and mental processes and how these are affected by internal and external factors
what did Descartes suggest
in the 17th century, he suggested the mind and body represented dualism- they interact in different ways to produce different behaviours
what did wundt contribute to psychology
- in 1879, opened an Institute for Experimental psychology (first experimental laboratory)
- write the first psychology textbook (principles of physiological psychology)
- introduced introspection
define structuralism
break down human thoughts and experiences into basic components
define introspection
analysing your own thoughts and feelings internally
what were wundt’s methods
noting down conscious thoughts and attempting to break these down into structures to help study sensation and perception, kept everything highly scientific
define reductionism
things can be reduced to simple cause and effect processes
what was the problems with wundts ideas and introspection
- doesn’t explain how the mind works
- quite subjective
- doesn’t provide data that can be used reliably and can be compared
- social desirability bias
- delay between conscious experience and reporting it
wundt evaluation points
- relied primarily on non observable responses like perception so it was hard to replicate results
- introspection isn’t accurate as implicit studies means we have little knowledge on the causes of our behaviour
+ introspection is useful when measuring happiness- help improve quality of life
+ tried to keep highly scientific- theoretically similar results produced
define science
methodology of testing knowledge claims thorough empirical observation
features of science
- cycle of experimenting, analysing and developing scientific laws
- uses publication, peer review, falsification and replication
- objective
- has controls
- predictable
- hypothesis testing
- replicable
define falsification
disprove yourself in order to be certain of your results
define empiricism
knowledge coming from observation and experience alone and doesn’t rely on belief
define assumption of determinism
all behaviour is caused by something
define assumption of predictability
we should be able to predict our behaviour
what are learning approaches
human behaviour comes from the environment and experience
behaviourist and social learning approach
assumptions of behaviourist approach
- all behaviour is learned as we are born as a blank slate (tabula rasa)
- animal and humans learn in the same way so we can use animals to explain human behaviour
- only observable behaviour is measured scientifically
- thought processes are subjective and difficult to test
define classical conditioning
association of two events can lead to a response being transferred from one to the other
pavlov’s classical conditioning research
before conditioning- certain stimulus (food) triggers UCR (salivation) and NS (bell) has no response
during conditioning- UCS with NE triggers UCR
after conditioning- CS leads to CR
define extinction in classical conditioning
CS is no longer paired with UCS so CR disappears because it is repeatedly not repeated with UCS
define spontaneous recovery in classically conditioning
previously extinct CR comes back when CS is presented again after a period of time
define higher order conditioning in classical conditioning
new CS produces CR because animal associated it with original CS
define generalisation in classical conditioning
similar stimuli produces CR
define discrimination in classical conditioning
stimuli similar to CS is moved away from producing CR
evaluation of classical conditoning
+ has face validity as we have all experienced learning through association
+ practical application through systematic desensitisation
- learning animals can’t be extrapolated to humans
define operant conditioning
consequences of behaviours will determine whether it will be related or not
define positive reinforcement
produces a pleasant reward
define negative reinforcement
takes away something unpleasant or behave in a way to avoid punishment
define positive punishment
adding something unpleasant
define negative punishment
taking something pleasant away
skinners operant conditoning research
series of experiments on rats in skinners box and when they pressed a lever, they were rewards with food which led them to learn whenever they press it they get food
define continuous reinforcement
positively reinforced every time a behaviour occurs, which makes the behaviour become extinct faster
define fixed ratio reinforcement
behaviour reinforced when it occurs a specific number of times
define fixed interval reinforcement
behaviour reinforced after a fixed time interval
define variable ratio reinforcement
behaviour reinforced after an unpredicted number of times
evaluation of operant conditioning
+ use of experimental methods and has levels of control to accurately measure cause and effect
+ practical application and face validity like jn schools
- cannot extrapolate to humans Skinner argues free will is an illusion
- issue of ethics and how far we should shape behaviour
evaluation of behaviourism
+ scientific and highly controlled to show cause and effect
+ used to determine and predict behaviour
+ real world application
- accused of ignoring other levels of explanation
- cannot extrapolate animal findings onto humans due to genetics and free will
- ethical concerns
assumptions of social learning
- behaviour can be acquired through direct experience by observing others
- observing reinforcement and punishment others receive will influence whether we response similarly
define imitation in social learning
- behaviour is produced when observed
- simulated behaviour- not copied exactly
- whether we choose to imitate depends on characteristics of the model, perceived ability to perform the behaviour, observed consequences of the behaviour
define identification in social learning
- extent to which individual relates to model and feels as if they are similar or wish to be like them
-more likely to experience same outcomes
define modelling in social learning
- individuals must carry out the attitude of be learned
- live model- parent, teacher, peer etc
- symbolic model- portrayed in media or film
meditational processes
- attention- have to pay attention in order to learn
- retention- remember what happened
- reproduction- ability to reproduce
- motivation- evaluate the direct or indirect results
define vicarious reinforcement
what the observer sees the model receiving
bandura et al research procedure
- research whether aggression can be learned through imitation
- 36 boys and 36 girls aged 3-6 years old
- rated before had depending on aggression so they were all equal
- put into 3 conditions- non aggressive, aggressive and control
- half of the subjects had a role model of the same gender
- after watching the model, they were taken to another room where they couldn’t play with the toys
- after 2 mins, they were left for 20 mins in the other room with the bobo doll
bandura et al research conclusions
- children observing aggressive model reproduce. good deal of physical and verbal aggression- 1/3
- boys imitated more physical aggression
- children were more likely to imitate the model if they were of the same sex
evaluation of social learning theory
+ emphasis importance of cognitive factors in learning as it recognises meditational processes
+ practical application that can also be used to explain cultural differences and other influences
- low ecological validity and increases chance of demand characteristics
- underestimates influence of biological factors