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Approaches Flashcards

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1
Q

Who was Wilhelm Wundst

A

He was the father of psychology
Separated philosophy from psychology by analysing the mind in a more scientific and structural way

Wrote the first psychology textbook- principles of physiological psychology

And opened the experimental psychology at a university in Germany in 1879

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2
Q

What is introspection

A

Refers to the process of observing and examining your own conscious thoughts and emotions

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3
Q

What is a scientific method

A

Objectively establishing facts through experiments and testing

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4
Q

What are key assumptions of the behaviourist approach

A

Learning is the same across all species
Nurturing behavioural patterns and learning from the environment influences behaviour
Born like a blank slate
Learning through association of a stimuli and a response

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5
Q

What did Pavlov believe

A

Classical conditioning

Learning through association. Conditioned dogs to know when food was coming (unconditioned stimuli) by a neutral stimulus ( a bells) to provoke a conditioned response (salivation)

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6
Q

Skinners research on operant conditioning

A

Learning through reinforcement and punishment

Reinforcement
- positive reinforcement= behaviour with pleasant reward
- negative reinforcement= when behaviour removes something unpleasant ( snooze button on alarm)

Punishment
Unpleasant consequences following a behaviour, with the result in the behaviour being less likely to happen again

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7
Q

Evaluative strengths and weaknesses of the behaviourist approach

A

Strength
As the approach is nomothetic it can be applied to everyone, it benefits from being more scientific and potentially more useful in applying to humans
( CA= animals???)

Useful in psychotherapy which was developed by Pavlov, in teaching people to manage their phobias and fears

Weaknesses
Very reductionist as it ignores emotions or cognitive bias (internally) as it focuses too
much on external behaviour

Doesn’t account for other un observable learning, such as if someone learns something that reinforces their belief’s: doesn’t change behaviour, stimulus encourages it.

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8
Q

What are the main assumptions of the SLT approach

A

People learn through observation and imitation
suggesting learning happens through indirect reinforcement
As well as vicarious reinforcement, which is observing another person being rewarded for their behaviour

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9
Q

What are the 4 meditational processes of SLT

A

Attention= noticing behaviour
Retention= remembering
Motor reproduction= attempting to perform behaviours
Motivation= the will to perform

People are more likely to imitate. Behaviour of those they model- eg: attractiveness, high status or highly respected

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10
Q

What is Banduras Bobo doll study

A

Research 1=
Children watched an adult being either aggressive or non agressive
observed aggressive behaviour= most likely to imitate it

Research 2=
Children saw an adult who was either rewarded, punished or with no consequence for behaviour

This suggests that children are likely to imitate acts of violence observed in an adult role model especially if behaviour is rewarded- vicarious reinforcement!

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11
Q

What landmark study can we use to support the SLT?

A

Williams observation on the effects on local children living in remote Notel to the introduction of a TV. They noticed a slight rise in aggression, suggesting that the media may have had a negative influence on behaviour

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12
Q

What can we say for a weakness of the landmark study by Williams on the children in Notel?

A

It was a remote village, small sample and therefore not reflective of the rest of Canada, lacks population validity- questions the usefulness of SLT!

Naturalistic observation that lacked control over extraneous variables cannot be certain aggression= TV exposure, biological differences in aggression- external factor

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13
Q

What is a weakness of the social learning theory

A
  • Boys vs. Girls aggression= biological
  • Lab studies when evaluating bandura
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14
Q

What is a STRENGTH of the SLT approach

A

Accounts for cultural differences such as eating disorders, where anorexia is more common in western societies due to an increase celebrity culture.
Suggests that eating disorders aren’t biological instead individuals imitate behaviour of ‘thin’ celebs especially if they’re rewarded for their ‘thinness’

Akers suggesting probability of someone engaging in criminal behaviour increases when exposed to models who have committed a crime.
They identify with these models and expect positive consequences

Demonstrates SLT in explaining behaviour of criminals, as a result supports the usefulness of the theory in the real world.
CA= criminals- accountability suggest there’s no choice by there established cause and effect relationship- implications for the legal system

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15
Q

What are the main assumptions of the cognitive approach

A

Thought processes should be studied scientifically by making inferences about what’s going on inside a persons brain. - innate internal mental processes

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16
Q

What are schemas

A

Schemas are a pocket of information that helps us organise and interpret information- based on previous experiences. Schemas are developed and evolve with experience becoming more detailed and sophisticated!

Helping us take shortcuts in thinking, but can lead to faulty conclusions and unhelpful behaviour.

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17
Q

What are computer models

A

When the mind is compared to a computer by suggesting that there are similarities in the way information is processed.

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18
Q

What is cognitive neuroscience

A

Scientific study of the influence of the brains structure on mental processes

Also it has been useful in establishing the neurological basis of some disorders such as OCD

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19
Q

A strength of the cognitive approach?

A

Useful applications
The cognitive approach to psychopathology explains dysfunctional behaviours in terms of faulty thinking processes. Leading to the development of treatments for illnesses such as depression with cognitive based theories

These treatments aim to change dysfunctional ways of thinking have been shown successful in some mental disorders suggesting the importance of using mental processes to understand mental disorders

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20
Q

What are some weaknesses of the cognitive approach

A

Use of computer modals- machine reductionist as it ignores emotions and motivations behind behaviours
CA= there are still many similarities, lead to greater understanding of mental processes

Relies on inferences as the brain is otherwise unobservable- can be incorrect -misleading information.
CA= most scientific method as they’re always based on factual information.

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21
Q

What are the main assumptions of the biological approach

A

Everything that is psychological was at first biological- so we need to look at the biological structure to understand human behaviour

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22
Q

What was Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution

A

Natural selection- only behaviour benefitting a species helping them reproduce and survive will be passed on to future offspring’s

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23
Q

What are genotypes and phenotypes

A

Genotypes are the actual genetic makeup of a person, whilst the phenotype are expressions of these genes through characteristics, physical appearance, behaviour and psychological factors

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24
Q

What are neurons and the nervous system

A

Carry messages through electrical impulses around the body such as fight or flight responses.

25
Q

What are hormones

A

Hormones are chemicals that come from the endocrine system and can influence behaviour such as how testosterone influences aggression.

26
Q

What is a strength of the Biological approach

A

Scientific, cause and effect relationship, brain scans= objective, makes research more credible and reliable
Also scanning allow us to see the function of separate sections of the brain- organ that otherwise unobservable

27
Q

What are some limitations of the biological approach

A

Deterministic, behaviour comes from innate internal processes, that we have no control over- legal system implications, wrongful convictions as offenders have to be morally responsible

Simplistic, ignores developed emotions, assumptions can impact treatments making them ineffective making approach reductionist

28
Q

What did Abraham H Maslow hierarchy consist of top to bottom

A

Self actualisation
Esteem
Relationships- love/belonging
Safety
Psychological

29
Q

What is self actualisation

A

How people perceive themselves in an ideal world

30
Q

What is the self

A

The self is how people think or evaluate or perceive themselves

31
Q

What is congruence

A

Congruence is the equivalency of our perceived self and ideal self- has to be close for greater chance of self actualisation

32
Q

What are conditions for worth

A

Where a child believes they have to act + behave a certain way in order to receive love or approval from their parent

33
Q

What are some assumptions of the humanistic approach

A

Humanists prioritise subjectivity by asking themselves what its like to be that person, and therefore reject objectivity and scientific methods
Believe every human has their own specific way of perceiving the world

34
Q

What are the two strengths of the humanistic approach

A

Applications of therapeutic treatments, client centred therapy, developing positive self regard- introducing congruence
Betters peoples lives, understand of action + consequence relationship in real world

Holistic approach, considers a wider range of influences on a person- not reductionist meaning it allows for personal growth- this better represents the complexity of human behaviour

35
Q

What is a weakness of the humanistic approach

A

The humanistic approach isn’t scientific enough-based on abstract/vague concepts like self actualisation and congruence that cannot be operationalise.
Can’t test theories= low real world appl.

36
Q

What are some assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

A

Sigmund freud created a theory of psychoanalysis, which deals with the mind that has been developed from traumatic experiences.
Unconscious thought processes determine our behaviour and personality= ID,Ego and superego
Early childhood experiences determine adult personalities.

37
Q

What is the Freudian slip

A

Slip of the tongue that can reveal what a o person is subconsciously thinking

38
Q

What is free association

A

Individual is encouraged to relax and say something that comes to mind, no matter how absurd

39
Q

What is the unconscious mind

A

Mental processes that we are not aware of and is known as psychic determinism

40
Q

A way of assessing the unconscious mind is

A

Through looking at dream analysis- manifested content . Therapists interpret dreams in order to provide insight about what the dream really represents

41
Q

What is the projective test and what did it do for research into the unconscious mind

A

Personality test designed to let a person respond to an anonymous stimulus- which reveals internal conflicts or emotions.

They used a blot test and asked participants what they saw- however many psychologists don’t value these tests and asses that there is no scientific basis to them

42
Q

What is the psychodynamic perspective on personality

A

The ID, EGO AND SUPEREGO

43
Q

What is the ID

A

A pleasure principal that wants to be satisfied and will not tolerate delay or denial

44
Q

What is the EGO

A

Develops around the age of three is the reality principle which balances the ID and Superego

45
Q

What is the SUPEREGO

A

This is a morality principle based personality that focuses on following morals and values taught by authority figures

46
Q

What are defence mechanisms

A

Unconscious processes that allow us to block out painful feelings by providing a distraction

47
Q

What are the three main defence mechanisms

A

REPRESSION
DENIAL
DISPLACEMENT

48
Q

What is repression

A

Repression is forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind

49
Q

What is denial

A

Denial is failing to acknowledge the truth/ reality

50
Q

What is displacement

A

Transferring feelings from the true source of distress onto an unrelated target

51
Q

What does it mean to have a fixation on

A

Getting stuck at a psychosexual stage and determines our adult behaviours and characteristics.
Fixation may happen due to trauma or unpleasant experiencing during the stage development

52
Q

What are the 5 psychosexual stages

A

Oral= birth- with fixation being obsessive eating, smoking or drinking
Anal= 2-3yrs- with fixation being obsessive cleanliness or sexual anxiety
Phallic= 4-5yrs- with fixation being difficulty in intimate relationships as they haven’t identified gender roles
Latency= 6-12 yrs- with no fixation (social interactions)
Genital= puberty onwards- low sexual interest.

53
Q

What is a neumonic that we can use to identify the psychosexual stages

A

Old Age Pensioners Love Guinness

54
Q

What is the Oedipus and electra complex

A

Oedipus= boys feel hostile to fathers love for mother leading to castration anxiety= when they feel the father will punish them by castration

Electra= girls feel they have to compete with their mothers for fathers affection. Penis envy and wish they were boys. They then repress these feelings and wish for a penis into the wish for a baby.

55
Q

What do you remember from this report by Freud on little hans?

A

Little Hans’ father had been sending Freud
reports about his son’s curiosity about his body and the bodies of others—an interest centred especially upon the anatomical differences between the sexes. The first reports of Hans are when he was 3 years old when he developed an active interest in his ‘widdler’ (penis), and also those of other people. For example on one occasion he asked
‘Mummy, have you got a widdler too’?
When he was about three and a half years old his mother told him not to touch his widdler or else she would call the doctor to come and cut it off.

When Hans was almost 5, Hans’ father wrote to Freud explaining his concerns about Hans. He described the main problem as follows: ‘He is afraid a horse will bite him in the street, and this fear seems somehow connected with his having been frightened by a large penis’.

Freud had Hans and his father in to see him and Hans said that he was especially afraid of white horses with black around the mouth who were wearing blinkers. Freud believed that the horse was a symbol for his father, and the black bits and blinkers were a reference to his moustache and spectacles. After the interview, the father recorded an exchange with Hans where the boy said ‘Daddy don’t trot away from me’!

Freud’s explanation of the outbreak of Little Hans’s phobia is as follows: the phobic symptom, that a horse might bite him or fall down, was developed in an attempt to solve the oedipal conflict, with which he was struggling. Hans’ attachment to his mother and his ambivalent feelings towards his father, whom he loved
deeply, but who stood in his way as a rival for the reciprocation of love from his mother, gave rise to castration anxiety and the fear of being punished, as well as to guilt feelings and to repression.

56
Q

What are some strengths of the psychodynamic approach using little Hans as an example

A

There is supporting evidence for the Oedipus complex why he case study of little hans- showing signs of castration anxiety, real world application adds validity to frueds theory.
Issue with case study’s being subject specific, individual based, non generalisable and not representative of wider population- lacks pop validity making theory less reliable. Cautious when generalising

57
Q

What is a strength about Freud research in terms of emotions

A

Highlights accepted cause and effect links between childhood experiences and adult characteristics. Psychosexual stages + fixations that develop as a result of an undeveloped stage. Serves as a real world explanation for behaviour- socially accepted.
However all research was unscientific and done by Freud himself- lacking objectification- variables weren’t operationalised, and other extraneous variables might influence behaviours such as imitating smoking habits from parents which links in with the SLT approach.

58
Q

What is a weakness of the psychodynamic approach

A

It has been accused of psychic determinism inferring that we have no control over our minds- and thoughts are all in the unconscious mind. This means that every action even the Freudian slip has a form of meaning, which adds t the subjectivity of the approach. With so much subjectivity and no experimental research the approach decreases validity

psychology (7 decks)

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