Approaches

Question 1

Wundt

Answer 1

• Investigated metal processes using a technique called introspection
• Introspection involves trying to analyse how the mind works by asking people to think carefully about how they do mental tasks
• Wundt was aiming to break our mental processes down into their component parts to find out the structure of mental processes (structuralism)

Question 2

Evaluation of Wundt’s contribution to psychology

Answer 2

• One of the first people to argue that scientific methods could be used to study human thinking
• Unreliable- couldn’t be repeated

Question 3

What are the key features of science?

Answer 3

Control
Objective- scientific knowledge should be based on observable information and not on opinion
Replicable
Empiricism- knowledge is gained by developing theories

Question 4

What are the key features of the biological approach?

Answer 4

Genes, biological structures, neurochemsistry, geno type and phenotype, evolution

Question 5

What is a genotype?

Answer 5

An individuals’ genetic make up

Question 6

What is a phenotype?

Answer 6

The combination of someone’s genotype and the environment

Question 7

Evolution

Answer 7

All animals have evolved to be the way they are because of pressures to servive and reproduce

Question 8

What are the strengths of the biological approach?

Answer 8

Scientific methods used

Leads to practical applications such as drug treatments for depression

Question 9

What are the weaknesses of the biological approach?

Answer 9

Overlysimple

Deterministic

Question 10

What are the key features of the learning approach?

Answer 10

Classical and operant conditioning

Question 11

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 11

Learning through association
Pavlov’s dogs
Little Albert

Question 12

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 12

Learning through rewards and punishments

Question 13

What are the strengths of the learning theory?

Answer 13

Scientific methods

Leads to practical applications

Question 14

What are the weaknesses of operant conditioning?

Answer 14

Much research is conducted on animals

Deterministic

Question 15

What are the key features of the social learning theory?

Answer 15

Behaviour is learned from the environment t

Behaviour is learned from observing others and the rewards and punishment that they receive

Question 16

Key terms in social learning

Answer 16

Imitation= used to describe when the individual copies a behaviour
Identification= it helps if the individual identifies with the model
Modelling
Vicarious reinforcement= the term used to describe when the individual sees a model receive a rewards or punishment

Question 17

What are the 4 factors which Bandura said led to social learning?

Answer 17

Attention
Retention
Ability
Motivation

Question 18

What are the key features of the cognitive approach?

Answer 18

Internal metal processes, schema, computer models, the emergence of cognitive neuroscience

Question 19

What is schema?

Answer 19

Internal building blocs of knowledge

Question 20

The emergence of cognitive neuroscience

Answer 20

As brain scanning technology has improved, the observation of internal mental processes has become more achievement
Cognitive neuroscience uses brain scanning methods such as PET or FMRI scanners to be able to observe the brain whilst completing different tasks

Question 21

What are the strengths of the cognitive approach?

Answer 21

Objective measures

Some research has led to treatment such as the understanding of depression has led to CBT

Question 22

What are the weaknesses of the cognitive approach?

Answer 22

The use of lab studies often means the research lacks ecological validity
The use of models overly simplifies complex human thoughts and behaviour

Question 23

What are the key features of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 23

The structure of personality, the role of the unconscious, defence mechanisms, psychosexual stages

Question 24

What is the ID?

Answer 24

Part of the unconscious which demands gratification (the devil)

Question 25

What is the ego?

Answer 25

Part of the unconscious which reduces conflicts between the ID and the superego by using defence mechanisms

Question 26

What is the superego?

Answer 26

Part of the unconscious which represents the ideal self (angel)

Question 27

What is the unconscious?

Answer 27

The part of the mind that we are unaware of but continues to direct much offer behaviou

Question 28

Explain the oedipus complex

Answer 28

Freud believed that one unconscious desire was for people to have an unconscious desire for affection from the parent of the opposite sex. This unconscious desire is then coupled with the fear of the same sex parent finding out and castrating them

Question 29

Define repression

Answer 29

Forcing a threatening feeling out of the conscious

Question 30

Define denial

Answer 30

Refusing the face reality

Question 31

Define displacement

Answer 31

Transferring feelings from true target onto a substitute

Question 32

Pyschosexual stages

Answer 32

Oral 
Anal 
Phallic 
Latency 
Genital

Question 33

What are the key features of the humanistic approach?

Answer 33

Free will, self actualisation, focus on the self, congruence, conditions of worth, counselling

Question 34

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 34

Physiological 
Safety 
Love/belonging 
Esteem 
Self actualisation

Question 35

The self

Answer 35

Self concept= how you see yourself
Ideal self= how you want to see yourself
Real self=How you area actually seen

Question 36

Congruence

Answer 36

Humanists belive that for self actualisation to occur, there must be congruence with the real self and ideal self

Question 37

Conditions of worth

Answer 37

Humanists believe that for sel actualisation to occur then everyone should have at least one person who will love them unconditionally

E.g a child may believe that their parents will only love her if she does well in school