APPROACHES

Question 1

Psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

One of the earliest approaches in psychology.
The main figure in psychodynamic theory is Sigmund Freud
Freud was trained as a neurologist
He mostly treated hysteria and applied findings from abnormal patients to ‘normal’ development

Question 2

Unconscious processes

Answer 2

We have an unconscious mind which influences our behaviour
Our conscious mind is unaware of what thoughts and emotions occur in the unconscious
One of the key themes in psychodynamic theory is known as psychic determinism
This is when unconscious forces drives our inborn and control or determine our behaviour

Question 3

The Id, ego and superego

Answer 3

Freud described personality as tripartite, composed of three parts
The Id - operates according to the pleasure principle. The Id uses the primary process to satisfy its needs

The Ego - uses cognitive abilities to manage and control the Id and balance its desires against the restrictions of reality and the superego

The Superego - the conscience and ego ideal. Opposes the desire of the Id

Question 4

Defence mechanisms

Answer 4

The ego uses many defence mechanisms to protect it from the id, superego conflicts
These include : repression, denial and displacement

Question 5

Repression means

Answer 5

Forcing a distressing memory from the conscious mind

Question 6

Denial means

Answer 6

Refusing to believe something as its too painful to acknowledge reality

Question 7

Displacement means

Answer 7

Transferring feelings from true source of distressing emotion onto a substitute target

Question 8

Psychosexual development stages are

Answer 8

The oral stage (0-1years)
The anal stage (1-3years)
The phallic stage (3-6years)
The latent stage (6-11years)
The genital stage (12+years)

Question 9

Assessing the unconscious mind : free association

Answer 9

The individual is encouraged to relax and say anything that comes to mind no matter how absurd
The idea is that the ego will be unable to carry out its normal role of keeping check of the threatening unconscious impulses and the conflict can be brought into consciousness
Once verbalised, therapist can interpret and explain

Question 10

Assessing the unconscious : latent and manifest content

Answer 10

Latent content - repressed, unconscious thoughts are more likely to appear in dreams then when we are awake

Manifest content - symbols within the dream content. These hide undesirable or unacceptable ideas

Question 11

Psychodynamic approach AO3

Answer 11

+ the approach emphasises the importance of unconscious factors in determining behaviour
+ draws attention to the importance of childhood experiences on later behaviour
+ useful applications (therapy)
+ Freuds theory provided unique insight into human behaviour
- Freuds theory is an unrepresentative sample
- based on techniques that are subjective and open to bias
- unscientific and unfalsifiable
- deterministic

Question 12

Humanistic approach

Answer 12

Developed in America in the early 1950s
2 key theorists : Maslow and Rogers
It is a less deterministic and artificial approach
Humanistic theories are concerned with human experiences, uniqueness meaning freedom and choice

Question 13

Free will

Answer 13

The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces
We are active agents in our development

Question 14

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 14

Initially developed as a way for employers to get the best out of their employees and understanding their needs
The original hierarchy has 5 stages but has been adapted into a 7 stage approach

Stage 1 - Psychosexual
Stage 2 - Safety
Stage 3 - Love / belonging
Stage 4 - Esteem
Stage 5 - Self actualization

Question 15

Applications of the humanistic approach

Answer 15

Depression
Schizophrenia
Aggression
Stress

Question 16

Humanistic approach AO3

Answer 16

+ emphasises choice and free will
+ considers subjective conscious experiences
+ values personal ideas
+ contributed to psychological theories
- untestable
not all cultures share the same assumption that individual achievement brings fulfilment

Question 17

Behaviourist approach

Answer 17

We are all born tabula rose (blank slates)
All behaviour is learnt form the environment
We learn new behaviours through classical or operant conditioning

Question 18

Classical conditioning

Answer 18

Pavlov was the first to describe this process of learning by testing it on animals
This is learning by association and refers to the conditioning reflexes and involves associating a new stimulus with an innate bodily reflex
Classical conditioning involves pairing a response naturally caused by one stimulus with another

Question 19

Key terms for classical conditioning

Answer 19

Acquisition - the idea that the conditioning needs to be repeated over time to be strengthened

Extinction - if the conditioning isn’t strengthened then it can become extinct

Generalisation - the conditioning can be generalised to another similar stimuli

Spontaneous recovery - the idea that the conditioned response may return even linger after the strengthening process has stopped

Question 20

Classical conditioning AO3

Answer 20

Assumes we are the same as an animal species in our responses to stimuli
Ignores emotion, genetics, neurochemistry

Question 21

Operant conditioning

Answer 21

B.F Skinner claimed that all behaviour is learnt as a result of consequences in our environment - operant conditioning
This involves learning through the consequences (positive and negatives) of behavioural responses

Question 22

Positive reinforcement

Answer 22

Increases the likelihood of a response occurring because it involves a reward for the behaviour

Question 23

Negative reinforcement

Answer 23

Increases the likelihood of a response occurring because it involves the removal of, or escaping from unpleasant consequences
Leads to stopping or avoiding electric shock (example)

Question 24

Positive punishment

Answer 24

The consequence is receiving something unpleasant which decreases the probability of the behaviour being repeated
Speeding results in a ticket (example)

Question 25

Negative punishment

Answer 25

The consequence is removing something desirable and decreases the possibility of the behaviour being repeated
Child banned from videogames for swearing (example)

Question 26

Behaviourist approach AO3

Answer 26

+ very scientific
+ influences all areas of psychology
+ replicable
+ easy to analyse
+ applied to real life
+ useful applications
- ignores important mental processes
- reductionist
- deterministic
- lack of ecological validity
- ethical issues
- lack of qualitative date

Question 27

Social learning theory

Answer 27

We are the subject of our environment but we also have mediational processes

Question 28

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 28

Learning form the experiences of others
If people see others being rewarded for a particular behaviour this is more likely to be imitated

Question 29

Modelling

Answer 29

Imitating the behaviour of others
For modelling to occur there must be :
Attention (noticing the behaviours)
Retention (remembering the behaviour)
Motor reproduction (imitation has to be physically possible)
Motivation (there has to be a reason to want to copy)

Question 30

Cognitive psychology

Answer 30

The study of internal mental processes

Question 31

Cognitive psychology - Schemas

Answer 31

We are born basic schemas then develop them from experience however they can lead to faulty conclusions and unhelpful behaviour
Schemas can affect behaviour and often become the basis of stereotypes

Question 32

Top down

Answer 32

Previous knowledge influences our perception and fills in the gaps

Question 33

Bottom up

Answer 33

When we sense the basic features of a stimuli and then integrate them

Question 34

Support for schemas AO3

Answer 34

Bartlett (1932)
Loftus and Palmer (1974) - 2 studies on how leading questions can activate schemas
Piaget (1960) - assimilation and accommodation in intellectual development

Question 35

Biological approach

Answer 35

The biological approach combines psychology and biology to provide psychological explanations for human behaviour
Bio psychology tries to explain how we think, feel and behave

Question 36

Research methods biopsychologists use

Answer 36

Twin studies
Family studies
Adoption studies
Selective breeding

Question 37

Genotype

Answer 37

The things you can’t see
Genes, recessive, dominant, heterozygous, homozygous

Question 38

Phenotype

Answer 38

The things you can see
Growth, hair loss, social aptitude, fitness

Question 39

Natural selection

Answer 39

Animals with traits that provide them with an advantage are more likely to survive and reproduce so pass on their adaptive traits to their offspring

Question 40

Biological approach AO3

Answer 40

+ scientific
+ understanding how an abnormal brain works can shed light on normal brain functioning
+ measurement can be objective
- deterministic
- reductionist
- small and restricted samples