Approaches Flashcards
(117 cards)
1
Q
What is the overview of Wundt?
A
- set up first psychology lab in 1879
- believed all behaviour should be studied scientifically
- used controlled experimental conditions
- had a structuralist approach
- used introspection
2
Q
What is the timeline of the approaches?
A
Wundt -> Psychodynamic -> Behaviourism -> Humanistic -> Cognitive -> Social Learning -> Biological -> Cognitive Neuroscience
3
Q
What is a structuralist approach?
A
Breaking down conscious experiences into basic components
4
Q
What is introspection?
A
- looking into and examining ones thoughts
- presented participants with a stimulus and got them to objectively report thoughts
- highly systematic and controlled process
5
Q
How has psychology emerged as a science?
A
- started with Wundt’s empirical, observable methods
- behaviourists criticised Wundt as his methods were subjective and said all behaviour should be observed in controlled conditions
- lead to the cognitive approach which used theoretical models to explain the mind
- biological and cognitive neuroscience began using technology
6
Q
What was Wundt’s research methods?
A
- scientific laboratory observations
- control of variables so methods are standardised and replicable
7
Q
What was Wundt’s contributions to psychology?
A
- devised early techniques to study psychology
- established psychology as a science
- established first research laboratory
8
Q
What are strengths of Wundt?
A
- experimental method so standardised procedures and controlled variables
- highly influential
9
Q
What are weaknesses of Wundt?
A
- unreliable as research wasn’t observable
- couldn’t be replicated
- later criticised by behaviourists for oversimplifying human behaviour through structuralism
10
Q
What are assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
A
- unconscious processes determine our behaviour
- personality has 3 parts: id, ego and superego
- early childhood experiences determine personality
11
Q
What is the mind referred to?
A
An iceberg
12
Q
What is the conscious mind?
A
- what we are directly aware of
- the visible bit of the iceberg
13
Q
What is the preconscious mind?
A
- thoughts and memories we are aware of but can’t access
- ice berg just under the water
14
Q
What is the unconscious mind?
A
- anything we aren’t aware of and can’ access
- deep underwater
15
Q
What are freudian slips?
A
- unconscious thoughts that come out involuntarily
16
Q
What are the 3 parts of personality?
A
- id
- ego
- super ego
17
Q
What is the id?
A
- primitive biological part
- present from birth
- demands gratification
18
Q
What is another name for the id?
A
Pleasure principle
19
Q
What is the ego?
A
- mediates between the id and the superego
- develops around 2
- use the defence mechanisms
20
Q
What is the ego also known as?
A
Reality principle
21
Q
What is the superego?
A
- judges whether actions are right or wrong
- develops around 3-5 years old
22
Q
What is the superego also known as?
A
Morality principle
23
Q
What causes mental disorders according to Freud?
A
Imbalance of the tripartite personality
24
Q
What are the defence mechanisms used for?
A
By the ego to mediate the id and superego
25
What are the 3 defence mechanisms?
- repression
- denial
- displacement
26
What is repression?
Hiding negative experiences/thoughts into the unconscious mind
27
What is denial?
Refusing to accept reality
28
What is displacement?
Transferring emotions from the source to a substitute
29
What happens if you cannot leave a psychosexual stage?
You get stuck in it and keep the fixations
30
What are the 5 psychosexual stages?
- oral
- anal
- phallic
- latency
- genitals
31
What is the oral stage?
- 0-1 years old
- focus on the mouth e.g. breastfeeding
- will fixate on smoking and biting nails
32
What is the anal stage?
- 1-3 years
- focus on the anus
- will be obsessive and a perfectionist or messy and disordered
33
What is the phallic stage?
- 3-6 years
- focus is on the genitals
- experience the oedipus and electra complex
- will be vain and narcissistic
34
What is the latency stage?
- 6-12 years
- focus on social skills
35
What is the genital stage?
- puberty onwards
- focus on genitals again
- begin to be sexually intimate
36
What is the oedipus complex?
Conflict in boys where they are sexually attracted to their mum and hate their dad
37
What research methods did Freud use?
- case studies e.g. Little Hans
- observations
38
What contributions did the psychodynamic approach make?
Psychoanalysis
39
What are the strengths of the psychodynamic approach?
- real life application to psychoanalysis
40
What are the weaknesses of the psychodynamic approach?
- research unscientific
- reductionist as it ignored biological aspects
- psychic determinism as it says childhood experiences shape adult personality
41
What are behaviourist assumptions?
- babies are born as blank slates
- behaviour is learned through experience
- focus on observable behaviour
- same processes govern human and non human animals
42
What are the 2 types of conditioning?
- classical
- operant
43
Who came up with classical conditioning?
Pavlov
44
What is classical conditioning?
Learning by association
45
How does classical conditioning work?
- UCS causes UCR
- NS has no effect on the UCR
- NS + UCS paired for a prolonged period of time
- NS becomes the CS which causes the CR
46
What was Pavlov’s study?
Food (UCS) makes a dog salivate (UCR) and when a bell (NS) is paired with food the bell (now CS) causes the dog to salivate (CR)
47
Who came up with operant conditioning?
Skinner
48
What is operant conditioning?
Learning by reinforcement
49
What are the 3 types of reinforcement?
- positive reinforcement
- negative reinforcement
- punishment
50
What is positive reinforcement?
Being given a positive stimulus for a behaviour so it is likely to be repeated
51
What is negative reinforcement?
Removing a negative stimulus to encourage a behaviour to be repeated
52
What is punishment?
Giving a negative stimulus to stop a behaviour being repeated
53
What was Skinner’s study?
A rat learned through positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement that pulling the lever will give them food and remove the negative feeling of hunger
54
What research methods did behaviourists use?
- laboratory experiments
- highly controlled and replicable
- objective
55
What contribution did the behaviourist approach make to psychology?
- emphasised use of objective measurements
56
What are the strengths of the behaviourist approach?
- scientific as it focuses on observable, measurable and repeatable methods
- real life applications to phobias and gambling
57
What are weaknesses of the behaviourist approach?
- reductionist as it ignores aspects of behaviour that cannot be directly observed e.g. internal mental processes
- lacks external validity as lots of research is done on animals
- ethical issues of animal studies
58
What are the assumptions of the humanistic approach?
- emphasises free will
- interpret subjective experiences rather than creating general laws
- view people holistically
59
What is free will?
- humans make choices for themselves
- they are free to change and reach self actualisation
60
What is self actualisation?
- fulfilling you full potential through developing and executing skills successfully
- unique to individuals
61
What is Maslow’s take on self actualisation?
When people meet all levels of the hierarchy
62
What is Roger’s take on self actualisation?
Being in a state of congruence with unconditional positive regard
63
What is Maslow’s hierarchy? (bottom to top)
- physiological needs e.g. food, water, sleep
- safety needs e.g. shelter, security, health
- love/belonging needs e.g. friends, family, sexual intimacy
- esteem needs e.g. accomplishment, confidence, respect
- self actualisation e.g. morality, creativity, problem solving
64
What is Roger’s theory?
We have 2 basic needs: positive regard from others and self worth
65
What is congruence?
When ideal self and self image are similar which helps you reach self actualisation
66
What are conditions of worth?
- unconditional positive regard is when you are loved and accepted no matter what
- conditional positive regard results in conditions of worth which prevents you reaching self actualisation
67
What is humanistic counselling?
- humanistic therapists are guides to aid people to reach self actualisation
- e.g. person centred counselling
68
What is person centred counselling?
- allows patient to get unconditional positive regard
- dissolved the patients conditions of worth
- only focuses on present issues not past
69
What research methods do humanistic psychologists use?
- questionnaires
- interviews
- observations
70
What contributions has humanistic psychology made?
- counselling
71
What are the strengths of the humanistic approach?
- real life application to Roger’s counselling
- has a holistic approach
72
What are weaknesses of the humanistic approach?
- unscientific
- cultural bias as collectivist cultures will focus on reaching societal potential not individual potential
73
What are assumptions of the cognitive approach?
- inner mental processes can and should be studied scientifically by inferring from external behaviour
- in between introspection and behaviourism
- mental processes can be modelled by computers
74
What are schema?
- cognitive frameworks of patterns of behaviour
75
What is the role of schemas?
They are mental shortcuts to organise information and understand the role
76
When do schemas form?
Based on experience and feedback of it
77
What is a negative impact of schemas?
Once they are formed they are hard to remove which can lead to things such as prejudiced and discrimination
78
What dos the computer model say about the brain?
- it works like a computer
- input = sensory information
- processing = cognition
- output = behaviour
- RAM (random access memory) is the STM
- hard disks are the LTM
79
What are theoretical models of the brain?
- used to explain mental processes behind behaviour
- e.g. multi store memory model = explains how information flows through various components for processing
- e.g. working memory model = shows how information is processed in the STM
80
What is cognitive neuroscience?
Studies the relationship between brain activity and mental processes by looks at biological structures underlying cognition
81
Why has cognitive neuroscience developed?
Improved technology (MRIs and PET scans) to identify correlations between brain activity and stimuli
82
What research methods do cognitive psychologists use?
- controlled experiments
- highly replicable
83
What contribution has the cognitive approach made?
CBT
84
What are strengths of the cognitive approach?
- acknowledges mental processes scientifically
- real life applications to CBT
85
What are weaknesses of the cognitive approach?
- simplifies human behaviour as it compares the brain to a computer
- studies lack ecological validity as studies are often lab based
86
What are assumptions of the social learning theory?
- behaviour is learnt through vicarious experience
- people imitate role models they identify with
- allows for cognitive and behaviourist elements
87
What is the research support SLT?
Bandura’s bobo dolls
88
What is Bandura’s aim?
To investigate is children learn through vicarious experiences
89
What was Bandura’s procedure?
- 36 boys and 36 girls age 3-6
- watched either an aggressive model hit and shot abuse at the bobo doll ora non aggressive model play with it or a model that ignores it
- children were put in a room with the bobo doll and other toys
90
What was Bandura’s findings?
- children who observed an aggressive model were most likely to be aggressive
- boys were more aggressive than girls
- children were most likely to imitate a same sex model
91
What are the 5 stages to SLT?
- modelling
- imitation
- identification
- vicarious reinforcement
- role of mediational processes
92
What is modelling?
Somebody must carry out a behaviour
93
What is imitation?
The individual must copy the behaviour
94
What is identification?
Internalising and adopting the behaviour because the role model has a quality that is similar/desirable
95
What is vicarious reinforcement?
Learning based on the outcomes of the role models actions
96
What is the role of mediational processes?
Forming mental images and whether they will imitate the behaviour
97
What are the mediational processes?
- attention
- retention
- motivation
- motor reproduction
98
What is attention?
Noticing and paying attention to the behaviour
99
What is retention?
Remembering the behaviour
100
What is motivation?
Wanting to repeat the behaviour
101
What is motor reproduction?
Ability to repeat the behaviour
102
What are SLT’s research methods?
- controlled observations
- systematic, replicable and objective
103
What is SLT’s contribution to psychology?
- links behaviourism to cognitive ideas
104
What are the strengths of SLT?
- more holistic approach than behaviourism as it includes cognitive aspects
- real life applications as it explains cultural differences
105
What are weaknesses of SLT?
- Bandura’s study lacks ecological validity
- the study showed support for the biological approach as boys were aggressive
106
What are assumptions of the biological approach?
- everything psychological is biological
- investigates how biological structures/processes impact behaviour
- involves genetics and evolution
107
What is the role of genetics?
- physical and behavioural characteristics are determined by genes
108
What is the genotype?
The actual genetic makeup of a person
109
What is the phenotype?
External expression of genes and their interaction with the environment
110
What is the role of evolution?
- genes that are inherited aid survival through natural selection
- behaviour that is advantageous is passed to offspring
111
What is the role of brain neurochemistry?
- neurotransmitters travel across a synapse causing excitation so an impulse is generated or inhibition so it isn’t generated
112
What is the role of hormones?
- secreted into the blood and bind to target receptors
- e.g. adrenaline
113
What are the use of twin studies?
Compare concordance rates ofMZ and DZ twins
114
What research methods do biological psychologists use?
- case studies
- lab experiment
- observations
115
What contributions have biological psychologists made?
- comparison of humans and animals
- drug therapies
116
What are strengths of the biological approach?
- research is highly scientific
- drug treatments e.g. OCD and depression
117
What are weaknesses of biological approach?
- lacks ecological validity
- reductionist as it ignores the impact of the environment
