Approaches Flashcards
(89 cards)
What process did Wundt use to study mental states?
Introspection
Introspection refers to observing and examining one’s own conscious thoughts or emotions.
When did Wundt set up the first laboratory of experimental psychology?
1879
What method did Wundt use to study sensation and perception?
The scientific method
How did Wundt’s use of introspection differ from that of philosophers before him?
Wundt controlled the environments and tasks, while philosophers did not set limits or judgments.
What complex mental processes did Wundt’s introspection inspire others to study?
Learning, language, and emotion
What issue arose from the use of introspection in psychological research?
It was not a reliable method for finding out about mental states.
Why was introspection considered biased in observations?
Participants were trained, which influenced their observations.
What was a weakness of Wundt’s research?
Wundt found that reports from participants could not be replicated, making them unreliable.
This suggests that individuals’ everyday experiences vary, affecting the reliability of the results.
What did Wundt’s research reveal about participants’ experiences?
Participants had different thoughts, feelings, and emotions during the metronome experiment.
This indicates that the study was too subjective and findings were inconsistent.
What is a strength of Wundt’s work?
Wundt’s work paved the way for later research.
Cognitive psychologists built on Wundt’s early work to study internal mental processes.
What is a limitation of using the scientific method in psychology?
Scientific psychologists create controlled situations that can lead to artificial behaviors.
For example, Bandura’s Bobo doll study lacks ecological validity.
What does the scientific method allow psychologists to establish?
The scientific method allows causes of behavior to be established using replicable methods.
The use of standardized instructions reduces bias.
What is a further limitation regarding the scientific method?
Not all psychologists believe human behavior can be explored through scientific methods.
Humanistic psychologists like Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow argue that behavior is self-determined.
What do humanistic psychologists believe about behavior?
Humanistic psychologists believe that behavior is self-determined and cannot be explored through scientific methods.
This suggests that alternative methods could better explain human behavior.
What is the first important feature of classical conditioning?
Timing of the neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus. The closer these are paired together, the faster the association will be made.
What happens during the extinction of conditioned response?
If the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response will stop occurring.
What is spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?
After conditioning has initially occurred, the conditioned response can be brought back quicker.
What is stimulus generalisation?
The conditioned response is generalisable to similar stimuli, e.g., church bells, door bells.
What is a weakness of classical conditioning regarding generalization to humans?
A weakness is the issue of whether results from animals can be generalised to humans.
It is argued that humans possess a more highly developed cortex and higher cognitive function compared to animals.
What does the difference in cognitive abilities suggest about classical conditioning research?
It suggests that findings from animal studies, such as Pavlov’s research, may not be appropriate to extrapolate to humans.
This indicates that evidence for classical conditioning in animals cannot be generalised to humans.
What is a strength of the behaviourist approach?
A strength is its high scientific credibility due to the focus on observable behaviour.
Experiments like Pavlov’s and Skinner’s are conducted in highly controlled laboratory settings.
How does the scientific credibility of the behaviourist approach benefit its findings?
The credibility is increased because results are based on rigorous procedures that are replicable.
This leads to a stronger foundation for the evidence supporting the approach.
What is a limitation of the behaviourist approach regarding lab studies?
The credibility is limited by the use of lab studies, which create artificial behaviours lacking ecological validity.
This means that the behaviours observed may not accurately reflect real-world situations.
