Approaches Flashcards
(47 cards)
Outline Wundts role in the emergence of Psychology as a science.
Wundt founded the Institute of Experimental Psychology.
His approach became known a s structuralism because he used scientific methods to study human consciousness by breaking its structure down into smaller components such as sensations and perceptions.
He developed a technique known as introspection which means “looking into” where a person examines their inner world through observing their thoughts and emotions.
Evaluate Wundt/his role in the emergence of psychology as a science.
Introspective methods were not reliably reproduced/Wundt’s difficulty with replication due to
subjectivity.
It could be argued that early behaviourists such as Pavlov contributed more to the origins of psychology than Wundt did
Behaviourist methods are reliable as they adhere more to the features of science which is what Wundt intended but failed to fully realise
Outline 3 key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach.
The psychodynamic approach states that unconscious forces in our mind, determine our thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
The mind can be divided into three levels of consciousness, the unconscious mind, preconscious mind, and conscious mind. We are not aware of our unconscious, but it has the mos effect on our personality.
Our behaviour as adults is strongly influenced by our childhood experiences.
What are conscious thoughts? (Psychodynamic approach).
Are those you are aware of at any time, including what you are thinking about right now.
What are preconscious thoughts? (Psychodynamic approach).
Are just below the surface of awareness and you can retrieve them relatively easily as a memory or recollection.
What are unconscious thoughts?
(Psychodynamic approach).
Are those buried deep below conscious awareness. Even though we are not aware of their existence, they still exert great influence on our behaviour.
Outline the role of the unconscious. (Psychodynamic approach).
It is the driving force behind our behaviour and personality.
It can be sexual and traumatic.
It also protects the conscious self from anxiety, fear, trauma and conflict.
Outline the ID. (Psychodynamic approach).
This is the instinct part of our personality and it is said to operate on the pleasure principle.
Outline the ego. (Psychodynamic approach).
Developed at the after of 2 - 3 and operates according to the reality principle. - Balances the conflict between the demands of the ID and the superego.
Outline the superego. (Psychodynamic approach).
Formed around the age of 5 - 6 years of age and operates on the morality principle. It is internalised from the same sex parent so for females morality comes from the mother.
Outline the 3 defence mechanisms. (Psychodynamic approach).
Repression.
Denial.
Displacement.
What is repression? (Psychodynamic approach).
Defence mechanism - forcing a distressing memory out of the conscious mind.
What is denial? (Psychodynamic approach).
Defence mechanism - refusing to acknowledge some aspects of reality.
What is displacement? (Psychodynamic approach).
Defence mechanism - transferring feelings from a true source of distressing emotions onto a substitute.
Outline Freuds psychosexual stages.
It is believed that if a child does not develop normally through these stages then this can negatively effect their development of their personality and become fixated or stuck at a stage.
- Oral Stage (0–1 year)
Focus: Pleasure from mouth (sucking, biting, chewing)
Key task: Weaning off breast or bottle
Fixation can lead to: Oral fixation i.e smoking, nail-biting, overeating - Anal Stage (1–3 years)
Focus: Bowel and bladder control
Key task: Toilet training
Anal fixation can lead to:
Anal-retentive: Profectionsit, obsessive nature.
Anal-expulsive: messy, thoughtlessness. - Phallic Stage (3–5 years)
Focus: Pleasure from genitals
Key task:(Oedipus/Electra complex)
Fixation can lead to: Guilt, sexual anxiety. - Latency Stage (5 years - puberty)
Focus: Repress sexual feelings
Key task: Focus on school, friends and hobbies.
Fixation: Can lead to a feeling of un - fulfilment later on in life. - Genital Stage (Puberty - adulthood)
Focus: Mature sexual interests
Key task: Forming healthy adult relationships
Fixation: Can affect sexuality and heterosexual relationships.
Evaluate the psychosexual stages.
+ Little Hans
- Phobia of Horses
Hans developed a fear that a horse would bite him or fall down in the street.
Freud believed this fear was a displacement of anxiety about his father (horses symbolized the father). - supports opedius complex.
Unconscious sexual desire for his mother
Jealousy and rivalry toward his father
Hans feared his father would punish him (castration anxiety), which Freud believed was displaced onto horses.
-Resolution of the Oedipus Complex
Freud claimed Hans eventually resolved these feelings by identifying with his father.
Outline three key assumptions of the behaviourist approach.
All behaviour is learned we are born a blanks slate (no genetic influence).
Humans are no different from animals and should not be regarded as more complex.
Psychologists should only study observable, quantifiable behaviour.
Outline classical conditioning and how Pavlov studied this. (Behaviourist approach).
Classical conditioning refers to learning through association.
Pavlov conditioned dogs to associate the sound of a bell (NS) with food (UCS) resulting in the dogs producing a salivation response (CR) at the sound of a bell (CS) even when no food was present.
Also found:
Temporal contiguity - the association only occurs if the UCS and NS are presented at or around the same time as each other.
UCS - UCR
UCS - NS - UCR
CS- CR
Stimulus generalisation - when a stimulus becomes generalised with other related stimuli i.e other bells would have the same effect.
Stimulus discrimination - when a stimulus is not associated with the CR as it is too different from the original stimulus. i.e dogs wouldn’t salivate to a whistle - distinguish the difference.
Evaluate Pavlovs research into classical conditioning.
(Behaviourist approach).
High internal validity - Lab experiment - high control and less extraneous variable increasing the replicability and reliability.
Protection form harm - use of animals.
Outline operant conditioning. (Behaviourist approach).
We learn through positive and negative reinforcement.
Evaluate the psychodynamic approach.
Support from little Hans -
- Phobia of Horses
Hans developed a fear that a horse would bite him or fall down in the street.
Freud believed this fear was a displacement of anxiety about his father (horses symbolised the father). - supports opedius complex.
+Practical application - psychoanalysis - brings unconscious conflict into the conscious mind.
- Overemphasis on childhood - could be the effects of adult relationships causing this behaviour.
- Lack of scientific value - not falsifiable - can’t look/study the unconscious mind.
Outline Skinners Box on operant conditioning. (Behaviourist approach).
A rat was placed into a box and every time it pulled a lever it was rewarded with food pellets. (Positive reinforcement).
The electric floor provided negative reinforcement - the floor is switched on and can only be switched of by pulling the lever.
EV - ethical issues - animals.
Generalisability.
Evaluate the behaviourist approach.
Supporting evidence - Pavlov and Skinner - explain in exam.
Helped to develop therapies such as aversion therapy, systematic desensitisation and flooding. - Operant conditioning has helped come about the token economy.
Based on animal studies - lacks generalisability - humans processes can be more important and more complex. - Ignores nature side of debate.
Outline three assumptions of the humanistic approach.
People have free will – Humans have the ability to make choices and are not solely determined by their biology or the environment.
People are motivated to self actualise
To be psychologically healthy, the real self and ideal self must be congruent.
