Approaches Flashcards
(27 cards)
Who established the first psychology lab and aimed to study the mind in a controlled way?
Wundt
What did Wundt do for psychology?
He developed introspection which is the study of the mind through examining thoughts images and sensations
Standardised procedures which marked the separation of scientific psychology from philosophical roots
What does the behaviourist approach assume?
Only observable behaviour should be studied
Everyone starts from a blank slate
All species learn the same
What are the two explanations of the behaviourist approach?
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
What are the studies to support classical and operant conditioning?
Pavlov’s dogs (Classical)
Skinner’s rats (Operant)
Evaluate the behaviourist approach?
Supporting evidence (Pavlov and Skinner)
+Not generalisable to humans
Ethical issues (animal abuse)
Environmentally deterministic (ignores mental processes)
What are the assumptions of the social learning theory?
Learning occurs directly and indirectly
Learning takes place through observation and imitation
Mediational processes mediate between the stimulus and response
What are the mediational processes? (4)
Attention
Retention
Motor reproduction
Motivation
What is the study that supports the SLT?
Bandura Bobo Doll
Evaluate SLT?
Supporting evidence - Bandura
Artificial setting (lacks mundane realism)
Opposing research (Bio approach)
What are the main assumptions of the bio approach?
All behaviour has a biological cause
Behaviours are inherited
What is a genotype and what is a phenotype?
Genotype - genetic make-up of a person
Phenotype - how genes are expressed/influenced by environmental factors
Evaluate the biological approach
Highly scientific (with machines like fMRI’s it makes studies less open to bias
Led to the development of anti-depressants
Biological deterministic (ignores environmental role)
Evaluate the cognitive approach?
Research often lacks mundane realism (difficult to generalise to real life)
Different explanation (cognitive neuroscience)
Applications (CBT)
What are the assumptions of the cognitive approach?
They argue that internal mental processes should be studied scientifically
Make inferences due to the basis of peoples behaviour
What are schemas?
Mental packages of information developed through experience. Acts as a shortcut
What is cognitive neuroscience?
Study of the influence of brain structures on cognitive processes
What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?
All behaviour is influenced by unconscious drives resulting from childhood experiences
What is the unconscious?
Part of the mind we are not aware of, protects the conscious self from anxiety/trauma/conflict.
What are the three components of the personality?
Id - selfish pleasure principle
Ego - reality principle
Superego - morality principle
What are the three defence mechanisms?
Repression
Denial
Displacement
What are the psychosexual stages and what age do you go through each one?
Oral (0-1)
Anal (1-3)
Phallic (3-5)
Latency (6-10)
Genital (puberty onwards)
What happens at each stage of the psychosexual stages?
Oral - pleasure is the mouth (mothers breast is object of desire)
Anal - Pleasure is the anus. (Gains pleasure from with holding and expelling faeces)
Phallic - Focus on pleasure in genital area. Oedipus and Electra complex
Latency - Earlier conflicts repressed
Genital - Sexual desires become conscious
Evaluate the psychodynamic approach
Supporting evidence - Litlle Hans (Oedipus complex), Anna O use of defence mechanisms arm paralysis
Difficult to demonstrate Freudian principles due to unconscious
+Also difficult to falsify concept
Therapeutic applications - psychoanalysis aims to cure mental disorders by making the unconscious conscious
