Approaches Ao1 Flashcards
(46 cards)
17th-19th century
Psychology is a branch of the broader discipline of philosophy. If psychology was names at this time it was called experimental philosophy.
1879
Wilhelm Wundt opens the first experimental psychology lab in Germany and psychology emerges as a distinct discipline in its own right.
1900’s
Sigmund Freud emphasises the influence of the unconscious mind on behaviour (the psychodynamic approach). He also developed his person centred therapy, psychoanalysis, and shows that physical problems can be explained in terms of the mind.
1913
John B Watson writes ‘Psychology as he behaviourist views it. Later B.F Skinner establishes the behaviourist approach. The behaviourist and psychodynamic approach dominate psychology for the first half of the 20th century.
1950’s
Carl Rodgers and Abraham Maslow develop the humanistic approach, the so called ‘third force’ in psychology, rejecting the behaviourist approach and psychodynamic view that behaviour is determined by external factors. Humanistic psychologists emphasis the importance of self-determination and free will.
1950’s
The introduction of the digital computer gives psychologists a metaphor for the operations of the human mind. The cognitive approach reintroduces the study of mental processes into psychology but in a much more scientific way than Wundt’s earlier investigation.
1960’s
Albert Bandura proposes the social learning theory. This approach draws attention to the role of cognitive factors in learning, providing a bridge between newly established cognitive approach and traditional behaviourism
1980’s onwards
The biological approach begins to establish itself as the dominant scientific perspective in psychology. This is due to advances in technology that have increased understanding of the brain and biological processes.
Eve of the 21st century
Towards the end of the last century, cognitive neuroscience emerges as a discipline bringing together the cognitive cognitive and biological approaches. Cognitive neuroscience investigates how biological structures influence mental states.
Wundt’s lab
Wundt opened the first ever lab dedicated to psychology in Germany, this was the beginning of scientific psychology which separates it from philosophical roots. He aimed to analyse the nature of of human consciousness, and thus represented the first systematic attempt to study the mind under controlled conditions (introspection)
Wundt’s standardised procedures
One of Wundt’s objectives was to develop theory’s of mental processes eg language. He and his co-workers recorded their experience of various stimuli eg objects or sounds, and would divide their observations into three categories: thoughts, images, and sensations.
Wundt’s structuralism
Isolating the structure of the consciousness in this ay is called structuralism.
Assumptions of the behaviourist
-Only studies behaviour that can be observed and measured
-Rejected introspection (concepts vague and difficult to measure)
-Relied on lab studies to maintain control and objectivity
-All behaviour is learned (baby’s mind is a blank slate)
-Following Darwin behaviourists suggest there are basic processes that govern learning and are the same in all species
-Animals can replace humans as experimental subjects.
-Classical and operant conditioning
Classical conditioning - Pavlov’s dogs
Learning through association. Dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if that bell was repeatedly paired with food. Gradually the dogs would associate food with the food, so salivate. The neutral stimulus (bell) can produce the conditioned response (salivation).
Operant conditioning - Skinners rats
Learning is an active process in which humans and animals operate on their environment, learning shaped by consequences.
-positive reinforcement- receiving a reward for a certain behaviour
-negative reinforcement- avoiding something unpleasant so the outcome is a positive experience
-punishment- an unpleasant consequence of behaviour.
Outline Skinner’s rats experiment
Skinner conducted experiments with rats, and sometimes pigeons is cages called ‘skinners boxes’. Every time the rats activated a lever within the box and was rewarded with a pellet. Then the rats continue the behaviour. He could show they they could be conditioned using a negative stimulus eg an electric shock.
Assumptions of social learning theory
-Bandura agreed with behaviourist
-Proposed that people learn through observation
-they learn through direct reinforcement
-they learn through indirect reinforcement (vicarious)
Vicarious reinforcemt
Indirect learning takes place when an individual observes the behaviour of another. Imitation occurs when behaviour is seen to be rewarded. Learner observes the consequence of behaviour.
Role of mediational processes
SLT is a bridge between behaviourism and cognitive.
Mediational processes determine whether a response is required.
1. attention- the extent to which we notice certain behaviours
2. retention- how well behaviour is remembered
3. motor reproduction- the ability of the learner to perform the behaviour
4. motivation- the will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished.
Identification
People are more likely to imitate people they identify with. The person is called a role model. Imitating the model is called modelling. A person becomes a role model if they posses similar characteristics to the observer (could also have high status). Role models don’t need to be physically present in the media.
Bandura’s Bobo doll study
Recorded behaviour of young children who watch adult behave aggressively towards a Bobo doll (hitting with a hammer and shouted abuse at it). When these children later played with toys including the doll they behaved more aggressively than the control group who did not witness any violence.
Assumptions of the cognitive approach
-internal mental processes can and should be studied scientifically
-research on memory, perception and thinking
-thinking process cannot be observed so must be studied indirectly by making inferences
Definition of schema
A mental framework of belief, expectations and ideas. Babies are born with a innate simple motor schema and as we get older these become more detailed and sophisticated
Role of a schema
Schemas enable us to process lots of information quickly which is useful mental shortcut that prevents us being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli. However a schema may also distort our interpretations of information, leading to perceptual errors.