Approaches in psychology Flashcards
Who is Wilhelm Wundt + what did he do?
- Father of psychology
- 1st ever psychologist
- separated psychology from philosophy + biology
- opened the world’s first lab in 1879
- In Germany, Leipzig
What is Wundt’s Introspection?
Refers to the process of observing + examining your own conscious thoughts / emotions / inner mind
Procedure Wundt used for introspection
- used controlled conditions (same stimuli/standardised instructions/surrounding)
- observers shown object (ticking metronome) + asked to reflect on how they perceive it + give insight into nature of mental process
- report how stimuli made them feel + think
The technique is structuralism
what’s that?
Breaking down behaviour into basic elements (emotions / sensations / perceptions)
Why did Watson criticise introspection?
- criticised it for being too subjective and varying too much from person to person
- When objectivity is a feature of science
- Said u cant use the mind to think about the mind = should focus on observable behaviour only
How did Watson + Skinner attempt to overcome the limitations of introspection?
- Watson + Skinner proposed that truly scientific psychology should only study things that can be observed objectively + measured
= behaviourists focus on behaviour that they can see + use carefully controlled experiments
Brief explanation on the emergence of psychology as a science
- 1879: Wundt’s introspection [what]
- 1900: Freud’s Psychodynamic approach [person]
- 1913: Watson + Skinner ‘s behavioural approach [buys]
- 1950: Roger + Maslow’s Humanist approach [hard]
- 1960: Cognitive approach [carrots]
- social learning theory [silly]
- 1980: Biological approach [billy]
- 2000: Cognitive neuroscience
Evaluation of Wundt’s scientific method of introspection:
strength
+ Proved that human mind can be investigated scientifically contributed to the scientific study of human behaviour.
Used objective, quantitative, replicable procedure to investigate the human conscience (structuralism).
=Proved that psychology could be a valid experimental science.
= Influenced other psychologists (behaviourists + cognitivist) to continue with scientific investigation into human behaviour where cause + effect can be established + predictions can be made.
Evaluation of Wundt’s scientific method of introspection:
Limitations
- Wundt’s principle of introspection was criticised by the behaviourist as not being scientific.
Watson argued that although the method to investigate introspection were scientific = results were subjective + varied from person to person = cannot be verified and general principles cannot be established as cause and effect cannot be made.
Only observable behaviour can be objectively measured.
= Therefore introspection is unreliable + unscientific.
= Resulted in the emergence of behaviourism who adopted the scientific study of human behaviour but focused on the objective assessment of observable behaviour
Behaviourism: The learning approach
- Assumptions?
- Describe all behaviour as learnt
- Identified 2 important forms of learning: classical + operant conditioning
- Describe baby’s mind as a ‘blank slate’ that’s written by experience
- The basic processes that govern learning are same for all species = why they use lots of animal studies
Pavlov’s Classical conditioning
Learning by association when 2 stimuli paired
BEFORE CONDITIONING:
1. Food (UCS) = salvation (UCR)
- Bell (NS) = No response (UCR)
DURING CONDITIONING:
3. Food + Bell = Salvation (UC)
AFTER CONDITIONING:
4. Bell (CS) = Salvation (CR)
Pavlov’s Dog experiment
[Classical conditioning]
- Pavlov made ‘click’ sound with bell + gave dogs treat each time = dogs salivated to treats
- Dogs learnt to associate the sound of bell (stimuli 1) with treat (stimuli 2) = produced salivation to bell sound = conditioned
- Pavlov was able to show how a neutral stimuli (bell) can elicit a new conditioned response through association
Operant conditioning
Behaviour is shaped by consequences + reinforcement
+ / - reinforced = increases behaviour
+ / - punishment =reduces behaviour
- Positive reinforcement? (+adding smth)
- Negative reinforcement? (-removing smth)
- Positive Punishment? (+adding smth)
- Negative Punishment? (-removing smth)
- Positive reinforcement :
Adding smth to increase behaviour - Negative reinforcement :
Removing smth to increase behaviour - Positive punishment :
Adding smth to decrease behaviour - Negative punishment :
removing smth to decrease behaviour
The Skinner Box
[Operant conditioning]
- small animal (rat/pigeon) in special box
- each time rat activated lever in box = rewarded with food
= would continue to perform this behaviour
=positive reinforcement - to get food
/ each time pulled lever = no electric shock
= repeated behaviour to avoid shock
= negative reinforcement
Evaluation:
- 3 strengths ?
- 1 limitation ?
+
- supporting evidences ( Pavlov + Skinner + Little Albert study )
- Use of scientific studies + well controlled lab exp
- Real life application
-
- Ethical + practical issues with animal studies
Strengths of the learning approach:
1. supporting evidence
- Supporting evidence that all behaviour is learnt for all species
- Pavlov and Skinner both did studies (Pavlov’s dogs + the Skinner box)
= found that the principles of classical + operant conditioning can be applied to animals + extrapolated to human behaviour
+ Watson’s little Albert study proved that phobias are learnt via classical conditioning.
- Strength as these findings all validate both the classical + operant conditioning = making the learning approach more reliable + credible
- This increases our confidence in the learning approach + furthers our understanding into the factors affecting human behaviour as it gives us an insight into the different ways behaviour can be learnt from the environment.
- High control scientific studies used
- strength is that it’s based on well controlled research that uses scientific studies, that are objective and replicable in controlled environment.
- This is seen in Pavlov’s dog + Skinner’s box experiments - both of which use lab experiments with animals.
- Allows cause + effect to be established as extraneous variables removed + predictions about behaviour can be made = which has been influential in the development of psychology as a science.
- Real life application
- Principles of conditioning have real life application.
- Treatment based on classical (SD) or operant conditioning (Token economy) have been successful + effective in treating disorders including phobias + encouraging positive behaviour in patients who are institutionalised.
- These treatments require less effort than CBT and psychoanalysis and better suited to patients who struggle with / lack insight
- allowed for a better QOL for ps
Limitation
1. Ethical + practical issues
- There are ethical + practical issues with using animal studies to explain human behaviour.
- Animals involved in Skinner’s box were exposed to stressful conditions (shocks) which is not only unethical but may have also affected how they responded / their behaviour.
- Whilst these investigations furthered our understanding of human behaviour, it is important to note that animal studies cannot be completed extrapolated to humans due to the different evolutionary adaptations of our behaviour and humans are much more complex.
The learning approach - social learning theory (SLT)
Bandura agreed with the behaviourists that behaviour is learned from experience
but his SLT proposed a different way that ppl learn = through observations = imitations of others
Assumptions of the SLT
- Behaviour is learnt indirectly through vicarious reinforcement
- Through observations +imitations of others
Vicarious reinforcement
- Individual observe / pay attention to behaviour of others
- Imitate behaviour is its seen to be rewarded not punished
The role of mediational processes
Focus on how mental / cognitive factors are involved in learning
- Attention - noticing the behaviour
- Retention /encoding - remembering the behaviour
- Motor reproduction / imitation - performing the behaviour they observed
- Motivation - the will to perform the behaviour / reason to do it (whether behaviour was punished/ rewarded)
Identification
- more likely to imitate ppl they identify with
- see them as a ‘role model’
= modelling their behaviour to be like them
Evaluation of the SLT
- 3 points?
- supporting evidence from Bandura + Mineka
- Methodological issues of lab
- Ethical issues
- supporting evidence
- SLT has evidence to support its assumption that human behaviour is learned via experience, observation + Imitation.
- Bandura found that kids observing aggressive behaviour resulted in copy cat violence
- Mineka et al also found that the monkeys that observed their parents’ fearful reaction to snake developed that behaviour themselves.
= validates the significance of observation on imitation human behaviour+ adds credibility to the SLT - The supporting evidence also increase our confidence in their assumptions that behaviour learnt indirectly.
- Has real world application and how media + TV can influence children as they are highly impressionable = led to social changes such as certification of Media.
- Methodological
- Methodological issues with Bandura’s research in the process of learning through imitation / observation.
- Bandora studies were mostly lab experiments which are very artificial.
= ps may have been displaying demand characteristics = reducing validity of findings
= Main purpose of the Bobo dolls is to strike it = children may have simply been behaving in the way they thought was expected.
= Reduces the validity of the findings as we cannot confidently say that they were actively imitating the adults due to what they observed.
- Ethical
- Ethical issues with Bandura’s study.
- The children were exposed to potential psychological harm + distressed when they were shown videos of people being violent to each other + witnessing them beating doll up in an aggressive manner may have caused them to become fearful + nervous.
= unethical as this experience may have been traumatic since they were young children + it may have long lasting negative impact. - But could be Justified as it has furthered our understanding on the factors that influence our behaviour + has led to a positive social change as we are now aware of the influence of Media on children and are able to restrict it to improve their future behaviour towards others in society.
The cognitive approach assumptions
- internal mental processes (attention/memory) can be studied scientifically
- Processes = private = cannot be observed = study them indirectly by making inferences based on behaviour
- assume mind actively processes info from our senses + between stimuli + response - in series of complex mental processes = can be studied scientifically
- our minds operate similar way to computer.
Theoretical + computer models
- cog psychologists use both theoretical + computer models to hep them understand internal mental processes/
- Theoretical model : Info processing model
- Computational model
- Connectionist model
Theoretical model?
Information Processing Model
- Input - incoming info
- Encoding - info encoded from senses + manipulate mentally (storage/decision)
- Output - consequences as result of decision/output (behaviour / emotion)
Computational models?
Connectionist model?
- Computational model :
Compares mind to computer but focuses on how we structure the process of reaching the behaviour output - Connectionist model :
Views mind as complex network of neurons which activate in regular configurations that characterize known association between stimuli.
Schemas?
The role of schemas?
Schemas - ‘packages’ of ideas/info developed through experiences
Schemas act as ‘internal script’ on how to act in situations
Alter mental processing of income info
Act as mental shortcut that stop us from getting overwhelmed by stimuli
Emergence of cognitive neuroscience
- scientific study of influence of neurological brain structures on mental processes + behaviour
- scanning techniques - help establish neurological basis of mental disorders (fMRI + PET)
- computer generated models that “read” brain - brain fingerprinting = analyse brain wave patterns on EW to see if lying
- scientific + high internal validity of lab + brain scans
- real world application for doctors showing how brain activity can affect behaviour = allowing for effective treatment (Brocas area eg)
- Might just be correlation not causation
Evaluation of cognitive approach?
- supporting evidence [+]
- Methodological of lab [+/-]
- Development of AI + machines [+]
- Reductionistic / too simplistic
(reduces human mind to computer) [-]
- supporting evidence
- Tuckey + Brewer - role of schemas in accuracy of EWT
- asked ppl to imagine a bank robbery = more likely to report that it was a man, in black face covered, demanding money from cashier.
= their schema of bank robbery providing this info despite never being in a Robbery - Tuckey + Brewer also did another study = ps had to recall objects they saw in a room designed as an office = more likely remember office objects (chairs / desks) + not t random objects placed in room (skull)
- Some even record typical offers items (books) that weren’t actually there = their schema is filling in the gaps.
= show that people’s schemas alter their decision-making mental processes of incoming information
= validate + adds credibility to cognitive approach as it demonstrates how schemes affect people’s processing of information
= furthered understanding of human behaviour + factors which impact info processing
- Methodological +/-
Supporting evidence = lab experiments
High control over EV = cause an effect can be established with DV + IV (schemas). Findings = more valid + reliable + credible
However due to artificial settings + the fact that ps aware of the investigation = displayed demand characteristics instead = undermines validity of his findings = low external validity = less reliable
Further research needed in a less controlled setting on effects of schemas on information processing as these findings do not represent everyday memory tasks.
