Approaches in psychology

Question 1

What is introspection

Answer 1

The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations

Question 2

Who was the first ever psychologist

Answer 2

Wilhelm Wundt

Question 3

What year was introspection

Answer 3

1879

Question 4

How did Wundt study the mind

Answer 4

He used structuralism and standardised procedures where he attempted to analyse human consciousness through observation

Question 5

What are the strengths of introspection

Answer 5

His methods were scientific meaning they were in and controlled and systematic environments limiting extraneous variables and all the participants were given the same conditions and information

Question 6

What are the limitations of introspection

Answer 6

The data is subjective because participants were self recording their mental processes

Question 7

What are the assumptions of the behaviourist approach

Answer 7

-Studying behaviour that can be observed and measured
-reject introspection
-rely on lab studies
-not concerned with the mental processes of the mind

Question 8

What is classical conditioning

Answer 8

When someone associates a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus in order to create a conditioned response

Question 9

What is operant conditioning

Answer 9

Using punishment and positive/negative reinforcement to increase or decrease the likelihood of behaviour

Question 10

What are the strengths of the behaviourist approach

Answer 10

-Based on well controlled research which means it has scientific credibility
-it has real world application such as the token economy systems in prisons and psychiatric wards that reward good behaviour and phobia treatment.

Question 11

What are the limitations of the behaviourist approach

Answer 11

• it sees all behaviour as conditioned by past experiences which ignores the influence free will has on behaviour aka ignores conscious decision making processes
  -behaviourists may have oversimplified the learning process by ignoring human thought

Question 12

What are the assumptions of the social learning theory

Answer 12

-agreed with behaviourists
-people learn behaviour through observation and imitation
- people learn behaviour both directly (operant and classical conditioning) and indirectly

Question 13

What is vicarious reinforcement

Answer 13

Reinforcement not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone being reinforced

Question 14

What is mediational processes

Answer 14

Cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response

Question 15

What are the four mediational processes

Answer 15

1. Attention
2. Retention
3. Motor Reproduction
4. Motivation

Question 16

What is identification

Answer 16

When an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like the role model

Question 17

What research can be used to show SLT

Answer 17

Bandura et. al (1961) with the Bobo doll

Question 18

What are the strengths of SLT

Answer 18

• it recognises cognitive factors e.g. mediational processes
  -it has real world application with how children learn behaviours

Question 19

What are the limitations of SLT

Answer 19

-it has been criticised for making too little reference to biological factors
-the evidence gained through Banduras research may have been influenced by demand characteristics

Question 20

What are the assumptions of the cognitive approach

Answer 20

-internal mental processes can and should be studied
-direct contrast to the behaviourist approach
-investigate “neglected” areas of psychology by assessing memory, perception and thinking
-studying them indirectly and making inferences based on behaviour

Question 21

What is a schema

Answer 21

A mental framework that uses previous experiences and apply it to new experiences in order to navigate it

Question 22

What are theoretical and computer models

Answer 22

Models used by cognitive psychologists to understand internal mental processes

Question 23

What is cognitive neuroscience

Answer 23

The scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes. They use brain mapping and brain scans to connect mental disorders to problems in the brain e.g. OCD affects the parahippocampal gyrus which can be seen in a brain scan

Question 24

What are the strengths of the cognitive approach

Answer 24

-It uses objective scientific methods
-it has practical application in the fields of AI and robotics (‘thinking machine’)

Question 25

What are the limitations of the cognitive approach

Answer 25

-it relies on inference -it is based on machine reductionism (ignores human emotion)

Question 27

What is cognitive neuroscience

Answer 27

It is the study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes using brain mapping and brain scans

Question 28

What are the assumptions of the biological approach

Answer 28

-everything is biological -all thoughts, feelings and behaviour ultimately come from a physical basis aka the brain.

Question 29

What is the biological approaches basis’ of behaviour

Answer 29

Neurochemistry and genetics

Question 30

What is neurochemistry

Answer 30

The chemical transmissions in the brain that thought and behaviour mainly relies on called neurotransmitters. An imbalance of neurochemicals can create implications for mental disorders such as OCD or Schizophrenia

Question 31

What is the genetic basis for behaviour in the biological approach

Answer 31

Twin studies are used to investigate how biological a psychological characteristic is. By analysing concordance rates between twins. If a characteristic is 100% biological you would see a concordance rate of 100% in monozygotic twins and 50% in dizygotic twins (assuming environment was consistent)

Question 32

What is a genotype and phenotype

Answer 32

Genotype is a persons actual genetic makeup whereas a phenotype is the way genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics.

Question 33

What are the strengths of the biological approach

Answer 33

- It has real world application in developing useful drugs due to new knowledge on neurochemistry -it uses scientific methods of investigation, it is objective

Question 34

What are the limitations of the biological approach

Answer 34

- It is determinist and rules out the environmental effects

Question 35

What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 35

-our unconscious mind has a lot of control -our conscious mind is the tip of the iceberg -the unconscious holds our deepest desires and represses the bad memories

Question 36

What is the structure of personality according to the psychodynamic approach and what principles do they work on

Answer 36

The id works on the pleasure principle The Superego works on the moral principle The ego works on the reality principle

Question 37

What are defense mechanisms

Answer 37

Ways that the ego prevents a person from temporary threats or traumas. However they can distort reality and are a poor long term solution.

Question 38

What are the 5 psychosexual stages and when do they happen

Answer 38

Oral; 0-1 years old Anal; 1-3 years old Phallic; 3-6 years old Latency; 7-13 years old Genital; 13+ years old

Question 39

What do they psychosexual stages mean

Answer 39

Freud believed that if conflict happened in one of the stages and it was unresolved then it would cause a fixation where the child becomes stuck and can carry the behaviour into adulthood

Question 40

What are the three defense mechanisms

Answer 40

Repression, Denial, Displacement

Question 41

What are the focus areas of the psychosexual stages

Answer 41

Oral- mouth Anal- anus Phallic- genital areas Latency- the libido/sexual energy Genital- sexual desires

Question 42

What behaviour comes from unresolved conflict in the oral stage

Answer 42

Smoking, nail biting, sarcasm, critical

Question 43

What behaviour comes from unresolved conflict in the anal stage

Answer 43

Anal retentiveness- perfectionist or obsessive Anal expulsive- thoughtless or messy

Question 44

What behaviour comes from unresolved conflict in the phallic stage

Answer 44

Phallic personality- narcissistic and reckless

Question 45

What behaviour comes from unresolved conflict from the latency stage

Answer 45

Difficulty forming healthy relationships or expressing emotions

Question 46

What behaviour comes from unresolved conflict in the genital stage

Answer 46

Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships

Question 47

What is the little Hans case

Answer 47

Hans was a little boy who developed a phobia of horses and Freud suggested that Hans suppressed his fear for his father by displacing it onto the horse and the horse was a symbolic representation of his real unconscious fear

Question 48

What are the Oedipus and Electra complexes

Answer 48

Oedipus complex is the theory that during the phallic stage little boys develop feelings towards their mothers and a murderous hatred for their father but repress their feelings in fear of their father. The Electra complex is the idea that girls in the phallic stage get penis envy and develop feelings for their father and hatred for their mother.

Question 49

What are the strengths of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 49

- it introduced the idea of psychotherapy, shows its value - it has ability to explain human behaviour despite its controversial nature, it connects experiences in childhood to adulthood

Question 50

What are the limitations of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 50

-psychoanalysis is considered inappropriate and potentially harmful to patients with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, not fully applicable -much of it is untestable, it cannot be empirically tested making it pseudoscientific.

Question 51

What are the assumptions of the humanistic approach

Answer 51

- humans are self-determining and have free will -People can be affected by external and internal influences but are mainly affected by their own actions - each person is unique and research cannot be generalised -psychology is a subjective experience