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Approaches in psychology AO1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is rationalism?

A

Knowledge is acquired through reason and logical argument

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2
Q

What is empiricism?

A

Knowledge is acquired through the senses/ experiences

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3
Q

What is psychology?

A

The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behaviour in any given context.

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4
Q

Define objectivity

A

Based on facts and quantitative data, not influenced by personal opinion or feelings

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5
Q

Describe what the empirical method is

A

Using observable methods, usually lab based studies to draw conclusions leading to theories.

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6
Q

Who is Wundt and what is his work significant for?

A
  • Founding father of psychology
  • Opened the first ever lab dedicated to psychological inquiry in Leipzig in Germany
  • work is significant because it marked the beginning of scientific psychology
  • Separated psychology from biology and philosophy
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7
Q

What was Wundt’s aim?

A

To try and analyse the nature of human consciousness and represented the first systematic attempt to study the mind under controlled conditions.

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8
Q

What is introspection?

A

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

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9
Q

How did Wundt and his coworkers develop theories about mental processes?

A

He and his co-workers recorded their expeirences of various stimuli

They would divide their observations into three categories: thoughts, images and sensations

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10
Q

How was structuralism used in Wundt’s research?

A

The stimuli that Wundt and his co-workers experienced were always presented in the same order and same instructions were issued to all.

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11
Q

What is ‘science’?

A

A means of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation, aim is to discover general laws.

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12
Q

Who questioned introspection?

A

Watson

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13
Q

What was the issue with introspection?

A

It produced subjective data so it was very difficult to establish general laws

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14
Q

What did Watson and Skinner propose (behaviourists 1900s)?

A

A truly scientific psychology should only study phenomena that can be observed objectively and measured.

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15
Q

What did behaviourists focus on?

A

Behaviours that they could see and used controlled experiments.

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16
Q

What did the 1950s cognitive approach contribute?

A

Gave a new generation of psychologists a metaphor for studying the mind. They likened the mind to a computer and tested their predictions about memory and attention using experiments

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17
Q

What did the cognitive approach ensure?

A

The study of the mind was a legitimate and highly scientific aspect of the discipline

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18
Q

How did the 1980s biological approach researchers contribute?

A

Researchers had taken advantage of advances in technology to investigate psychological processes as they happened.

E.g using scanning techniques like an fMRI and EEG

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19
Q

What are the 3 key features of behaviourism?

A
  1. We are born as a blank slate (tabula rasa) and we learn behaviour through experience, behaviour is determined by our environment
  2. We should only study behaviour that can be observed and measured
  3. The basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species. It is acceptable to use animals in lab experiments
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20
Q

What are behaviourists interested in studying?

A

Behaviour that can be observed and measured. It is not concerned with investigating mental processes of the mind because these were seen as irrelevant.

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21
Q

What did John Watson reject?

A

Introspection because it involved too many concepts that were vague and difficult to measure.

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22
Q

What do behaviourists believe?

A
  • All behaviour is learned
  • they describe a baby’s mind as a blank slate
  • behaviourists suggested that the basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species
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23
Q

What is classical conditioning?

A
  • Learning by association.
  • Occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together (UCS and NS)
  • NS eventually produces the same response that was produced by the UCS
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24
Q

What is operant conditioning?

A
  • A form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences
  • Possible consequences of behaviour include reinforcement and punishment
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25
What did Pavlov do?
- Showed how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if the sound was presented at the same time they were given food - dogs began to associate the bell with food and they would salivate - Showed how the NS can become a learned response
26
What did Skinner suggest?
- learning is an active process where humans and animals operate on their environment 1. Positive reinforcement is receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed 2. Negative reinforcement occurs wen an animal avoids something unpleasent, the outcome is positive 3. Punishment is an unpleasent consequence of behaviour
27
What did Bandura's SLT suggest?
- People learn in a different way, through observation and imitation - Learning occurs directly through conditioning but also indirectly.
28
What is vicarious reinforcement?
- Reinforcement which is not directly experience but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
29
What are mediational processes?
- Cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response - Attention, retention, motor reproduction, motivation
30
Define the 4 mediational processes
1. Attention= the extent to which we notice certain behaviours 2. Retention= how well the behaviour is remembered 3. Motor reproduction= the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour 4. Motivation= the will to perform the behaviour which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished
31
Describe identification
- Children are more likely to imitate people they identify with (the role model which leads to modelling)
32
How does a person become a role model?
- If they are seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and have high status.
33
What are features of the cognitive approach? | Cognitive approach
- Internal mental processes can be studied scientifically - has investigated areas of human behaviours which were neglected by behaviourists - study processes indirectly by making inferences
34
What is a schema? | Cognitive approach
Definition: a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. They are developed from experience and shape our experience of the world
35
What does schema do? | Cognitive approach
- Enables us to process lots of information quickly and this is useful as a mental shortcut that prevents us from being overwhelmed by environmental stimuli.
36
What is one important theoretical model? | Cognitive approach
- Information processing approach - suggests that information flows through the cognitive system in a sequence of stages
37
What is the information processing approach based on? | Cognitive approach
- the way that computers function - a computer model would involve programming a computer to see if such instructions produce a similar output to humans - if they do then we can suggest that smilar processes happen in the human mind
38
What is cognitive neuroscience? | Cognitive approach
- the scientific study of the influence of brai structures on mental processes
39
What did Broca do? | Cognitive approach
- He identified how damage to an area of the frontal lobe could permanently impair speech production
40
How did Buckner and Peterson use cognitive neuroscience? | Cognitive approach
- They were able to show the different types of long term memory which may be located on opposite sides of the prefrontal cortex
41
What are 3 key assumptions of the cognitive approach? | Cognitive approach
1. Thoughts mediate between stimulus response 2.
42
What is meant by the tripartite structure of personality? | Psychodynamic approach
- The personality has three parts and the interaction between these parts determines behaviour
43
What are 3 features of the ID? | Psychodynamic approach
- Part of the pleasure principle (a seething mass of unconscious drives and instincts) - Present from birth - Includes biological drives, entirely selfish, instant gratification
44
What are the key features of Ego? | Psychodynamic approach
- Reality principle - Develops around 2 years of age - Uses defense mechanisms to mediate between the demands of the ID and Superego
45
Describe the key features of the superego. | Psychodynamic approach
- Morality principle (internalised sense of right and wrong formed through identification with our same sex parent) - Phallic stage 3-5 yrs - Punishes ego with guilt
46
What is the conscious mind? | Psychodynamic approach
The part of the mind we are aware of, everyday thoughts and feelings
47
What is the preconscious mind? | Psychodynamic approach
Thoughts and memories not accessible at all time but we may become aware of through dreams and 'slips of the tongue'
48
What is the unconscious mind? | Psychodynamic approach
Biological drives and instincts, repressed thoughts, memories and feelings
49
What does Freud mean by the psychosexual stages? | Psychodynamic approach
- Personality dev takes place during 5 psychosexual stages - At each stage the pleasure seeking energies of the ID become focused on an area of the body - Behaviour is redirected by parents and onto a socially acceptable outlet - Leads to unconscious conflict which needs to be resolved to progress
50
Name the 5 psychosexual stages | Psychodynamic approach
- Oral (0-1) - Anal (1-3) - Phallic (3-5) - Latency (6-puberty) - Genital (puberty- onwards)
51
Briefly describe the Oral stage. | Psychodynamic approach
- Pleasure comes from breastfeeding (mouth) - To resolve: weaning away from breast - Oral receptive (smoking, nail biting, needy, passive, overeat) - Oral aggressive (hostile, verbally aggressive)
52
Briefly describe the Anal stage. | Psychodynamic approach
- Anus= pleasure comes from withholding and expelling faeces - Resolved: toilet training - Anal retentive (perfectionist, obsessive) - Anal expulsive (thoughtless, messy)
53
Briefly describe the phallic stage. | Psychodynamic approach
- Genitals - Oedipus/electra complex - Resolved through dev of superego - Phallic personality= narcissistic, reckless
54
Describe the latency stage. | Psychodynamic approach
- Sexual urges are latent/ dominant - Energy is directed into sports, hobbies, same sex friendships - No psychosexual dev takes place
55
Describe the genital stage. | Psychodynamic approach
- Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty - Resolve: following social rules, being in relationships - Difficulty forming relations, sexual behaviour fixed at the first 3 stages
56
What are the 3 defense mechanisms? | Psychodynamic approach
1. Repression 2. Denial 3. Displacement
57
What are the assumptions of the bio approach? | Biological approach
- everything psychological is at first biological - to undertsand behaviour we must look at biological structures and processes
58
What is meant by neurochemistry? | Biological approach
- Refers to the action of chemicals in the brain - Much of our thought and behaviour relies on chemical transmission in the brain using neurotransmitters - an imbalance of NTs cause mental disorder
59
Why are twin studies used in the Biological approach? | Biological approach
- Used to investiate wheher certain psychological characteristics have a genetic bases - MZ= 100% - DZ= 50%
60
Define genotype and phenotype | Biological approach
- Actual genetic makeup - The way that genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics
61
How does evolution link to the biological approach? | Biological approach
- Darwin and natural selection - any genetically determined behaviour that enhances survival will continue in future gens - an example of this is breeding cows to get the highest milk yield - takes place NATURALLY
62
Describe the key assumption/ concept: free will | Humanistic approach
- We are free, active agents who can determine our own development, we are not determined by our biology
63
Describe: self actualisation and hierarchy of needs | Humanistic approach
Self actualisation= Reaching our full potentil/ the best at which we can arrive at Hierarchy of needs= Includes 5 stages that we need to meet in order to self actualise
64
What is congruence? | Humanistic approach
- Congruence refers to a state of harmony or alignment between a person's self-concept, ideal self, and actual experiences. This is needed in order to work towards self actualisation.
65
What is meant by incongruence? | Humanistic approach
- Self esteem is low, little overlap of self image and ideal self, self actualisation will be difficult
66
Who introduced the idea of congruence? | Humanistic approach
Carl Rogers
67
How can the gap between self concept and ideal self be reduced?
- Client centred therapy (counselling) - The counsellor provides unconditional positive regard, they seek to value and accept client as they are
68
What did Rogers claim about the issues we experience as adults? | Humanistic approach
- Have their roots in childhood and can be explained by a lack of unconditional positive regard
69
What are the 5 stages in Maslow's hierarchy? | Humanistic approach
1. Physiological 2. Safety 3. Love/ belonging 4. Esteem 5. Self actualisation
70
Briefly state 4 humanistic assumptions. | Humanistic approach
1. Each person is an active agent and can exercise free will 2. Each individual is unique, listening to their experience is important to understand them 3. Humanism is hollistic, not reduced to component parts 4. All humans strive towards self actualisation

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