Approaches in psychology AO3 Flashcards
(26 cards)
1
Q
What is a strength of Wundt’s work?
Approaches
A
- Some of his methods were systematic and well controlled
- all introspections were recorded in the controlled environment, EV’s not a factor
- Procedures and instructions are standardised
- can be considered a forerunner to later scientific approaches
2
Q
What is a limitation of Wundt’s work?
Approaches
A
- It would be considered unscientific today
- Relied on self reporting mental processes, such data is subjective
- participants may have hidden some of their thoughts
- Difficult to establish meaningful ‘laws of behaviour’ from such data
- general laws are useful to predict future behaviour, one of the aims of science
3
Q
What is a strength of research in modern psychology?
Approaches
A
- Can claim to be scientific
- psychology has the same aims as natural sciences (to describe, understand, predict and control behaviour)
- The learning and cognitive approach rely on the use of scientific methods
- throughout the 20th century psychology has established itself as a scientific discipline
4
Q
What is one limitation with psychology?
Approaches
A
- not all approaches use objective methods
- humanistic approach rejects the scientific approach preferring to focus on individual experiences and subjective experience
- the psychodynamic approach makes use of the case study method which does not use representative samples
- demand characteristics
5
Q
What is a strength of the behaviourist approach?
The behaviourist approach
A
- it is based on well controlled research
- behaviourists focused on the measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings
- by breaking down behaviour into basic units all other possible ev’s were removed allowing cause and effect relationships to be established
- e.g skinner= reinforcement influences behaviour
6
Q
Describe how as a result of the behaviourist approach the principles of conditioning have real world application?
The behaviourist approach
A
- operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions
- these work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges
- classical conditioning= treat phobias
7
Q
Describe ethical issues with investigations
The behaviourist approach
A
- although procedures such as skinner’s rats allowed psychologists to maintain a highdegree of control over their experimental subjects
- many have questioned the ethics of these investigations
- animals were housed in harsh, cramped conditions and were deliberately kept below their natural weight
8
Q
What is a strength of social learning theory?
Social learning theory
A
- the importance of cognitive factors in learning
- neither classical or operant conditioning ca offer an adequate account of learning on their own
- humans and animals store information about the behaviour of others and use this to make judgements about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions
9
Q
What is a criticism of SLT
Social learning theory
A
- Making too little reference to the influence of biological factors on social learning
- although Bandura claimed natural biological differences influenced our learning potential, he thought that learning itself was determined by the environment
- recent research suggests that observational learning may be the result of mirror neurons in the brain (allows empathy and imitation)
10
Q
What is a limiation on SLT being based on lab generated evidence?
Social learning theory
A
- Many of Bandura’s ideas were developed from observing young children’s behaviour in the lab
- lab studies are cticised for their contrived nature where p’s may respond to demand characteristics
- bobo doll= because the main purpose of the doll is to strike it the children were behaving in a way they thought was expected
11
Q
What can we say about objectiveness about the cognitive approach?
Cognitive approach
A
- Uses objective scientific methods
- psychologists employ highly controlled and rigorous methods of study so inferring is possible
- emergence of cognitive neuroscience has enabled the two field of biology and cognitive psych to come together
12
Q
What is the issue with inference?
Cognitive approach
A
- As cognitive psychology relies on the inference of mental processes rather than direct observation
- can suffer from being too abstract and theoretical in nature
- research studies of mental processes use artificial stimuli
13
Q
How does the cognitive approach have practical application?
Cognitive approach
A
- cognitive psych has made an important contribution in the field of AI and the development of thinking machines
- may revolutionise how we live in the future
- cognitive principles applied to the treatment of depression
- improve reliability of EWT
14
Q
What is a limitation of the cognitive approach?
Cog approach
A
- It is based on machine reductionism
- Similarities between human mind and operations of a thinking system like computers
- computer analogy been criticised
- MR ignores the influence of human emotion and motivation on the cog system and how this may affect our info processing
- MR weakens the validity
15
Q
How does the biological approach have real world application?
Biological approach
A
- Increased understanding in neurochemical processes is associated with the use of psychoactive drugs to treat mental health disorders
- E.g antidepressants that increase serotonin
- people with depression may be better able to manage their condition
16
Q
Counteract the real world app of the bio approach
Biological approach
A
- Antidepressants don’t work for everyone
- study by ciprani compared 21 AP drugs and found wide variations in effectiveness
- despite the drugs being more effective than placebos, the effects of AP’s were mainly modest
- challenges value of BA as it suggests brain chemistry alone may not account for all depression
17
Q
What is a strength of the bio approach?
Biological approach
A
- It uses scientific methods
- uses a range of highly precise and objective methods
- include scanning techniques like fMRIs and EEGs
- with advances in tech it is possible to accurately measure physiological and neural processes that aren’t open to bias
18
Q
What is a limitation of the bio approach?
Biological approach
A
- It is deterministic
- BA relies on the fact that human behaviour is shaped by genetic and internal causes that we have no control over
- However, the way that genotype is expressed is heavily influenced by the environment
- A purely genetic explanation may give criminals excuses such as ‘i have a crime gene’, which isn’t just
- BA is simplistic and ignores effects of env
19
Q
How does the psychodynamic approach have real world app?
Psychodynamic approach
A
- Psychotherapy= talking therapy, through verbal and psychological techniques like dream analysis
- claims to help clients by bringing repressed emotions into their conscious mind, can be used in counselling
20
Q
What are criticisms of the real world app of the psychodynamic approach?
Psychodynamic approach
A
- Although freudian therapists have claimed success for clients with mild neuroses,
- psychoanalysis is regarded as inappropriate for more serious mental disorders like schizophrenia as they are out of touch with reality, cannot engage with it
- freudian therapy may not apply to all mental disorders
21
Q
How does the psychodynamic approach have explanatory power?
Psychodynamic approach
A
- It has the ability to explain human behaviour
- It has remained a key force in psychology for the first half of the 20th century, used to explain a wide range of phenomena
- emphasises the unconscious processes and unresolved past conflicts as influences on behaviour
- can then be used in therapy
22
Q
What is psychic determinism and why is it a limitation of the Psychodynamic approach?
Psychodynamic approach
A
- The belief that human behaviour is determined by unconscious factors, particularly childhood experiences and innate drives rather than free will
- E.g a slip of the tongue reveals an unconscious desire or fear
- it is an extreme view becuase it dismisses any possible influence of free will on behaviour
23
Q
What is a strength of the humanistic approach?
Humanistic approach
A
- It rejects attempts to break up behaviour (reductionism)
- see humans as more than information processing machines
- biological psychologists reduce behaviours to its basic physiological processes
- Freud= described personality as being in conflict.
- Humanists advocate holism, the idea that experience can only be understood by considering the whole person
- validity
24
Q
Counter the argument that the humanistic approach is not reductionist.
Humanistic approach
A
- May be more scientific
- Unlike behaviourism there are few concepts that can be broken down to single variables and measured
- short on empirical evidence to support its claims
25
How is the humanistic approach optimistic?
| Humanistic approach
- have been praised for bringing the person back into psychology and promoting a positive image of the human
- Freud= saw as prisoners of their past, we exist between common unhapiness and absolute despair
- Humanists see everyone as good
- Offers refreshing alternative
26
How is the humanistic approach culturally biased?
| Humanistic approach
- many ideas that are central to humanism (freedom, autonomy) are more readily associated with countries that are individualistic
- countries that are collectivist emphasise the needs of the group
- the ideals of humanism may not be as important in certain countries
