Comparing Approaches (Paper 2)

Question 1

Why are behaviourists seen as highly scientific

Answer 1

They focus entirely on observable stimuli and responses. E.g. Pavlov and Skinners experiments

Question 2

What type of research methods do behaviourists use and what does this allow for

Answer 2

They use large samples, with controlled conditions, allowing for precise replication of findings on conditioning (classical and operant)

Question 3

How is SLT research conducted

Answer 3

Using experimental methods and large samples

Question 4

What concepts are investigated in SLT

Answer 4

Modelling, Vicarious Reinforcement, Mediational processes

Question 5

Why may SLT approach have reduced scientific credibility

Answer 5

Internal mental processes cannot be directly observed but are inferred from behaviour, these inferences could be mistaken

Question 6

What type of research methods do cognitive psychologists use

Answer 6

Controlled experiments

Question 7

What type of theories do cognitive psychologists try to support with their research

Answer 7

Models of memory e.g. The working memory model

Question 8

Why is cognitive psychology not considered entirely scientific

Answer 8

The models it tries to support, represent internal mental processes that cannot be directly observed, only inferred from behaviour

Question 9

What do biological psychologists study

Answer 9

Directly observable physical processes such as brain activity

Question 10

Why is biological psychology considered highly scientific

Answer 10

They use measuring devices such as fMRI scanners, DNA sequencers and blood tests. Large scale placebo - controlled trials are used to test drugs.

Question 11

What research methods did Freud base his psychodynamic theories on

Answer 11

Case studies; clients would use introspection to report on their own mental state of mind

Question 12

Why is the psychodynamic approach not seen as being scientific

Answer 12

The use of case studies is not seen as scientific due to the potential for bias in the researchers interpretation. Additionally, concepts like the superego are not operationally defined meaning they cannot be scientifically studied

Question 13

What do humanists believe about the scientific method

Answer 13

Humanists reject the scientific method completely, arguing that human behaviour is too complex to be reduced to simple variables that can be measured scientifically.

Question 14

What is meant by idiographic

Answer 14

Aiming to understand what makes individuals unique e.g. case studies

Question 15

what is meant by nomothetic

Answer 15

Establishing general rules by studying large groups of people

Question 16

Give a strength of the idiographic approach

Answer 16

The idiographic approach provides a more complex and global understanding of the individual

Question 17

Give a weakness of the nomothetic approach

Answer 17

We cannot legitimately generalise any findings carried out on just one person to other people or the wider population. Freud has been accused of making global theories from limited and unrepresentative samples

Question 18

Give a strength of the nomothetic approach

Answer 18

The nomothetic approach is in tune with the determinist nature of science i.e. it seeks to find patterns in behaviour and can look for causes

Question 19

Give a weakness of the nomothetic approach

Answer 19

Nomothetic approach leaves us with a superficial understanding of any one person, e.g. you and I may have the same IQ, but I may have answered different questions from you. It may tell me I have a 1% chance of developing a disorder but will not tell me if I am in that 1%.

Question 20

What is the humanistic view on cause-and-effect

Answer 20

They reject the cause and effect principle that scientific research depends on. This means humanistic psychology lacks empirical evidence to support its claims.

Question 21

Does the behaviourist theory support free will or determinism

Answer 21

Behaviourists are hard environmental determinists; they consider behaviour to be entirely the result of creatures’ interactions with their environment. Behaviour an individual has found rewarding in the past will be more likely to be repeated.

Question 22

Does the SLT support free will or determinism

Answer 22

SLT is Environmentally deterministic however, Bandura also argued for reciprocal determinism, behaviour caused by the environment, our behaviour determines the environment. (e.g., a child who works hard for a test has an effect on their environment, an A grade and a teacher who gives praise; this environment then acts as a motivation to work even harder).

Question 23

Does cognitive psychology support free will or determinism

Answer 23

Cognitive psychologists are soft determinists, arguing there are causal factors that influence behaviour. People learn schema through experience, which acts as automatic templates for our behaviour. But they also suggest that with conscious effort (free will), maladaptive automatic internal mental processes can be modified.

Question 24

Does biological psychology support free will or determinism

Answer 24

Biological psychology suggests behaviour is entirely caused (hard determinists) by our physical nature, including hormones, brains, neurotransmitters, and genes. e.g. behaviours such as aggression and mental health disorders are explained as due to an imbalance of neurotransmitters due to the inheritance of dysfunctional genes.

Question 25

Does the psychodynamic approach support free will or determinism

Answer 25

Psychodynamic researchers argue for psychic determinism, the idea that unconscious thoughts, drives and repressed memories shape our conscious behaviours. These unconscious forces are formed in childhood and influence adult behaviour throughout life.

Question 26

Does the humanistic approach support free will or determinism

Answer 26

Humanists are the only approach that argues for free will, the idea that humans have agency, we are able to make our own decisions free from restraints, and we have moral responsibility for those choices.

Question 27

Does behaviourism argue that behaviour is caused by nature or nurture

Answer 27

Behaviourists argue the most important influences on behaviour are environmental factors (nurture). Rewarding experiences causes behaviours to be repeated. But even with this approach, there is some role for nature, including innate reflex actions. (For example, a dog does not have to be trained to drool when presented with food.)

Question 28

Does the SLT argue that behaviour is caused by nature or nurture

Answer 28

Social learning theorists explain behaviour through nurture, including the direct stimulus-response mechanisms of behaviourists and social experiences (nurture), such as observing models and vicarious reinforcement.

Question 29

Does cognitive psychology argue that behaviour is caused by nature or nurture

Answer 29

Cognitive psychologists argue both aspects are important, as internal mental processes run on the physical, biological hardware of the brain. However, the cognitive approach can be argued to be closer to the nurture argument, as their explanations of mental processes, such as schemas, are formed through experiences in the world.

Question 30

Does biological psychology argue that behaviour is caused by nature or nurture

Answer 30

The most important influences on behaviour are hereditary (nature), they explain behaviour as due to the inheritance of DNA, this codes for biological processes such as neurotransmitter transport in the brain, imbalances in this system leading to behaviour such as increased aggression or mental health conditions.

Question 31

Does the psychodynamic approach argue that behaviour is caused by nature or nurture

Answer 31

Psychodynamics includes both nature and nurture within its theories; for example, the psychosexual stages are a biological process that all children will experience; however, the experiences the children have while passing through these stages shape the personality they will have as adults.

Question 32

Does the humanistic approach argue that behaviour is caused by nature or nurture

Answer 32

Humanists are holists, which means they argue that any valid explanation of behaviour has to include a wide range of factors and how those factors interact. These factors include the influence of genes, so nature but also nurture, including all environmental influences from direct experiences to wider culture.

Question 33

What therapies have behaviourist principles been used to develop

Answer 33

Phobias, flooding and systematic desensitisation are therapies that use exposure to the phobic object in an attempt to counter condition phobias, ultimately replacing a fear association with calm.

Question 34

What do SLT therapies do and what are they used in the treatment of

Answer 34

SLT uses modelling in a safe environment to alter maladaptive behaviour. Meaningful role models display appropriate behaviour. For example, in treating a child with high levels of aggression, a therapist may show a video of similarly aged children interacting pro-socially and being rewarded for their good behaviour. 

Question 35

What type of therapy were cognitive principles used to develop

Answer 35

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is designed to cognitively restructure irrational thoughts, such as negative schemas about the self, world and future. Strategies include reality testing irrational thoughts by acting as a scientist and the therapist disputing irrational thoughts

Question 36

What therapies have biological principles been used to develop

Answer 36

Treatments that influence biological processes, such as brain surgery and drug therapy. Drug therapies for mental health conditions often work by altering the activity of neurotransmitters. For example, SSRIs slow the reuptake of serotonin into the synaptic terminal.

Question 37

What type of therapy were psychodynamic principles used to develop

Answer 37

Psychodynamic ideas form the basis of psychotherapy, a talking therapy that uses introspection to focus on past experiences. Therapists then use these discussions to explore how unconscious thoughts and feelings may be negatively impacting current behaviour and relationships.

Question 38

What type of therapy were humanistic principles used to develop

Answer 38

Client-centred therapy focuses not on mental illness but on the client's capacity for growth. The therapist's role is not to direct the client but to assist the client in understanding their experience and producing solutions. The therapist also provides unconditional positive regard, accepting clients for who they are.

Question 39

Are behaviourists reductionists or holists

Answer 39

Behaviourists are highly reductionist; they explain behaviour, even complex behaviour, as due to a chain of simple stimulus-response links.

Question 40

Are social learning theorists (SLT) reductionists or holists

Answer 40

While agreeing behaviour is due to stimulus response mechanisms, are less reductionist than behaviourists as they include the role of internal mental processes. For example the mediational processes of attention retention, reproduction and motivation.

Question 41

Are cognitive psychologists reductionists or holists

Answer 41

The computer analogy explains the mind and brain as similar to the CPU and software; this is argued to be machine reductionist, an over-simplistic view that ignores the important and complex role of emotions and irrationality in humans, as well as ignoring computer memory is flawless. However, human memory is reconstructive.

Question 42

Are biological psychologists reductionists or holists

Answer 42

Behaviour such as aggression, attachment and mental health conditions like schizophrenia are explained as the result of chemical processes within the brain; this highly reductionist explanation oversimplifies the complex and highly personal experience of having an emotion and ignores the role of cognitive and cultural forces.

Question 43

Is the psychodynamic approach reductionist or holistic

Answer 43

Psychodynamics is not reductionist, as its explanation for behaviour includes a range of factors, such as the biological changes that happen in childhood, experiences during the psychosexual stages that shape the unconscious mind, and how the unconscious mind interacts with the conscious mind.

Question 44

Are humanists reductionist or holistic

Answer 44

Humanists argue against any reductionist explanations of behaviour, they claim the only valid explanation is holistic, this means if an individual experience is to be explained the widest range of factors need to be included, from biological factors and direct experience to education, social learning and culture.