(p2) Approaches

Question 1

Wundt’s lab

Answer 1

• opened up 1st ever lab
• his work marked the beginning of scientific psychology
• first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations (Introspection)

Question 2

Wundt: standardised procedures

Answer 2

• they would divide observations into 3 categories: thoughts, images, sensations

Question 3

Structualism

Answer 3

• isolating the structure of conscious awareness
• the stimulus always presented in same order and same instructions issued to ppts

Question 4

Strength of Wundt

Answer 4

• some systematic and well controlled methods
• all introspections in controlled envirioment, so extraneous variables controlled
• carefully standarised
• suggests his work can be considered as a forerunner for later scientific approached (eg: behaviouist)

Question 5

Limitation of Wundt:

Answer 5

• considered unscientfic today
• relied on ppts self reporting mental processes (subjective data)
• ppts may have hidden thoughts
• suggests early efforts to study the mind were flawed and would not meet the criteria of scientfic enquiry.

Question 6

The behaviourist approach: assumptions

Answer 6

• All behaviours are learned from classical & operant conditioning
• Focus on observable behaviour
• Animals and humans learn in the same ways.
• Psychology should be scientific and objective

Question 7

What is classical conditoning

Answer 7

behaviour is learned through association

Question 8

Pavlov’s dog

Answer 8

1. food (US) = salivation (UR)
2. bell (NS) =no salivation
3. bell + food = salivation
4. bell (CS) = salivation (CR)

Question 9

what is operant conditioning

Answer 9

behaviour is learnt through consequences

Question 10

+ reinforcement

Answer 10

reward behaviour

Question 11

• reinforcement

Answer 11

avoiding something unpleasant

Question 12

Punishment

Answer 12

an unpleasant consequence

Question 13

Skinner’s box

Answer 13

• rat activated the lever, food fell into the dispenser (positive reinforcement).
• continued this behaviour
• rat shocked when lever pulled
• stopped this behaviour (negative reinforcement)

Question 14

strengths of behaviourist approach

Answer 14

• increased our understanding of the causes of phobias and attachment.
• rise to therapies such as systematic desensitization and token economy.
• lab exp were used with high control of extraneous variables, replicable, and the data was objective

Question 15

weaknesses

Answer 15

• exps done on animals; we are different cognitively and physiologically. Humans have diff social norms and moral values so we might behave diff.
  -does not explain important aspects of human behavior such as memory and problem-solving as these are internal mental events that cannot be observed.
• doesnt take into account biological factors (eg: low level of serotonin can give rise to depression)
• sees ppl as passive in their learning, with little conscious thoughts influencing their behavior; other approaches recognize the importance of mental events in the learning process.
• neglects the influence of free will as it argues that our behavior is the result of previous conditioning. Skinner argues that free will is an illusion.

Question 16

Social learning theory: assumptions

Answer 16

• behaviour leanred thru observation and imitation
• identificatication: more likely to copy those u identify with
• behaciouyr learned directly and indirevtly

Question 17

what does meditional processes mean

Answer 17

cognitive factors that infleunce leanring between stimulus and response

Question 18

4 meditional procsses

Answer 18

1. attention
2. retention
3. motor reproduction
4. motivation

Question 19

vicarious reinforcement.

Answer 19

Imitation is more likely to occur if the model is positively reinforced.

Question 20

Bandura: bobo doll method

Answer 20

• Grp 1: 12 girls and 12 boys were shown a model hitting the doll with a hammer and shouting at the doll.
• Grp 2: 12 girls and 12 boys shown a model shown a non-aggressive model.
• Grp 3: 12 girls and 12 boys (control group) not shown a model.
• Then the children were taken to a room with some attractive toys but were told not to play with the toys (aggression arousal).
• Then the children were taken individually to a room containing a bobo doll, non-aggressive toys like pencils and plastic farm animals, and aggressive toys like a hammer and a pistol.

Question 21

results

Answer 21

• The children who had observed the aggressive model (group 1) were more aggressive than the children from the other two groups. Group 1 imitated specific aggressive acts that were displayed by the model. Boys imitated more physically aggressive acts than girls. There was no difference in verbal aggression between boys and girls.

Question 22

strengths:

Answer 22

• can explain diff in behavior between different cultures as if a behavior is not displayed and it cannot be imitated. This can explain why groups such as the Amish are non-violent.
• can be used to explain the influence of media on aggressive behavior.
• It is a more complete explanation of human behavior than conditioning as it takes into account cognitive factors in learning. However, it does not take into account free will and moral values.

Question 23

weaknesses

Answer 23

• does not explain why the boys imitated the physically aggressive behavior more than the girls. Other factors must be involved, such as biological factors like testosterone.
• it does not take into account free will and moral values.
• children were in an unfamiliar environment (demand characteristics).
• lab- doesnt reflrct irl