Paper 2 - Approaches in Psychology Flashcards
Behaviourists approach
Studies behaviour that can be observed and measured
Relies on lab experiments
Behaviourist approach on animal studies
Basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species so animals can replace humans as experimental subjects
What are the two types of behaviour identified by behaviourists
Classical conditioning and operant conditioning
Classical conditioning
Learning by association between a stimulus and response e.g. pavlovas dog associating bell with food and developing salivation response
Operant conditioning
Learning through reward/ punishment e.g. fats pulling lever for food/ electrocution and eventually learning
Strengths (behaviourism)
Scientific credibility- Because of its focus on observable behaviour in controlled environments, emphasises scientific importance of replicability
Real life application- operant conditioning is the basis of token- economy systems that have proven successful
Weaknesses
Ethical issues- animals were exposed to stressful conditions that humans would not ethically be allowed To be Exposed to.
Environmental determinism- ignores the possibility of free will and labels it as an illusion. Doesn’t offer any explanation for when people rebel against what they have been “conditioned” to do
Social learning theory
Learning through observation and imitation of others in a social context
Vicarious reinforcement
Observations in the reinforcement of other people’s behaviour making it more or less likely to be imitated
E.g. if you see someone being punished for … then you’re less likely to imitate the persons behaviour
Describe Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment.
young children watched adult being aggressive to Bobo doll
- later observed playing with toys=behaved more aggressively
What are the mediational processes?
Attention: how much we notice behaviour
- Retention: how well we remember behaviour
- Motor reproduction: ability for the learner to perform the behaviour
- Motivation: will to perform the behaviour
What is identification in social learning theory?
- more likely to copy behaviour perspective identify with e.g. role models
- rode model determined=similar/desired characteristics to observer
- role model doesn’t have to be physically present (media majorly affects behaviour)
What are the weaknesses of social learning theory?
- Bandura’s theories: child behaviour observations artificial=demand characteristics e.g. Bobo doll=children hit it as they were expected to
- ignored biological influences e.g.
What is the cognitive approach?
An approach focused on how our mental processes affect behaviour
internal mental processes can be studied scientifically
- investigates areas ignored by behaviourists
- study them indirectly, making inferences of what happens in people’s minds based on their behaviour
What is a schema?
Packages of info/ideas developed through experience=framework for interpreting incoming info to the cognitive system
- cognitive processing often affected by person’s beliefs/expectations
- babies born with simple motor schema for innate behaviour (grasping)
- schema become detailed as we get older
- enable us to process info quick;may distort sensory info
