Paper 2, Predicted 16 Markers Flashcards
(11 cards)
Comparison Between Cognitive and Biological Approach
P1. Both approaches have real life applications:
- Biological: Biochemical research into the brain has led to psychoactive drugs such as SSRIs which can treat serious illness such as depression and OCD. It has revolutionised the treatment of mental illness and means that those suffering with mental illness can now have a normal life.
- Cognitive: Has led to the development of cognitive behavioural therapy. This has been useful in treating OCD, phobias and depression. It works by identifying irrational thoughts and then challenging and reconstructing these identified thoughts through cognitive activation, such as giving clients homework tasks.
- While both approaches have real-world applications, the biological approach focuses on medical treatments where as the cognitive approach focuses on psychological therapies.
P2. The biological approach assumes behaviour is determined by biological structures such as the brain and genes and biological chemicals such as hormones and neurotransmitters whereas the cognitive approach assumes that behaviour is determined by mental processes (mention describing the mind: input, processing output, as a computer, mediational process and the role of schemas).
P3. Both approaches use different methods of investigation.
Biological: Uses objective methods including brain scans including, fMRIs, EEG, ERP and post-mortem scans and genetic analysis such as family and twin studies.
Cognitive: Relies on controlled experiments to study internal mental processes, as they cannot be studied directly. For example, Loftus and Palmer’s Study.
Loftus and Palmer
- Studied the effects of leading questions on eyewitness memory.
- Participants watched car crash videos and were asked how fast the cars were going when they “smashed” vs “hit” each other.
- They found that language affected memory.
Evaluate the Psychodynamic Approach
P1. It is unscientific. One of the features of a science include falsifiability. However, this approach lacks falsifiability. Many of his theories such as the Oedipus complex and unconscious desires, cannot be tested as the are subjective. Philosopher Karl Popper called it a pseudoscience as it can’t be proven wrong.
P2. It has supporting research. For example, the case study of Little Hans.
P3. However, support from Little Hans is limiting as it is a case study. Firstly, these lack generalisability as case studies are unique to the individual study. Additionally, it relied on retrospective data such as Han’s father’s letters which are not always accurate or reliable. Lastly, research bias may have been exercised. In Freud’s case, he was strongly influenced by his own theories, which may have led to confirmation bias - he interpreted Hans’ behaviour in a way that fit the Oedipus complex.
Little Hans Study
- Developed a fear of horses.
- He was going through the phallic stage where the Oedipus complex occurs.
- Freud believed Hans feared his father would castrate him as he unconsciously desired his mother and saw his father as a rival.
- As a result, Freud assumed that Hans has developed a fear of horse because the horse symbolised the father – large, powerful, and wearing black harnesses like his father’s moustache and glasses.
Evaluate Bandura’s Research into Social Learning Theory
P1. It took place in an artificial setting. The scenario of a child watching a strange adult behave violently toward a toy is not a typical real-life situation. Also, the model and the child are strangers, which is quite unlike normal modelling in a family situation. Furthermore, children do not often see adults attacking dolls, so the setup may have encouraged demand characteristics, especially as the Bobo doll was made to be hit. Therefore, we have to be cautious in generalising findings to real-world aggression
P2. There was a sampled bias. Participants were all young children from one nursery school at Stanford University, primarily from middle-class and white backgrounds. The findings, therefore, might not reflect how children from different cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, or age groups would respond to observing aggression. Additionally, the experiment also only looked at ages 3–6; it cannot tell us directly about older children, teenagers, or adults. This weakens population validity.
P3. This study only measures short-term aggression. The Bobo doll experiment only measured immediate imitation in the minutes following exposure. The study did not do any follow-up to see if the next day or week the children who observed aggression were more likely to be aggressive in nursery play. Therefore, one limitation is short-term focus.
Evaluate the Biological Approach
P1. It has real-world applications. It has success in drug therapies, such as SSRIs, which have been successful in treating psychological disorders such as OCD and depression (Soomro et al).
P2. It is scientific. It uses empirical methods of investigation such as brain scans, including EEGs, ERPs and fMRIs and genetic analysis such as twin and family studies, which are objective and reliable.
P3. It is overly simplistic (biological determinism). Biological psychologists assume that behaviour is purely determined by biological structures such as the brain and genes and biological chemicals such as hormones and neurotransmitters and ignore environmental factors. However, many psychologists agree that behaviour is a result of the interaction between genes and nature (nature and nurture).
Evaluate Social Learning Theory
P1. Has supporting research. For example, Bandura’s Bobo Doll Study. (Describe the procedure and findings)
P2. The Bobo Doll Study has methodological issues. (Name any from the following flashcard)
p3. Social Learning Theory ignores the role of biology. For example in the Bobo Doll study, they found that boys displayed more aggressive behaviours than the girls. This can be explained by hormonal factors such as testosterone which is linked to aggressive behaviour, which the SLT does not take into account.
Evaluate Research into Hemispheric and Lateralisation and Split Brain Research Together
P1. Brain research used a small unrepresented sample. Sperry’s sample consisted of a small number of patients who had undergone commissurotomy, often due to severe epilepsy. This means the findings may not generalise to the wider population, especially those with intact brains or without neurological disorders. Therefore, while the research provides useful insights, we must be cautious in applying conclusions about lateralisation to the general population
P2. It has real-world applications. For instance, understanding which hemisphere is responsible for particular functions has helped neurosurgeons during brain surgery. Knowing that the left hemisphere is often dominant for language allows surgeons to avoid critical areas during procedures. Therefore, it has practical benefits that have improved patient outcomes.
P3. Support from brain studies. Later fMRIs supported Sperry’s conclusion about brain laterization. For example, studies consistently show that the left hemisphere is more active during language tasks, while the right hemisphere shows greater activation during spatial and facial recognition tasks. This strengthens the validity of lateralisation theories.
Split Brain Research
- Research on individuals who have had their corpus callosum severed.
- For Example Sperry and Gazzaniga
Sperry and Gazzaniga’s Split Brain Research
- Examined how the two hemispheres function independently when communication between them is cut.
- Patients had their corpus callosum cut.
- Patients looked at a screen with a fixation point in the middle. Visual stimuli were briefly flashed to either the left or right visual field.
- Visual Recognition Task:
A word is flashed to the left visual field which goes to right hemisphere. The patient couldn’t say what they saw as the right hemisphere has no language, but they could draw it with the left hand or pick up a matching object. - They found that the left hemisphere is responsible for language and speech whereas the right hemisphere is better at spatial and visual tasks, but can’t verbalise what it sees. Ultimately, the two hemispheres operated independently, like two separate minds.
Evaluate Ways of Studying the Brain
P1. They have practical applications. Brain scans such as fMRIs, provide detailed, high-resolution images of brain activity. These methods have real-world applications, such as diagnosing neurological disorders like epilepsy, tumours, or Alzheimer’s disease. This shows their usefulness in the medical field.
P2. Modern brain-scanning techniques such as fMRI, EEG, and ERPs are generally non-invasive and safe. This is a major advantage over older, more invasive techniques like post-mortem studies, and contributes to increased participant comfort and ethical viability.
P3. Brain imaging methods like fMRI are very expensive to run and maintain, and they require highly trained staff and sophisticated equipment. This limits their accessibility, especially in lower-funded research settings or hospitals. This means that although these methods are scientifically powerful, their practical use is often restricted, which can limit how often and how widely they are applied in real-world psychology and medicine.
