Pls Help Me Flashcards
(11 cards)
Wundt’s Lab and the Birth of Psychology
- In 1879, Wundt, first laboratory psychological research in Leipzig, Germany.
-This event is widely considered the official start of psychology as a distinct scientific discipline, moving it away from its philosophical roots.
-Wundt’s goal was to study human consciousness through controlled experiments, making psychology more empirical and systematic.
Introspection and Methodology
- Wundt developed the method of introspection to study the mind.
- Participants observed and reported their conscious thoughts in response to stimuli.
- Stimuli included objects or sounds (e.g., a ticking metronome).
- Experiences were divided into three categories:
Thoughts
Images
Sensations - The goal was to understand internal mental processes like perception and language.
Standardised procedures and structuralism
- All participants received the same instructions and stimuli in the same order.
- This ensured standardization and reliability in the experiments.
- The aim was to break down mental processes into their most basic components.
- This approach is known as structuralism — analyzing the structure of consciousness.
- Wundt’s work laid the foundation for future experimental methods in psychology.
Outline emergence psychology as a science and is it one and characteristics
1900s (Behaviourism):
- Introspection seen as subjective
- Watson & Skinner: focus on observable behavior
- Emphasis on controlled, objective experiments
1950s (Cognitive):
- Mind compared to computers
- Studied internal processes (memory, attention) using experiments
1980s (Biological):
- Tech advances (fMRI, EEG) enabled brain activity studies
- Genetic testing linked biology to behavior
Give swaggy timeline
17th–19th Century:
Psychology seen as part of philosophy; called experimental philosophy.
1879:
Wundt opens first psychology lab; psychology becomes a separate discipline.
1900s:
Freud develops psychoanalysis, focuses on the unconscious mind.
1913:
Watson (and later Skinner) promote behaviourism; dominates with psychodynamic approach.
1950s:
Humanistic approach (Rogers, Maslow) emphasizes free will, self-determination.
Cognitive approach emerges, likens mind to a computer; re-legitimizes study of mental processes.
1960s:
Bandura’s social learning theory bridges cognitive and behaviourist ideas.
1980s+:
Biological approach rises with tech advances in brain science.
Late 20th Century:
Cognitive neuroscience combines cognitive and biological perspectives.
Evaluate Wundt and introspection
Strength:
Wundt’s work was systematic and conducted in controlled lab settings with standardised procedures, laying the groundwork for scientific psychology.
Limitation:
However, his use of subjective self-reports made the data less reliable and harder to generalise, limiting the scientific rigor of his findings.
Evaluate emergence of psych as a science
✅Modern psychology is strong because it uses scientific methods to study behavior, similar to natural sciences. This helps it to explain and predict human actions in a controlled and unbiased way.
❌However, not all approaches are scientific. Some, like humanistic and psychodynamic, focus on personal experiences or case studies, which are less objective. Also, because humans respond to research situations, purely scientific methods aren’t always possible or ideal.
Outline what’s meant by SLT
Assumptions:
- Behavior can be learned through observing others without direct experience.
- People are influenced by the consequences others face (rewards or punishments).
- Learning is a cognitive process involving attention, retention, and motivation.
Vicarious Reinforcement:
- Individuals learn not only from their own rewards/punishments but also from observing others’ outcomes.
- Seeing a model rewarded increases the likelihood of imitating that behavior.
- Conversely, observing punishment reduces the chance of adopting the behavior.
Role of Mediational Processes:
- Four key internal processes influence observational learning: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation.
- These cognitive steps mediate between observing a behavior and performing it.
- Learning doesn’t always result in immediate behavior change; internal processing is crucial.
Identification:
- People are more likely to imitate models they identify with (similarity, status, or attractiveness).
- Identification strengthens motivation to adopt observed behaviors.
- This process explains why some models influence behavior more strongly than others
Evaluate SLT
NON REDUCTIONISYT
SLT highlights mental processes in learning, unlike conditioning alone
People observe and remember others’ behavior to guide their own actions
TMT SLT MORE COMPRIHENSIVE
COUNTERPOINT
SLT downplays biological influences like mirror neurons
Biology likely impacts observational learning more than SLT suggests
LAB
SLT is based on artificial lab studies (e.g., Bobo doll)
Lab settings may not reflect real-life learning, due to demand characteristics
Reciprocal determinism
Bandura emphasised reciprocal determinism, in the sense that we are not merely influenced by our external environment, but we also exert an influence upon it, through the behaviours we choose to perform.
This element of choice suggests that there is some free will in the way we behave.
This contrasts with the behaviourist approach which denies the possibility of free will
Outline the psychodynamic approach
Role of the Unconscious
- Most of the mind is unconscious, housing drives, instincts, and repressed memories
- Repressed material can appear in dreams or slips of the tongue
- The preconscious holds memories accessible to conscious awareness
Structure of Personality
- Id: unconscious, selfish, pleasure-driven, present at birth
- Ego: develops at age 2, mediates between Id and Superego, operates on reality
- Superego: forms around age 5,
internalizes morals, punishes with guilt
Psychosexual Stages:
- Five stages with key conflicts to resolve for healthy development
- Fixation occurs if conflicts are unresolved, affecting adult behavior
Defence Mechanisms
- Ego uses unconscious distortions to manage anxiety and conflict
Helpful short-term but unhealthy if relied on long-term
Evaluate the psychodynamic approach
✅Real-World Application
Introduced psychotherapy, moving from physical to psychological treatment
Psychoanalysis uses techniques like dream analysis to access the unconscious
Laid the groundwork for modern talking therapies, such as counselling
❌Counterpoint
Psychoanalysis is less effective for severe disorders like schizophrenia
Symptoms such as delusions hinder the therapy’s applicability
❌Untestable and unfalsifiable Concepts
Concepts like the Id and Oedipus complex are unconscious and untestable
Lacks empirical support, limiting scientific credibility
❌Determinism
Behavior is driven by unconscious conflicts from childhood
Suggests limited personal agency, potentially leading to guilt
NO FREE WILL
