Psychology -Approaches

• What is psychology defined as?

  The scientific study of the mind and behaviour
• What does psychology focus on?

  What people and animals do, why they do it, and how they feel
• Why must psychological concepts be tested through research?

  Because they may seem like common sense but require empirical validation (information that you gather through observation or experiments.
• What are the key ideas related to approaches in psychology?

  • Different approaches offer various explanations for behaviour
  • Each approach contributes to understanding psychological phenomena
• Who is considered the Father of Experimental Psychology?

  Wilhelm Wundt
• When did Wundt found the first experimental psychology lab?

  In 1879
• What significant separation did Wundt achieve in psychology?

  He separated psychology from philosophy
• What is structuralism in psychology?

  It is the approach of breaking down human experiences into basic components
• What method did Wundt introduce to study human experiences?


  Introspection
• How does introspection work?

  It involves individuals reflecting on their own thoughts and feelings
• How did Wundt use introspection in his studies?

  He had participants describe their experiences in response to stimuli
• What were the problems associated with introspection?


  Subjectivity and reliability issues
• Why is subjectivity a problem in introspection?

  It relies on personal reports, which can lack objectivity
• Why is reliability a concern in introspection?

  Experiences are difficult to confirm scientifically
• What impact did Wundt's experimental approach have on psychology?


  • Laid the groundwork for later psychological approaches
  • Influenced the development of scientific methods in psychology
• What is reductionism in psychology?

  It is the idea that complex experiences can be broken down into simpler, measurable parts
• How did reductionism shape early psychological research?

  It helped in breaking down complex experiences for measurement and analysis
• Who is credited with founding experimental psychology?

  Wilhelm Wundt
• What was the significance of Wundt’s founding of experimental psychology?

  It marked psychology's entry into the scientific realm, enhancing its credibility.
• What is a continuing debate regarding psychology?

  Whether psychology qualifies as a true science.
• What are the main features of science?

  1. Objectivity: Unbiased observations
  2. Control: Conducting experiments under controlled conditions
  3. Predictability: Results allow predictions of future behavior
  4. Hypothesis Testing: Theories generate testable predictions
  5. Replication: Experiments must be repeatable
• What is another name for Behaviourism?

  Learning Theory
• Who is primarily associated with the development of Behaviourism in the early 1900s?

  John Watson
• Why did Watson criticize Wilhelm Wundt's introspection method?

  Because personal experiences can’t be reliably verified
• What are the three main assumptions of Behaviourism?

  1. Nearly All Behaviour is Learned
  2. Animals and Humans Learn Similarly
  3. The Mind is Irrelevant
• What does Behaviourism argue about the origin of most behaviours?

  That most behaviours come from learning
• What are some exceptions to learned behaviours according to Behaviourism?

  Reflexes and instincts
• How does Behaviourism view the influence of genetics on behaviour?

  It argues that learning is the primary cause of most behaviours, despite some genetic influences
• In what way do humans and animals learn similarly according to Behaviourism?


  Both can form associations between stimuli and responses
• Give an example of a learning process that illustrates the similarity between humans and animals.

  Learning to drive a car is similar to a cat learning to use a cat flap
• What do behaviourists focus on instead of thoughts?

  Observable actions
• Why do behaviourists believe measurable behaviour is important?

  Because it provides the best data for studying psychology
• What are the main research methods used in Behaviourism?

  • Focus on Learning Principles
  • Use of Animals for experiments
  • Observation of Quantifiable Behaviour
• What is the aim of research in Behaviourism?

  To understand how behaviours are learned
• Why are animals often used in Behaviourism experiments?

  Because their behaviours can be generalised to humans
• What type of studies do behaviourists typically conduct?

  Laboratory experiments on animals
• What is the focus of behaviourists when studying behaviour?

  Measurable actions
• What is the summary of Behaviourism's main focus?

  • Most behaviour is learned through interaction with the environment
  • Focus on observable actions
  • Disregard of mental processes
• Who discovered classical conditioning?

  Ivan Pavlov
• What was the main observation made by Pavlov during his experiments with dogs?

  Dogs salivated in response to stimuli associated with food, not just the food itself.