Approaches- Alevel psychology

• Who is considered the father of experimental psychology?

  Wilhelm Wundt
• What significant contribution did Wundt make to psychology?

  He set up the world's first psychological laboratory
• In which year was the first academic journal publishing psychological experiments produced?

  1870s
• How did Wundt's work help establish psychology as an independent field?

  By using controlled empirical scientific research techniques
• What experimental technique did Wundt use in his research?

  Introspection
• What were participants trained to do in Wundt's introspection method?

  To report conscious experiences objectively
• What is a criticism of Wundt's introspective methods compared to modern techniques?

  They are considered subjective and not truly scientific
• What did Wundt's use of inference to identify internal mental states lead to?

  Criticism that inferences could be mistaken assumptions
• How did behaviorists view the study of internal mental states?

  As unsuitable for scientific study
• What is classical conditioning according to Pavlov?

  Learning by association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus
• What were the two types of stimuli used in Pavlov's research?

  A neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus
• What did Pavlov's findings demonstrate about the dogs?

  They learned an association between the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus
• What is operant conditioning according to Skinner?

  Learning by reinforcement through consequences of actions
• What did Skinner demonstrate with his research on rats?

  Positive and negative reinforcement influence behavior
• What is a criticism of Pavlov and Skinner's use of animal subjects?

  Findings may not be generalizable to human behavior
• What practical applications arise from behaviorist principles?

  Counterconditioning treatments like flooding and systematic desensitization
• What is a criticism of behaviorism's explanation of human behavior?

  It is overly reductionist
• What do social learning theorists argue about human behavior?

  It cannot be fully understood without including cognitive processes
• What are the mediational processes in social learning theory?

  Attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation
• What is vicarious reinforcement?

  Witnessing someone rewarded for a behavior, making us more likely to imitate it
• Who conducted the Bobo doll study?

  Albert Bandura
• What did Bandura's Bobo doll study find about children exposed to aggressive models?

  They were more likely to be aggressive themselves
• What is a criticism of the Bobo doll study's ecological validity?

  Findings may not translate to real-world scenarios
• How does social learning theory differ from behaviorism?

  It includes cognitive processes between stimuli and response
• What do cognitive psychologists study?

  Internal mental processes
• What is a schema?

  A mental framework of connected knowledge about a concept or object
• What is a potential downside of schemas?

  They can lead to inaccurate memory and negatively bias perceptions
• What are theoretical models in cognitive psychology?

  Flowchart representations of the steps of a mental process
• What is the computer model in cognitive psychology?

  An analogy between a computer's CPU and the human brain
• What does cognitive neuroscience aim to identify?

  The neurological structures and chemical processes linked to mental processes
• What is a criticism of the cognitive approach regarding its scientific status?

  Inferences about internal mental processes can be mistaken
• What is the role of neurotransmitters in behavior?

  They enable communication between neurons and influence behavior
• What is the function of serotonin?

  Associated with well-being and happiness
• How do genes influence behavior?

  They determine how the brain and neurons are formed and function
• What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

  Genotype is the genetic code, while phenotype is the expression of that code
• What do evolutionary psychologists argue about inherited behaviors?

  They provide survival advantages and become more common in future generations
• What is a criticism of biological explanations of behavior?

  They do not account for environmental factors
• What is the tripartite structure of personality according to Freud?

  It consists of the ID, ego, and superego
• What is the pleasure principle associated with?

  The ID
• What is the role of defense mechanisms in Freud's theory?

  To manage conflicts involving the unconscious mind