Approaches

• strength of Wundt and introspection

  Wundt uses subjective methods in his pursuit of the scientific processes which can be viewed as a strength as it places real human experience at the forefront of the objective study of cognitive processes. This is important as it sets his work apart from the hard sciences as it draws from inter thoughts and feelings therefore increasing its mundane realism
• strength of Wundt and introspection

  Wundt’s focus on mental processes through introspection can be seen as a forerunner of the cognitive approach. this is important as it has paved the way for researchers to find ways to reset what is not observable for example, thoughts, feelings and memory.
• limitations of Wundt and introspection

  the process of introspection is not replicable because it relies on the subjective focus of individual sensations and perceptions. for example, Wundt encountered difficulty replicating sessions of introspection. this is significant as it limits the reliability of introspection as a scientific method.
• limitation of Wundt and introspection

  it could be argued that other early behaviourists contributed more to the origins of psychology than Wundt did. for example, Pavlov or Skinner. this is significant as behaviourist methods are reliable as they adhere more to the features of science which is what Wundt intended but failed to fully realise.
• strengths of classical conditioning and Pavlov’s research

  a strength of Pavlov’s research is that he used highly scientific methods. for example, hypothesis testing takes place in controlled conditions using standardised, replicable procedures. this is important as it produced results which should show consistency over time. therefore the research into behaviourism has good reliability.
• strength of classical conditioning and Pavlov’s research

  behaviourism takes a nomothetic approach. this is a strength because it seeks to establish general laws of behaviour which can be applied universally to all people.
• limitations of classical conditioning and Pavlov’s research

  it cannot explain behaviour that resists conditioning. for example, someone who has been brought up in a strict religious environment who rejects that religion. this is important as it means that classical conditioning has limited external validity.
• limitations of classical conditioning and Pavlov’s research

  it suffers from environmental determinism because the assumption is that people are controlled by environmental forces and have little autonomy over their destiny. this is a limitation because the assumption negates the role of free will in behaviour which reduces the usefulness of the approach, therefore the approach sees people in mechanical terms
• Strength of operant conditioning and skinners research

  Operant conditioning has good application to the maintenance of phobias. For example someone with social phobias uses avoidance to stay away from event involving socialising. This is significant as the use of avoidance is an example of negative reinforcement. Therefore the more the avoidance is repeated, the more the phobic person is rewarded with feelings of relief and security.
• strength of operant conditioning and skinners research

  skinner used highly scientific methods. for example he used standardised methods in controlled conditions. this is significant as it means that his research has good reliability. furthermore reliability is a strength of experimental research as it satisfies the criteria for falsifiability. thus showing that skinners theory of operant conditioning can be tested scientifically.
• limitations of operant conditioning and skinners research

  operant conditioning cannot explain why some people repeat behaviours which are damaging, detrimental or unpleasant. for example people who self harm may do so for the specific relief it brings then. this is important because such behaviours would not be recognised a positive reinforcement by operant conditioning.
• limitation of operant conditioning and skinners research

  skinners research suffers from environmental reductionism because it is overly simplistic. for example humans are much more complex and sophisticated than animals and operate at a higher cognitive level. this is important as people are more able to take control of their behaviour via mechanisms such as self-efficacy than the behaviourists acknowledge.
• strengths of SLT


  social learning theory has a more rounded explanation of how the environment shapers behaviour than that offered by behaviourism. this means that SLT is less reductionist than behaviourism. this is important as SLT is also less deterministic than behaviourism as mediational processes imply that the individual has some choice over their behaviour.
• strengths of SLT


  social learning theory has good application to hte use of token economies in prison settings. for example, the prisoner is rewarded for good behaviour with tokens. this is important as observation of fellow prisoners being rewarded encourages good behaviour from others. therefore the theory has good external validity.
• limitation of SLT


  social learning theory cannot account for behaviours which are observed frequently and not imitated. for example a child who frequently observes domestic violence may never be violent towards anyone else. this is important as SLT can only offer a limited explanation of behaviour as it does not acknowledge the role of individual differences as a factor.
• limitation of SLT


  research into social learning theory consists of lab experiments. this is a limitation because SLT is an explanation of behaviour within social contexts. this is important because the controlled conditions of a lab experiment cannot replicate real life thus SLT research lacks ecological validity and therefore generalisability to situations outside of the lab environment
• strength of banduras research

  Bandura used a well controlled, standardised procedure in the Bobo Doll experiment. this means that the study can be easily replicated. this is important as repeated replication of a study means that the results can be checked for consistency across time and using different samples. therefore the study has good reliability.
• strength of Banduras research

  the results fuelled debate as to children’s exposeure to the depiction of violence on the TV. this is important as it means the study has good external validity as it can be applied to settings and behaviours beyond the experimental space.
• limitation of Banduras research

  Children do not learn aggression in lab conditions. For example real life violence is generally observed in familiar settings involving familiar adults. This is important as it makes Bandura’s study less ecologically valid than research conducted in the field would be.
• limitation of Bandura’s research

  there are ethical issues associated with the study. for example, some of the children were exposed to an aggressive adult which may have alarmed and distressed them. this is important as participants of the study should have no physical or psychological effect on then as a result of the study. therefore a cost-benefit analysis should have been conducted to establish if the potential harm to the patients outweigh the possible positive impact that the research will have on society.
• strengths of the cognitive approach

  There is good real world application. For example it has contributed to the development of AI through its use of theoretical and computer models. This is important as it highlights its usefulness as a theory.
• strengths of the cognitive approach

  the approach has a degree of flexibility. for example, it suffers from soft determinism. this is important as it means that it does not take a completely rigid view of human behaviour. therefore it acknowledges the existence of free will.
• limitations of the cognitive approach

  the study of IMP is an example of machine reductionism. this is because it is overly contrived. for example, attempting to make direct comparisons between a computer model and the human mind seems artificial and forced. this is important as human cognition if often unpredictable, multi-faceted and emotional. a computer model is not designed in such a way. therefore the computer analogy has only limited application to cognition.
• limitation of the cognitive approach

  IMP can only be inferred. this means that the cognitive approach to explaining behaviour is overly abstract and detached from real-life. thus is lacks external validity.
• Strengths of schemas and cognitive neuroscience

  Cognitive neuroscience employs a range of clinical and scientific methods and measures to establish links between brain and cognition. This is important because the use of such methods means that research in this field is reliable as it can be used to test specific theories and hypothesis.
• Limitation of schemas


  the main issue with schema theory is the difficulty in defining exactly what a schema is. for example a schema is an example o fa mental framework which has no clear pattens and will differ from person to person. this is importantly as there is no clear consensus as to what a schema is. therefore the theory lacks usefulness.
• limitation of cognitive neuroscience

  brain imaging technologies are not infallible. for esample Bennet and Miller reviewed the reliability of fMRI and found that some fMRI machines may be affected by potential errors in calibration and external factors such as noise and light can affect the accuracy of the measurement. this is a limitation because this means that using the test-retest method for checking reliability may not produce similar results to the first time of testing.
• strength of the biological approach

  has a range of real world applications. for example, the success of drug therapies such as SSRIs for the treatment of psychological disorders such as depression and OCD. this is importantly as it means that the approach has high external validity as its assumptions have been generalised to the real world and are also benefiting the economy as they limit the amount of people with OCD straining the NHS.
• limitations of the biological approach

  arguing that a complex human behaviour is a product of genetics alone is an example of biological determinism. for example this is a simplistic view which ignores the effect of environmental factors on behaviour. this is important because people are capable of sophisticated cognitive processing which is not acknowledged by the biological approach. therefore this limits the external validity of the approach.
• strength of biological structures and neurochemistry

  research into biological structures uses objective and clinical method and measures. for example, Maguire et al used MRI scans to investigate the role of the hippocampus in spatial navigation. this is important because the results derived from using these measures can be checked for consistency across time and samples which means they have good reliability.
• strength of biological structures and neurochemistry

  there is compelling evidence in support of evolution and behaviour. for example Curtis et al found that people showed higher levels of disgust for disease-salient images than for neural images. this is important as disgust is an evolutionary mechanism as it prevents people from ingesting toxic materials. therefore if people have an innate disgust response to rotten, mouldy food this lends validity to the idea that humans are biologically programmed for survival.
• limitations of biological structures and neurochemistry

  the results of research into biological structures are overly reductionist. for example, levels of testosterone cannot alone account for a lack of prosocial behaviour, other factors such as personality and upbringing could explain this. this is a limitation because it reduces a complex behaviour down to a simple explanation while ignoring the possibility of other factors.
• limitations of biological structures and neurochemistry

  some behaviours are not advantageous to a 21st century person. for example aggression is, on a practical level, unnesessary for most people. this means that we don’t need to fight competitors for food. this is important as being overly aggressive is likely to lead to police involvement and alienation from friends and family. therefore an evolutionary explanation of behaviour has limited usefulness.
• strength of the psychodynamic approach

  Freud was at the forefront of the move in psychology towards considering the role of childhood experience as being a key influence on behaviour. this is important as it makes sense to see the link between parental treatment of the child and conflicted behaviour in the adult as parents are at the core of a child’s world until adolescence. therefore this makes the theory high in external validity.
• strength of the psychodynamic approach

  the psychodynamic approach has informed therapy since the early twentieth century and continued to be a driving force today in one-to-one and group counselling. this is important as it means that the approach has good application to setting beyond the theoretical.
• limitation of the psychodynamic approach

  freuds theory o the unconscious mind and structure of personality is difficult to operationalise, test and measure. for example the concepts and mechanisms involved are highly subjective and open to interpretation. this is important as the theory is unfalsifiable. therefore lacking in scientific methodology.
• limitation of the psychodynamic approach

  Freuds theory suffers from psychic determinism, which can be summarised as ‘there is no such thing as an accident’. for example, it assumes that aLl outcomes have already been decided and that deliberate focus intrude from the unconscious mind (seen in Freudian slips). this is important as it negates the idea of people having free will. therefore this limits the scope of the theory.
• strength of defence mechanisms and psychosexual stages

  psychotherapy can enable people to come to terms with and recognise underlying conflicts and trauma that may result in defence mechanisms. this is important as it is highly applicable to counseling for a range of conditions such as phobias. therefore the theory behind defence mechanisms has good external validity.
• strength of defence mechanisms and psychosexual stages

  Freuds concept of the psychosexual stages has provided important insights into how early experiences can shape personality and behaviour. for example, some research has supported the idea that oral and anal fixations are easily identified and can be traced back to childhood experiences. this is important as Freuds theory has shown staying power beyond its immediate conception in the early 20th century.
• limitation of defence mechanisms and psychosexual stages

  freuds research is under-powered in terms of his methodology. for example, he conducted single-subject case studies of wealthy Viennese adults and one child. this is important as he made claims based on his own, subjective interpretation of their dreams or phobias which were not checked by another psychologist. therefore Freuds work lacks a scientific approach and is unreliable in terms of hypothesis and testing.