13 markers

• Nature

  some of our physical features are inherited form our parent’s through our genes, such as our eye or hair colour. Some psychologists think that some of our behaviour and personality are also inherited. Part of our behaviour can also be attributed to human nature and evolution.
• Nurture


  behaviourists believe that we are born a blank slate and so our behaviour and personality characteristics are developed through experience and interaction with our environment.
• Nature vs Nurture

  
• Most psychologists today recognise that nature and nurture do not work independently of each other. Individuals can be born with the potential to be intelligence (genetics) but this is also dependent on their upbringing and environment (what education they have).
• Reductionism


  views behaviour from a simple perspective – failing to take into account the bigger picture. Human behaviour is complex and so explaining it in simple terms we are ignoring all the other important factors that contribute to how we think and behave.
• Holism

  “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” – Recognises the importance of seeing people as individuals and that one approach or theory cannot fully explain human behaviour. We are products of many different factors interacting with each other. The problem with assuming that everyone is different and unique is that it makes it hard to test behaviour and make predictions about how people will act in certain situations.
• Free will


  The ability of individuals to make choices about how they think and act
• Maslow and Rogers' view on free will

  • Behaviour is not determined
  • We have the choice and freedom to choose who we want to be and how we want to behave
• Maslow and Rogers' view on free will


  Important when thinking about therapy - individuals make conscious decisions to change how they think about their life and problems and how they will behave in the future
• Determinism:

  Watson believed that all babies were born a blank slate and their behaviour can be conditioned (determined) from birth so that the individual’s choices and behaviour have actually been determined by external factors (upbringing, rewarded or punished at school). Biological psychologists believe that our behaviour is determined internally by our genes and brain chemistry. Schizophrenia is thought by biological psychologists to be caused by a problem with the levels of dopamine in the brain. This suggests that these individuals have no control at all over their illness. 
• Maslow and Rogers' view on free will does not support the idea that psychology is a science - being able to test and predict behaviour
• In reality, our thoughts and behaviours are likely to be partly determined by external or internal factors but we also have the ability to change these
• This could be used as part of an essay conclusion
• Experiments

  • An independent variable that is set up
  • A dependent variable that is measured
  • An attempt to control extraneous variables
• Purpose of experiments

  To investigate what causes something to happen or change
• Strength of experiments

  • Establishing cause and effect
• Weakness of experiments

  • Lack of construct validity because they tend to measure the dependent variable in a narrow way
• Types of experiments used in psychology

  • Laboratory experiment
  • Field experiment
  • Natural experiment
• Laboratory experiment


  Research manipulates the independent variable and does this in a controlled environment
• Field experiment


  Researcher directly manipulates the independent variable and does this in a natural environment - school
• Natural experiment


  There is an independent variable but it is not manipulated, it is naturally occurring
• Stength and weakness of experiments

  
• Observations


  The researcher watching the participants
• Observations

  • Researchers can see how individuals behave in certain situations rather than relying on them telling the truth about their experience or bring able to express their feelings
• Types of observations

  • Naturalistic
  • Overt
  • Covert
  • Participant
  • Non-participant
• Naturalistic observations

  Observed in a real life settings, BUT lack of control over extraneous variables, difficult to establish cause and effect
• Overt observations


  Participants know they are being observed, BUT observer effect
• Covert observations


  Participants are not aware they are being observed, BUT can be seen as unethical
• Participant observations


  Psychologists joins in with the group of people they are observing, BUT more difficult for the psychologist to be objective
• Non-participant observations


  Stand back from the group and not interfere, BUT psychologist might miss important details or lack insight into what is being studied
• Case studies and experients

  
• Case studies

  key function is to collect detailed information on one person or group that are unusual in some way (e.g. Brain damage). These provide rich detail and in depth qualitative data which high validity as well as giving us an opportunity to study an individual or group that could not be manipulate (can’t cause brain damage). But these are built on small samples and are often rare cases. Therefore findings are not generalisable. Psychologists study these individuals intensely and so it might be harder for them to be objective leading to subjective findings.