approaches

• basic assumptions of social learning theory?

  behaviour is learnt from through the environment

  behaviouor is learnt from others
• basic assumptions of behaviourist approach?

  blank slate

  learn from experience

  humans share same principles of learning as animals

  only observable behaviour can be measured
• basic assumptions of humanistic approach?

  people have free will

  everyone is unique

  cannot use a scientific method
• basic assumptions of psychodynamic approach?

  inner drives/motives

  unconscious mind

  early childhood experiences
• basic assumptions of biological approach?

  biochemistry of body

  CNS

  genetics
• basic assumptions of cognitive approach?

  mind works like a computer

  thought processes can be measured scientifically

  stimulus and response only appropriate if thought processes are acknowledged
• Wundt


  • first psychology lab - 1879
  • introspection - examination of thoughts and emotions by reporting experiences
  • controlled environments
  • researchers trained
• strengths of wundt

  • scientific
  • influential - (cognitive approach)
• limitations of wundt

  • unscientific due to subjectivity
• classical conditioning

  Pavlov
• what is an example of classical conditioning in humans?

  explanation of phobias
• positive reinforcement

  encourages behaviour in a way that gets you rewarded
• negative reinforcement

  encourages behaviour to avoid negative consequences
• punishment

  negative consequences for behaviour, leading to discouraging behaviour
• Operant conditioning

  Skinner
• PR and NR in Skinner's exp with rats?

  PR = lever for food

  NR = lever to turn electrified grid off
• what are the strengths of the behaviourist approach?

  • scientific
  • practical applications

  ex) flooding and systematic desensitisation
• what are limitations of behaviourist approach?

  • ignores internal mind

  only focuses on environmental stimuli, which could be better explained by other approaches like cognitive or SLT

  • validity of animal studies

  physically and cognitively different, may not be transferable to human psychology
• Bandura - Bobo doll exp

  A = see if behavioural imitation continued when role model was no longer present

  P = 36 boys and 36 girls between 3-6

  put in rooms watching adult interact with bobo doll for 10 mins

  three groups = aggressive / non-aggressive / control

  half had same gender, half had opp gender

  after 10 mins, taken to room with toys (told they couldn't play) for 20 mins

  R = children with aggressive role model were more aggressive

  boys acted more aggressively than girls

  more likely to imitate if role model was the same gender as them

  C = imitation and vicarious reinforcement
• people imitate the behaviours of role models they identify with
• mediating processes (Bandura)


  • attention = needs to be important to gain attention
  • retention = has to be remembered to be imitated
  • reproduction = abilities can influence decision to physically reproduce behaviour
  • motivation = concluding that behaviour will be rewarded
• what are 2 strengths of SLT?

  • more complete account than beaviourism

  allows for cognitive processes in explaining behaviour

  • explains cultural differences

  children imitate behaviours of culture
• what are 2 limitations of SLT?

  • biological approach

  ex) boys were more aggressive than girls - due to testosterone levels

  = not sufficient by itself

  • low external validity

  unfamiliar situation - may have behaved in an expected way

  know that the doll was just a doll
• schema

  cognitive framework and patterns of thought and behaviour

  formed from experience
• computer models

  • input - processing - output

  = sense data - cognition - behaviour
• theoretical models

  used to explain cognitions behind behaviour
• cognitive neuroscience

  study of the relationship between brain activity and mental processes
• emergence of cognitive neuroscience

  • advanced techniques allow the identification of correlations between brain activity and types of mental processes
  • more cognitive processes can be analused in biological terms
• what are 2 strengths of cognitive approach?

  • acknowledges mental processes

  recognised and studied, unlike behaviourist approach

  • practical applications

  ex) CBT have been able to produce positive results
• what are 2 limitations of cognitive approach?

  • reductive

  ex) human emotions are not accounted for in the info-processing model

  • low external validity

  theories based on cognitive approach may include unusual tasks
• what type of studies can be used to confirm the genetic influence of psychological traits?

  twin studies
• what are the three parts of personality

  • Id
  • ego
  • superego
• what is the Id?

  pleasure principle
• what is the ego?

  reality principle

  mediates between id and superego
• what is the superego?

  morality principle
• what does improper imbalance between id and superego lead to?

  anxiety and can cause mental disorders
• 2 strengths of biological approach?

  • scientific

  focuses on observations using technology and tested using scientific methods

  = objective and reliable

  • real-world application

  understandong neurochemical processes is linked with use of psychoactive drugs

  ex) antidepresssant drugs for clinical depression = increases levels of serotonin at synapses
• limitations of biological approach?

  • biological determinism

  behaviour cannot be controlled

  however, genotype can be influenced by environment

  could be problematic ex) crime

  • overly reductive

  ignores other factors, such as environment

  • conflicting evidence

  should have concordance rate of 100% in monozygotic twins
• what is the psychodynamic approach?

  explains behaviour as a result of unconscious processes
• what are the 3 levels of consciousness?

  • conscious = directly aware of
  • pre-consious = not directly aware of but can be accessed by making an effort
  • unconscious = cannot be easily accessed