approaches

• Wundt - 'father of psychology' - developed the first psychology lab, became interested in the mind and mental processes
• Prior psychology was once called -'experimental philosophy'
• Introspection - 'looking into' process which a person examines their own thoughts and feelings
• Wundt Method - reporting thought processes out loud in response to a stimulus (e.g. metronome)
• Wundt evaluation - STRENGTHS

  Controlled environment

  Used standardised instructions

  Provided a foundation for psychology as a science
• Wundt evaluation - WEAKNESSES

  Low ecological validity (used and artificial task)

  Social desirability

  Subjective in the interpretation of the thoughts
• Emergence of psychology as a science - Wundt provided scientific foundations to psychology by applying objective, systematic and replicable approach to introspection
• Watson - argued that psychology should look at behaviour as it is possible to observe objectively and scientifically
• Behaviourism - dominant paradigm, but overlook the mind and this led to the cognitive approach (paradigm shift)
• Falsifiable = the possibility that something can be considered false by observation or experiment
• Objective = based on facts rather than opinions
• Replicable = makes it reliable (standardised procedure)
• Systematic = standardisation
• Behaviourist approach assumptions

  1. psychologists should only study observable, quantifiable behaviour
• Behaviourist approach assumptions

  1. psychologists should only study observable, quantifiable behaviour
  2. all behaviour is learnt
  3. humans are no different from animals
  4. research on animals behaviour is directly relevant to humans
• Pavlov - classical conditioning with dogs, food and bell, dogs learnt to associate a bell (neutral stimulus) with with (unconditioned stimulus) resulting in the dogs salivating (conditioned response)
• Skinner - operant conditioning

  1. positive = when a behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence (reward)
  2. negative = when a behaviour is followed by the removal of adverse consequence
  3. punishment = when a behaviour is followed by an unpleasant consequence
• Evaluation Behaviourist approach: STRENGTH 1

  • encouraged research that focused on more objective dimensions of behaviour
  • contributed to the recognition of psychology as a science
  • helped psychology gain credibility and status as a scientific discipline
• evaluation behaviourist approach: STRENGTH 2

  • influential in encouraging the use of animals as research subjects - gives experimenters control without demand characteristic or individual differences
• evaluation behaviourist approach: WEAKNESSES 1

  • animal experiments = unethical as there is less concern for protection from harm
  • not generalisable to human behaviour
• evaluation behaviourist approach: WEAKNESS 2

  • limited view of the origins of behaviour - role of cognition and emotional factors that influence behaviour
• Social learning theory assumptions

  1. learning occurs through observation and imitation
  2. behaviour is performed through role models
  3. recognises the importance of meditational processes
• Identification (SLT) - associating with the qualities, characteristics and views of role models, to become more like that person.
• KEY STUDY (SLT) - Bandura Method: 72 children aged between 3-6 years were put into one of three conditions

  1. aggressive model = child played in a room while an adult hit and shouted at a 'bobo doll'
  2. non-aggressive model = child played while an adult played quietly with a construction set
  3. control group = child did not see a model
• Bandura results: children who saw the aggressive model produced more aggressive behaviour than those who saw the non-aggressive model. Boys imitated more same-sex models.
• evaluation SLT: STRENGTH 1

  • application to real-life issues - used to examine and evaluate the effectiveness of advertising
  • research found identification with a character or example may increase the likelihood that audiences will model that behaviour'
• evaluation Bandura: WEAKNESSES 1

  • criticised in the method used - lab study (artificial environment)
  • possibility of demand characteristics (lowers internal validity)
• cognitive approach assumptions:

  1. focuses on the examinations of internal mental processes
  2. makes use of theoretical models and computer models
  3. inferences
• internal mental process = operations that occur during thinking. cannot be directly observed so psychologists use inferences
• schema: mental frameworks of information that we use to organise past experiences and to interpret new situations
• theoretical models: usually diagrams or flowchart (e.g. multi-store model)
• computer models: LTM being the hard disk and STM being viewed as the RAM. Useful in the development of AI
• Emergence of cognitive neuroscience: bridge the gap between the cognitive approach and biological approach

  • PET scans
  • MRI's
• Hippocampus: associated with episodic memory
• temporal lobe = associated with semantic memory
• cerebellum and motor cortex = associated with procedural memory
• evaluation cognitive approach: STRENGTHS

  • recognition of the complexity of human behaviour
  • many real-world applications - memory and the effect of misleading questions (cognitive interview)
  • helped professional understand and treat mental-health issues (CBT)
• evaluation cognitive approach: STRENGTH 2

  • neuroimaging techniques provide empirical evidence of brain activity for specific cognitive functions
  • strong scientific grounding
  • HOWEVER - only correlational
• evaluation cognitive approach: WEAKNESSES

  • not all human behaviour can be captured under the cognitive umbrella
  • tends to neglect of dimensions which may be linked to cognition (emotion and motivation)
  • overlooks the equally important fact that we are not just cognitive creatures
• biological approach assumption: necessary to understand biological structures (genes and neurochemistry)