Approaches

• classical conditioning:

  • learning through association
  • UNCS - UNCR
  • UNCS + NS - UNCR
  • CS - CR
  • timing - pairing between UNCS and NS is important to the success of the conditioning
  • generalisation - other stimuli similar to the CS can trigger the same response
• operant conditioning:

  • learning through consequences
  • positive reinforcement - rewarding someone for doing a certain behaviour
  • negative reinforcement - not punishing someone because they did a specific behaviour
  • punishment - an unpleasant consequence of behaviour
  • skinner (1953)
  • partial reinforcement - reinforcement only every third behaviour to maintain it
  • satiated - when the ppts is satiated they will stop doing the certain behaviour because they are content
• A03 : strengths

  • successful therapies ( cc )
  • can be applied to the treatment of phobias - systematic desensitisation
  • shows that cc has useful real world applications
• A03 : Strength

  • succesful therapies (oc)
  • management of schizophrenia and the development of an effective method called ' token economy '
  • useful real world applications
• A03 : Strength

  • scientific
  • behaviour is measured in highly controlled laboratory settings emphasising the importance of objectivity and replication
  • credit and status in the scientific community
• A03: limitation

  • underpinned by research on animals
  • pavlov - dog , skinner - rat
  • ethical issues because of increased stress levels in the animals
  • these stress levels could also skew the results of the study by changing the behaviour of the animals
  • research has issues of validity and theory has issues of scientific credibility
• AO3 : limitation

  • criticised for being overly deterministic
  • approach sees all behaviour as determined by past experiences that have been conditioned - ignored any possibility of free will
  • incomplete explanation of human behaviour
• social learning theory:

  • bandura ( 1986 )
  • live + computer models that show behaviour that are observed
  • imitation - characteristics of the model , ability to perform that behaviour , consequences of the behaviour
  • identification - if ppts see similarities between themselves and the model they are more likely to imitate them e.g. gender , age
  • vicarious reinforcement - dependant of the reinforcement on the model changes the likely hood that the ppts will imitate the behaviour
  • mediational process - attention , retention , motor reproduction , motivation
• social learning theory A03: Strength

  • practical application to real life aggression
  • helps us understand why the James Bulger murder occurred and gives us insight on how to prevent teenage violence
• social learning theory A03 : limitation

  • many studies have failed to find a link between violent and crime
  • Ulrich ( 2003 ) found no relationship between criminality and watching violent films - they suggest that the strongest cause of violent behaviour is association with delinquent peer groups where violent is modelled and rewarded
  • suggests that SLT may not be able to explain criminality and therefore lacks explanatory power
• SLT A03 : Strength

  • acknowledges the role of other approaches in explaining human behaviour
  • takes into thought cognitive approach and the role it plays in deciding whether behaviour is to be initiated or not ( mediational processes )
  • shows that SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human behvaiour
• SLT A03 : limitation

  • focusing exclusively on the process of social learning theory, we disregard other potential influences on behaviour
  • SLT theorists emphasise the importance of gender specific modelling however a child is exposed to many different influences in real life. Incl. genetic predisopositions , media portrayals , locus of control
  • shows that virtually anything can have an influence on a specific behaviour, it becomes very difficult to show that one particular thing is the main casual influence
• cognitive approach :

  • focussed on how internal mental processes affect our behaviour
  • cognitive psychologists make inferences and assumptions about what is going on in peoples minds based on their behaviour due to their inability to observe the processes directly
  • selective attention - misses a lot of what is in our visual field of vue due to inattention
  • theoretical models - diagrams that represent the development of a mental process
  • computer model - software simulations of internal mental processes
  • schemas - a mental framework of beliefs and expectations based on real life experiences
• Cognitive Approach A03 : strength

  • has many real life applications
  • development of treatments for illnesses such as depression with cognitive - based therapies
  • these treatments have been shown to be successful which suggests that the emphasis on mental processes for explaining mental disorders is valid
• Cognitive approach A03 : strength

  • the approach can be considered scientific
  • theories are made based on experimentation with human participants
  • meaning the conclusions are based on more that common sense and introspection
  • the approach can be seen as an objective way for reaching accurate conclusions about how the mind works
• Cognitive Approach A03 : limitation

  • the approach uses computer models
  • for example using terms such as ' storage ' and ' encoding '
  • this is seen as a limitation as humans possess motivation and emotion while machines do not
• Cognitive Approach A03 : limitation

  • it ignores important factors
  • for example, the approach tells us how cognitive processes take place, not why
  • this may be a result of the computer analogy - it ignored fundamental differences such as forgetting or ordinary mistakes
• cognitive neuroscience - the scientific study of the influence of the brain structures on mental processes

  • study memory , attention , perception and awareness
  • use fMRI and PET scans to help understand different cognitive asctivities
• cognitive neuroscience A03 : strengths

  • practical applications
  • more scientific and objective in comparison to the cognitive approach
• cognitive neuroscience A03 : limitation

  • ethics : controversial use of mind mapping for lie detection in courts
  • hard for cognitive neuroscientists to indentify patterns of brain activation corresponding to some psychological processrs such as attention or planning
• biological approach:

  • biological reasons for behaviour
  • genetics - genes influence behaviour and may be influenced by the process of evolution
  • central nervous system ( brain and spinal cord ) the mind lives in the brain so all thoughts , feelings and behaviour have a biological basis
  • the chemistry of the body - chemicals in the brain ( neurotransmitters ) and the body ( hormones ) are related to behaviour
• genotype - genetic make - up of an individual
• phenotype - the product of what happens when the genotype interacts with the environment
• Biological Approach A03 : limitation

  • it is deterministic as ti suggests our behaviour is determined by biological causes to which we have no control
  • e.g. if criminal behaviour followed this logic and there was a 'criminal gene' criminals could not be help responsible for their actions morally and legally
  • therefore a fully deterministic viewpoint can be dangerous and incomplete
• Biological Approach A03 : limitation

  • biological approach is reductionist
  • as it believes that complex human behaviour can be explained by breaking it down unto genes, neuro chemicals and hormones - many mental disorders are reductionist
  • therefore we cannot fully understand a behaviour without also taking account of the other factors that influence it
• Biological Approach A03 : strength

  • real - life application
  • development of psychoactive drugs that treat serious mental illnesses such as depression
  • this means that sufferes can manage their condition and life relatively normally rather than remain in hospital
• Biological Approach A03 : strength

  • is a scientific method
  • experimental studies take place in a higly controlled environment so that other researchers can replicate the study under the same experimental conditions, adding validity to the original findings
  • credibility within the scientific community
• origins of psychology

  • Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychological laboratory in Germany
  • his focus was moving psychology from philosophical roots to controlled research
  • he believed all aspect of nature could be studied scientifically
  • behaviour has an ultimate cause ( it is determined ) and hat it should be possible to predict how humans will behave in different conditions
  • he used the method of introspection : examination of one's own mental processes in reaction to an external stimuli to understand one's own mental state
• origins of psychology A03: strength

  • introspection is still used in scientific psychology
  • used by Csikszentmihalyi and Hunter ( 2003 ) in attempt to make happiness a measurable phenomenon.
  • therefore introspection offers researchers a way of understanding more clearly the momentary conditions that affect happiness
• origins of psychology A03: limitation

  • Nisbett and Wilson ( 1977) claim that we have very little knowledge of the causes of and processes underlying, our behaviour and attitudes
  • e.g. behaviours exist outside of conscious awareness and self - reports through introspection would not uncover them - challenging the value of introspective reports of behaviour
• origins of psychology A03: limitation

  • introspection is subjective
  • because the concept is based on self - report , individuals may be assessing the same mental processes but interpreting them differently making the reports invalid