A01

• nomothetic

  • seeks to produce general laws of behaviour on the study of groups creating principles which can be used to accurately predict and control behaviour.
• methods

  statistical and quantitative

  • lab experiments and controlled observations (removal of evs and cvs to draw reliable conclusions)
• 3 ways of classifying general laws of human behaviour:

  -       Classifying people into groups 

  -       Establishing principles of behaviour that can be applied generally 

  -       Establishing dimensions people can be placed in 
• examples

  • Behaviourists explain all behaviour in terms of simple stimulus-response links-experiences. behaviourists often use laboratory experiments(control of evs and cvs) allows for a cause and effect relationships
  • the cognitive approach uses objective methods of measuring brain activity, such as EEG and PET scans. This allows cognitive psychologists to draw inferences about the workings of mental processes.