Approaches-Psychology

• Origins of Psychology


  Wilhelm Wundt

  Paved his way for psychology to become a science

  Used introspection- evaluating your own thoughts

  Evaluation: Unreliable, introspection isn’t accurate as someone could just lie.
• Behavioural Approach

  Classical Conditioning:

  • Pavlov’s Dog
  • Before Conditioning: Food=Salivation
  • Bell=No salivation
  • During conditioning: Bell+Food=Salivation
  • After conditioning: Bell=Salivation
  • Spontaneous Recovery, Timing
• Behavioural Approach

  Skinner’s Box

  Types of reinforcement:

  • Positive reinforcement - Occurs when behaviour produces a reward
  • Negative reinforcement - Remove something unpleasant to allow the person to be okay
  • Positive punishment - Adding something unpleasant as a punishment
  • Negative punishment - Taking away something pleasant
• Social Learning Theory

  Modelling


  A form of learning where individuals learn a particular behaviour by observing another‘s behaviour.

  Live model- Teacher, parent.

  Symbolic model- Media
• Social Learning Theory

  Imitation


  The action of using someone or something as a model and copying their behaviour
• Social Learning Theory

  Bandura et al.


  Experiment children who observed aggressive or non aggressive adults. Tested for imitative learning. Half the children exposed to adults who were aggressive with a Bobo Doll. Half exposed to non aggressive adults.

  Aggressive displayed physically aggressive acts towards the doll.

  Findings: Children who observed aggressive model reproduced aggressive behaviour. Children who observed non aggressive model repeated the behaviour.
• Cognitive Approach

  Schemas


  A cognitive framework that helps to organise and interpret information in the brain.
• Cognitive Approach

  The role of theoretical and computer models


  Data Input —> Data Processing —> Data output

  Info coming from the world —> Brain —> Info coming back out for action
• Cognitive Approach

  Cognitive Neuroscience


  Underlies neural basis of cognitive function.
• Cognitive Approach

  Raine et al: Cognitive Neuroscience


  Compared brain scans of murderers and non murderers. 11% reduction of grey matter in the prefrontal cortex of murderers.

  Findings: Cognitive neuroscience may be used to show how areas of the brain may have specific responsibilities.
• Cognitive Approach

  Bartlett- War of the Ghosts (Schema)


  Participants from one culture read a story from another culture and words were changed to make the story make sense.

  Findings: Shows how our schema can change the way in which we recall information and events which are unfamiliar to us.
• Biological Approach

  Genes


  Carry specific characteristics. 50:50 From each parent
• Biological Approach

  Genotype


  Genetic code written into the DNA of cells
• Biological Approach

  Phenotype


  The physical appearance resulting from the inherited information.
• Biological Approach

  Central Nervous System


  Central Nervous System -

  Brain and Spinal Cord
• Biological Approach

  Peripheral Nervous System


  Peripheral Nervous System — Somatic Nervous System (Voluntary Movement)

  Automatic nervous system (involuntary movement) - Parasympathetic Branch + Sympathetic Branch
• Biological Approach

  The brain


  Frontal Lobe- Top left of the brain.

  Front of the brain. Speech, thoughts, learning. Contains the motor cortex and Brocas which allows speech.

  Temporal lobe- Beneath the frontal lobe. Hearing and memory. Contains auditory cortex.

  Occipital lobe- Behind the temporal lobe. Vision. Contains the visual cortex.

  Parietal lobe- Above the occipital lobe. For sensory info.
• Biological Approach

  Neurotransmitters


  Chemicals released, allows neurones to communicate to send messages to the brain
• Biological Approach

  Hormones


  Sent through the blood stream. Responsible for different behaviours.
• Biological Approach

  Soomro et al


  Review of 17 studies which gave SSRIs or placebos to 2 different groups with OCD.

  Findings: Demonstrates that there is a biological cause for behaviour, in this case, low serotonin and OCD.
• Psychodynamic Approach

  The unconscious


  Things that we are unaware of.
• Psychodynamic Approach

  The structure of the personality

  Id- Devil. Present at birth

  Ego- balance. first 3 years

  Superego- Angel. 5 years
• Psychodynamic Approach

  Defence mechanisma

  Regression: People may revert back to childish tendencies

  Displacement: Diverting emotions onto someone else.

  Denial: Refusal to believe emotions.

  Repression: Pushing memories away so the person is unaware.
• Psychodynamic Approach

  Psychosexual Stages

  Oral: 0-1; Mouth is at focal point of sensation; Eg: Sucking, biting

  Anal: 1-3; Ego starts to develop; Anally expulsive- Messy

  Anally retentive- Anxious

  Phallic: 3-5; Oedipus Complex; Male child- All for mother, get rid of father

  Latency: 6-12; Ego and superego; Immaturity- Incapable of forming relationships

  Genital: 12+- Sexual desires start to form.
• Psychodynamic Approach

  Little Hans Study


  Observed by his father. Scared of horses. Going through Oedipus complex and repressed fear of father which had been displaced on to horses.

  Findings: Demostrated processes taking place during the phallic stage and the use of defence mechanisms.
• Humanistic Approach

  Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs


  Self Actualisation - Desire to become the most one can be

  Esteem - Self esteem

  Social - Friendships, family

  Safety - Personal Security

  Physiological - Breathing, food, water, sleep
• Humanistic Approach

  The self

  Self concept <— Congruence —> Ideal self
• Humanistic Approach

  Congruence

  Matches your concept of self to ideal self.
• Humanistic Approach

  Conditions of Worth


  Conditions imposed on an individual’s behaviour and development that are considered necessary to earn positive regard from significant others.
• Humanistic Approach

  The influence on counselling


  Therapist offers unconditional positive regard to make the mind congruent. Self concept will need boosting and ideal self needs to be brought down.
• Humanistic Approach

  Free Will


  The ability to act at one’s own discretion
• Humanistic Approach

  Harter et al.

  A questionnaire was given to teenagers. Those who feel they have to fulfil certain conditions for their parents approval (conditional positive regard) were less likely to like themselves and were likely to create a false self.

  Findings: Demonstrates that conditional positive regard leads to incongruence between self concept and ideal self leading to development of a false self.