PMT Approaches Flashcards

• Empiricism


  The belief that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience, rather than being innate. This is characterised by the use of the experimental scientific method in psychology.
• Schema


  A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing. Schemas contain our understanding of an object, a person or an idea. Schemas become increasingly complex during development as we gain more information about each object/idea.
• Approaches on the side of nature in the nature/nurture debate

  • Biological
  • Psychodynamic (compromise between nature and nurture)
• Introspection


  A technique devised by Wundt so a person can gain knowledge about their own mental and emotional states as a result of the examination of their conscious thought and feelings.
• Reinforcement


  Things that strengthen and increase the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated in the future.
• Conditions of worth


  Conditions imposed on an individual's behaviour and development that are considered necessary to earn positive regard from significant others.
• Approaches that take the side of nurture in the nature-nurture debate

  • Behaviourist
  • Humanistic
  • Social Learning Theory
  • Psychodynamic (compromise between nature and nurture)
• Vicarious reinforcement


  Learning that is not the result of direct reinforcement, but rather through observing someone else being reinforced for that behaviour.
• Free will


  The ability to act at one's on discretion, how to choose to behave without being influenced by external forces.
• Determinism


  The belief that behaviour is determined by external or internal forces acting upon an individual that is out of their control.
• Types of determinism


  • Biological
  • Environmental
  • Psychic
• Soft determinism


  The concept that there are constraints on behaviour, but within these limitations, we are free to make our own choices.
• Hard determinism


  The view that all behaviour is determined by factors out of our control.
• Classical conditioning in Pavlov's study

  1. Pavlov paired the ringing of a bell with the arrival of dog food

  2. The ringing of a bell was a neutral stimulus (it did not naturally produce salivation in the dogs) while the food was an unconditioned (innate) stimulus which naturally resulted in salivation

  3. Through pairing of these stimuli, a conditioned response was formed

  4. The bell became a conditioned stimulus - producing a conditioned response of salivation, even in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus, the food
• Congruence


  Similarity between a person's ideal self and their own self-image. Incongruence refers to the opposite - disparity between the ideal self and their self-image.
• Cognitive neuroscience


  An area of psychology dedicated to the underlying neural bases of cognitive functions.
• Self-actualisation


  Achievement of one's true potential, according to Rogers. According to Maslow, self actualisation is the ability to experience periods of extreme euphoria and creativity, and as a result is the final stage of his hierarchy of needs.
• Freud's psychosexual stages


  • Oral (0-1 years)
  • Anal (1-3 years)
  • Phallic (3-5 years)
  • Latent (6-12 years)
  • Genital (12+ years)
• How Freud separates the personality

  • Ego
  • Id
  • Superego