theories

• behaviourist approach: a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning
• classical conditioning- pavlov's research: dogs salivated when they heard a bell, then salivated when they heard a bell and given food at the same time
• operant conditioning - skinner's research: conducted experiment on rats, every time rat pressed lever, it received food and when it pressed the wrong lever it would be shocked.
• strength of the behaviourist approach: real-world application as used in prisons as a source of token economy.
• limitation of behaviour approach: unethical as it involves harming animals
• social learning theory: Bandura suggested that we learn our behaviour through imitation and observation
• vicarious reinforcement: when you observe others behaviour and base your behaviour off of whether they were rewarded or punished
• identification: when an observer wants to be like a role-model
• Bandura's research: bobo doll study
• strength of social learning theory: account for real-world behaviour and show the significance of rolemodels at a young age
• weakness of social learning theory: study of bandura was in a controlled lab experiment - demand characteristics
• weakness of social learning theory: we have free will and are able to make our own choices
• cognitive approach: how our mental processes affect our behaviour
• schema: a mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing
• computer models: analogy between processing information from computers to brain, both systems receive inputs and outputs
• emergence of cognitive neuroscience: scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes, scanning techniques = PET and fMRI allow researchers to observe brain activity directly
• one strength of cognitive approach: real world application for use of AI programming and robots
• weakness of cognitive approach: the brain is far more complex than a CPU in a computer
• strength of cognitive approach: led to CBT to help change clients negative thought patterns
• biological approach: importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance
• neurochemical basis of behaviours: relating to chemicals in the brain that regulate psychological functioning
• genotype: particular set of genes, their actual genetic make-up
• phenotype: characteristic determined by both genes and the environment - height, hair colour
• strength of biological theory: real-world application by promoting treatment of anit-depressants
• strength of biological approach: scientific methods used, fMRI's = reliable data
• weakness of biological approach: deterministic, says human behaviour is governed by genes but we have no control over this
• psychodynamic approach: focuses on the unconscious mind and how it influences behaviour, unconscious, conscious and preconscious
• id: devil - pleasure principle - gets what it wants
• ego: middle part that balances between id and superego, reality principle
• superego: angel - the part of the personality that is good and moral, follows morality principle
• psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital
• oral: focus of pleasure is around the mouth: breastfeeding, thumb sucking = increased chance for smoking, nail biting
• anal: focus of pleasure is the anus, child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces.
• phallic: focus of pleasure in around genital area
• latency: earlier conflicts are repressed
• genital: sexual desires become conscious alongside start of puberty = difficulty forming relationships
• strength of psychodynamic: explanation for human behaviour as to why they act certain ways
• weakness of psychodynamic: biased, no scientific research to support just evidence from clients
• humanistic approach: understand the behaviour that emphasises the importance of the individual and their own experiences
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs: hierarchy of needs that motivates our behaviour to reach self-actualisation