AQA A LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY
i i i
APPROACHES
i
Free itrial
Who iwas iWundt iand iwhat idid ihe ido i- ianswersHe iis iknown ias ithe ifather iof iPsychology iopening
ithe ifirst iinstitute ifor iexperimental ipsychology iin iGermany iin i1879. iHe iseparated ipsychology ifrom
iphilosophy iand ifocused ion istudying ithe imind. iHe itook ia ivery ireductionist iapproach iwhere ihe
isimplified ieverything idown ito icause iand ieffect.cOutline iintrospection iand iproblems iwith iit i-
ianswersIntrospection iis ia ipsychological imethod ito ianalyse isomeones ithoughts iand ifeelings
iinternally, ithis iwas idone ias ithere iwere ino ibrain iscans ior icomputers iat ithe itime iand ithus ithey
iused ithis itechnique iof ipresenting ia istimuli iand iasking ihow ithey ifelt iafter iseeing iit.
Problems iwith iit iinclude ihow iit idoes inot iexplain ihow ithe imind iworks iit isimply irelies ion ipeoples
isubjective ithoughts. iSecondly iit idoesn't iprovide idata ithat ican ibe iused iwith icertain
ireliability.cWhat iare ithe i5 ifactors ithat ineed ito ibe ilooked iat iwhen ideciding iwhether ipsychology iis
ia iscience i- ianswersObjectivity
Control
Predictability
Hypothesis iTesting
ReplicationcEvaluate ithe istrengths iand ilimitations ito ia iscientific iapproach iin ipsychology i-
ianswers:) i- iDue ito iits ireliance ion iobjectivity iand iscientific imethods iknowledge iacquired iis imore
ithan ijust ithe ipassive iacceptance iof ifacts
:) i- iBecause iscientific imethods ibelieve iin ideterminism ithey iare iable ito iestablish ithe icauses iof
ibehaviour ithrough ithe iuse iof imethods ithat iare ireplicable
:) i- iIf iscientific imethods ino ilonger ifit ithe ifacts ithen ithey ican ieasily ibe irefined ior iabandoned
imeaning ithat iscientific iknowledge iis iself icorrective
:( i- iBe ifocusing ion iobjectivity iand icontrol iin iexperiments ithey itend ito ibe itoo iunrealistic iand iwe
ilack ian iinsight iinto inatural ibehaviour
:( i- iA ilot iof ipsychological ibehaviour iis iunobservable iand ithus icannot ibe imeasured iwith imuch
iaccuracy imeaning ithat ithe igap ibetween iactual idata iand itheories iput iforward iis iquite ilarge
:( i- iNot iall ipsychologists ibelieve ithat ihuman ibehaviour ican ibe iviewed iscientifically ias iit iis inot
isubject ito ilaws iand iregularities ithat iscience iimpliescThe ifirst iworldwide iaccepted iapproach iwas
ibehaviourism, ioutline ithis i- ianswersBehaviourism, ialso iknown ias ilearning itheory, istarted iin ithe
iearly i1900's iby iWatson iwho ibelieved ithat ipsychological iresearch ibefore ithis iwasn't iscientific
ienough.
There iare ithree iassumptions ibehaviourism imakes:
1) iAll ibehaviour iis ilearnt i(exception iof iinborn ireflexes)
2) iAnimals iand ihumans ilearn iin ithe isame iway
3) iThe iminds iis iirrelevantcOutline iPavlov's iclassical iconditioning i- ianswersPavlov iwas istudying
idogs isalivation ihowever iduring ihis istudies ihe ifound ithat idogs iwould iend iup isalivating ibefore
ithere iwas iany ifood, ithe idirection iof ihis istudies ichanged iand ioutlined iclassical iconditioning. i
, He ieventually iended iup iringing ia ibell ibefore igiving ithe idogs ifood iand ithen ihe iwould iring ia ibell
iand igive ino ifood, ithe idogs istill isalivated. iThe ifood iis ithe iUCS iand isalivation iis ithe iUCR. iThe
ibell ihad ibecome ithe iCS iand isalivation ithe iCR.
This iprocess iof ilearning ican ibe iapplied ito ihuman idevelopment.
Comfort ifor ithe ibaby iis ian iUCS ithat iproduces ihappiness, ithe iUCR. iThe ibabies imother iwill italk
ito iit iwhile ishe ifeeds iit iand ichanges iits inappies ietc. iand ithus ithe ibaby ihears iits imothers ivoice
ievery itime iit iis imade ihappy. iThe isound iof ithe imothers ivoice iis imatched iwith ithe iUCS iand
itherefore ibecomes ia iCS, ieventually ithe isound iof ithe imothers ivoice ialone iwill imake ithe ibaby
ihappy. iThe iCS inow icauses ithe iCR.cOutline ithe iseveral iprinciples iof iclassical iconditioning i-
ianswersGeneralisation i- istimuli isimilar ito iCS iproduces ithe iCR
Discrimination i- iwhen istimuli isimilar ito iCS idoes inot iproduce ithe iCR
Extinction i- iwhen ithe iCR iisn't iproduced iafter ithe iCS
Spontaneous irecovery i- iwhen ia ipreviously iextinct iCR iis iproduced iin iresponse ito ithe iCS
High iorder iconditioning i- iwhen ia inew iCS iproduces ithe iCR ibecause ithe ianimal iassociates iit iwith
ithe ioriginal iCScOutline iSkinners ioperant iconditioning i- ianswersSkinner istudies ihow ianimals ican
ilearn ifrom iconsequences iof itheir iown iactions. iConsequences iinvolve ieither:
Positive ireinforcement iwhere isomething idesirable iis iobtained ior inegative ireinforcement iwhere
isomething iundesirable iis iremoved.
Skinner iused ia i'Skinner iBox' iwhich ihe iplaced ione irat iinside iat ia itime. iEach ibox ihad ia ivariety iof
idifferent istimuli iincluding ia ispeaker, ilights ian ielectric ifloor iand ia ifood idispenser iconnected ito ia
ilever. iThe itime itaken ifor ithe irats ito ilearn ithat ipressing ithe ilever iwas irecorded. iHe ifound ithat
irats iwould iinitially irun iaround ithe icage iuntil iaccidentally ipressing ithe ilever ithen iit iwas irewarded
ithe ifood. iThe imore iit iwas iput iinto ithe ibox, ithe iquicker ithey igot iat ilearning iabout ithe ilever. iThe
irat ihad ilearnt ithat iwhen iit ipressed ithe ileaver ithere iwas ia ireward iin ireturn.cEvaluate iconditioning
ias ia itheory i- ianswersClassical
:) i- iResearch iinto iclassical iconditioning ihas ilead ito ithe idevelopment iof itreatment iof iphobias,
isystematic idesensitisation iworks iby ieliminating ithe ilearned ianxious iresponse i(CR) ithat iis
iassociated iwith ithe ifeared iobject i(CS). iThis iprocess ihas ibeen iproven ito iwork ion imany idifferent
iphobias isuch ias iarachnophobia
:( i- iIt iis idifficult ito isay ithat iconditioning iworks ithe isame ifor ievery ianimal ias isome ianimals ifind iit
iharder ito iform iassociations iwith icertain istimuli. iThus iSeligman iproposed ipreparedness, ithis
imeans ithat ianimals iare iprepared ito iassociate iaspects ithat iwill ihelp itheir isurvival isuch ias ithe
ismell iof imeat iwith ifood, ibut iare iless iready ito iassociate irandom iitems isuch ias ia ibell iwith ia itree.
Operant
:) i- iSkinner iused ia istrong iexperimental imethod iwhich iallowed ihim ito icontrol ithe iconditions iin
iwhich iit iwas isetup iin. iThe i'Skinners iBox' iin iparticular iis ia igood iexample iof ithis iin ipractice
iwhere ithe iconsequence iwas imanipulated ito isee ithe ieffects ion ithe irats ibehaviour. iAll iof ithis
iallowed ihim ito idraw ia istrong icause iand ieffect irelationship.
:( i- iCritics ihave ipointed iout ithat ihe ihas irelied istrongly ion ithe ifact ihe ican iextrapolate ihis ifindings
ifrom irats ionto ihumans. iWe iare ivery idifferent ito irats iand ispecifically iwe ihave ifree iwill, iit ican ibe
iargued ithat iwe ido inot ihave iour ibehaviour idetermined iby ipositive iand inegative
ireinforcementcOutline iBandura's iSLT i- ianswersBandura iagreed ithat ipeople ican ilearn ithrough
iconditioning ibut ihe istated iother ipeople isuch ias irole imodels ialso iplay ia ikey irole iin iour
ibehaviour. iHe isaid ipeople imust ifocus itheir iattention ionto ia irole imodel, iperceive iwhat ithey ido
iand ithen iremember iit iin iorder ito irepeat iit.
In iorder ito imodel iwe imust ifirst iidentify iwith ithe irole imodel, imeaning icertain iattractive
icharacteristics iand iqualities iare ipicked iup ion. i
The ibehaviour ican ibe ilearnt ithrough iboth ireinforcement iand ivicarious ireinforcement iand ionce
ithis iis ihappened ifor ieffective ilearning imeditational iprocesses ineed ito ioccur.
1) iAttention
i i i
APPROACHES
i
Free itrial
Who iwas iWundt iand iwhat idid ihe ido i- ianswersHe iis iknown ias ithe ifather iof iPsychology iopening
ithe ifirst iinstitute ifor iexperimental ipsychology iin iGermany iin i1879. iHe iseparated ipsychology ifrom
iphilosophy iand ifocused ion istudying ithe imind. iHe itook ia ivery ireductionist iapproach iwhere ihe
isimplified ieverything idown ito icause iand ieffect.cOutline iintrospection iand iproblems iwith iit i-
ianswersIntrospection iis ia ipsychological imethod ito ianalyse isomeones ithoughts iand ifeelings
iinternally, ithis iwas idone ias ithere iwere ino ibrain iscans ior icomputers iat ithe itime iand ithus ithey
iused ithis itechnique iof ipresenting ia istimuli iand iasking ihow ithey ifelt iafter iseeing iit.
Problems iwith iit iinclude ihow iit idoes inot iexplain ihow ithe imind iworks iit isimply irelies ion ipeoples
isubjective ithoughts. iSecondly iit idoesn't iprovide idata ithat ican ibe iused iwith icertain
ireliability.cWhat iare ithe i5 ifactors ithat ineed ito ibe ilooked iat iwhen ideciding iwhether ipsychology iis
ia iscience i- ianswersObjectivity
Control
Predictability
Hypothesis iTesting
ReplicationcEvaluate ithe istrengths iand ilimitations ito ia iscientific iapproach iin ipsychology i-
ianswers:) i- iDue ito iits ireliance ion iobjectivity iand iscientific imethods iknowledge iacquired iis imore
ithan ijust ithe ipassive iacceptance iof ifacts
:) i- iBecause iscientific imethods ibelieve iin ideterminism ithey iare iable ito iestablish ithe icauses iof
ibehaviour ithrough ithe iuse iof imethods ithat iare ireplicable
:) i- iIf iscientific imethods ino ilonger ifit ithe ifacts ithen ithey ican ieasily ibe irefined ior iabandoned
imeaning ithat iscientific iknowledge iis iself icorrective
:( i- iBe ifocusing ion iobjectivity iand icontrol iin iexperiments ithey itend ito ibe itoo iunrealistic iand iwe
ilack ian iinsight iinto inatural ibehaviour
:( i- iA ilot iof ipsychological ibehaviour iis iunobservable iand ithus icannot ibe imeasured iwith imuch
iaccuracy imeaning ithat ithe igap ibetween iactual idata iand itheories iput iforward iis iquite ilarge
:( i- iNot iall ipsychologists ibelieve ithat ihuman ibehaviour ican ibe iviewed iscientifically ias iit iis inot
isubject ito ilaws iand iregularities ithat iscience iimpliescThe ifirst iworldwide iaccepted iapproach iwas
ibehaviourism, ioutline ithis i- ianswersBehaviourism, ialso iknown ias ilearning itheory, istarted iin ithe
iearly i1900's iby iWatson iwho ibelieved ithat ipsychological iresearch ibefore ithis iwasn't iscientific
ienough.
There iare ithree iassumptions ibehaviourism imakes:
1) iAll ibehaviour iis ilearnt i(exception iof iinborn ireflexes)
2) iAnimals iand ihumans ilearn iin ithe isame iway
3) iThe iminds iis iirrelevantcOutline iPavlov's iclassical iconditioning i- ianswersPavlov iwas istudying
idogs isalivation ihowever iduring ihis istudies ihe ifound ithat idogs iwould iend iup isalivating ibefore
ithere iwas iany ifood, ithe idirection iof ihis istudies ichanged iand ioutlined iclassical iconditioning. i
, He ieventually iended iup iringing ia ibell ibefore igiving ithe idogs ifood iand ithen ihe iwould iring ia ibell
iand igive ino ifood, ithe idogs istill isalivated. iThe ifood iis ithe iUCS iand isalivation iis ithe iUCR. iThe
ibell ihad ibecome ithe iCS iand isalivation ithe iCR.
This iprocess iof ilearning ican ibe iapplied ito ihuman idevelopment.
Comfort ifor ithe ibaby iis ian iUCS ithat iproduces ihappiness, ithe iUCR. iThe ibabies imother iwill italk
ito iit iwhile ishe ifeeds iit iand ichanges iits inappies ietc. iand ithus ithe ibaby ihears iits imothers ivoice
ievery itime iit iis imade ihappy. iThe isound iof ithe imothers ivoice iis imatched iwith ithe iUCS iand
itherefore ibecomes ia iCS, ieventually ithe isound iof ithe imothers ivoice ialone iwill imake ithe ibaby
ihappy. iThe iCS inow icauses ithe iCR.cOutline ithe iseveral iprinciples iof iclassical iconditioning i-
ianswersGeneralisation i- istimuli isimilar ito iCS iproduces ithe iCR
Discrimination i- iwhen istimuli isimilar ito iCS idoes inot iproduce ithe iCR
Extinction i- iwhen ithe iCR iisn't iproduced iafter ithe iCS
Spontaneous irecovery i- iwhen ia ipreviously iextinct iCR iis iproduced iin iresponse ito ithe iCS
High iorder iconditioning i- iwhen ia inew iCS iproduces ithe iCR ibecause ithe ianimal iassociates iit iwith
ithe ioriginal iCScOutline iSkinners ioperant iconditioning i- ianswersSkinner istudies ihow ianimals ican
ilearn ifrom iconsequences iof itheir iown iactions. iConsequences iinvolve ieither:
Positive ireinforcement iwhere isomething idesirable iis iobtained ior inegative ireinforcement iwhere
isomething iundesirable iis iremoved.
Skinner iused ia i'Skinner iBox' iwhich ihe iplaced ione irat iinside iat ia itime. iEach ibox ihad ia ivariety iof
idifferent istimuli iincluding ia ispeaker, ilights ian ielectric ifloor iand ia ifood idispenser iconnected ito ia
ilever. iThe itime itaken ifor ithe irats ito ilearn ithat ipressing ithe ilever iwas irecorded. iHe ifound ithat
irats iwould iinitially irun iaround ithe icage iuntil iaccidentally ipressing ithe ilever ithen iit iwas irewarded
ithe ifood. iThe imore iit iwas iput iinto ithe ibox, ithe iquicker ithey igot iat ilearning iabout ithe ilever. iThe
irat ihad ilearnt ithat iwhen iit ipressed ithe ileaver ithere iwas ia ireward iin ireturn.cEvaluate iconditioning
ias ia itheory i- ianswersClassical
:) i- iResearch iinto iclassical iconditioning ihas ilead ito ithe idevelopment iof itreatment iof iphobias,
isystematic idesensitisation iworks iby ieliminating ithe ilearned ianxious iresponse i(CR) ithat iis
iassociated iwith ithe ifeared iobject i(CS). iThis iprocess ihas ibeen iproven ito iwork ion imany idifferent
iphobias isuch ias iarachnophobia
:( i- iIt iis idifficult ito isay ithat iconditioning iworks ithe isame ifor ievery ianimal ias isome ianimals ifind iit
iharder ito iform iassociations iwith icertain istimuli. iThus iSeligman iproposed ipreparedness, ithis
imeans ithat ianimals iare iprepared ito iassociate iaspects ithat iwill ihelp itheir isurvival isuch ias ithe
ismell iof imeat iwith ifood, ibut iare iless iready ito iassociate irandom iitems isuch ias ia ibell iwith ia itree.
Operant
:) i- iSkinner iused ia istrong iexperimental imethod iwhich iallowed ihim ito icontrol ithe iconditions iin
iwhich iit iwas isetup iin. iThe i'Skinners iBox' iin iparticular iis ia igood iexample iof ithis iin ipractice
iwhere ithe iconsequence iwas imanipulated ito isee ithe ieffects ion ithe irats ibehaviour. iAll iof ithis
iallowed ihim ito idraw ia istrong icause iand ieffect irelationship.
:( i- iCritics ihave ipointed iout ithat ihe ihas irelied istrongly ion ithe ifact ihe ican iextrapolate ihis ifindings
ifrom irats ionto ihumans. iWe iare ivery idifferent ito irats iand ispecifically iwe ihave ifree iwill, iit ican ibe
iargued ithat iwe ido inot ihave iour ibehaviour idetermined iby ipositive iand inegative
ireinforcementcOutline iBandura's iSLT i- ianswersBandura iagreed ithat ipeople ican ilearn ithrough
iconditioning ibut ihe istated iother ipeople isuch ias irole imodels ialso iplay ia ikey irole iin iour
ibehaviour. iHe isaid ipeople imust ifocus itheir iattention ionto ia irole imodel, iperceive iwhat ithey ido
iand ithen iremember iit iin iorder ito irepeat iit.
In iorder ito imodel iwe imust ifirst iidentify iwith ithe irole imodel, imeaning icertain iattractive
icharacteristics iand iqualities iare ipicked iup ion. i
The ibehaviour ican ibe ilearnt ithrough iboth ireinforcement iand ivicarious ireinforcement iand ionce
ithis iis ihappened ifor ieffective ilearning imeditational iprocesses ineed ito ioccur.
1) iAttention
