Learning Aim, A: How psychological perspectives contribute to the
understanding of human development and behaviour
A.P1 - Explain how psychological perspectives are applied to the understanding of human
development.
A.P2 - Explain how psychological perspectives contribute to the understanding of specific
human behaviours.
Psychological Perspectives:
Behaviourist perspective
P1
A psychologist is a person who studies people’s behaviour, cognitive, emotional, and social
processes by experimenting with recording how people relate to one another and to their
environment. They also help certain individuals to overcome or control their problems.
Psychology is important in understanding human behaviour as it helps people massively
because it can explain why people act the way they do. A psychologist can help people
improve decision making, manging stress and behaviour based on understanding past
behaviour to better future behaviour.
The first case study I have chosen is Sarah, she is 42 years old and regularly attends a
Community Psychiatric Clinic due to her ongoing clinical depression. This is a more severe
form of depression, it’s a low mood that last for weeks or months and it affects your daily
life. Sarah was abused as a child, which has led to low self-image and low self-esteem. Sarah
has attempted suicide twice.
The other case study I have chosen is Debbie, she is 39 years old and has an Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder. It’s a common mental health condition where a person has obsessive
thoughts and compulsive behaviours. She is a voluntary patient for the psychiatric ward at
the local NHS Trust. The family G.P. feels like Debbie needs some time alone from her family
and she will recover in her own time.
The behaviourist perspective is a theory that all human behaviour is learnt and not innate.
The theory focuses on the study of observable and measurable behaviour. It shows that
behaviour is mostly learnt through classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
Classical conditioning is learning through association and was discovered by Pavlov, A
physiologist. It is where two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response
in a person or animal.
Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist known primarily for his work in classical conditioning.
He proved classical conditioning with salivation in dogs in response to being fed. He inserted
a small test tube into the cheek of each dog to measure saliva when the dogs were fed.
Pavlov predicted the dogs would salivate when the food was placed in front of them, but he
1
understanding of human development and behaviour
A.P1 - Explain how psychological perspectives are applied to the understanding of human
development.
A.P2 - Explain how psychological perspectives contribute to the understanding of specific
human behaviours.
Psychological Perspectives:
Behaviourist perspective
P1
A psychologist is a person who studies people’s behaviour, cognitive, emotional, and social
processes by experimenting with recording how people relate to one another and to their
environment. They also help certain individuals to overcome or control their problems.
Psychology is important in understanding human behaviour as it helps people massively
because it can explain why people act the way they do. A psychologist can help people
improve decision making, manging stress and behaviour based on understanding past
behaviour to better future behaviour.
The first case study I have chosen is Sarah, she is 42 years old and regularly attends a
Community Psychiatric Clinic due to her ongoing clinical depression. This is a more severe
form of depression, it’s a low mood that last for weeks or months and it affects your daily
life. Sarah was abused as a child, which has led to low self-image and low self-esteem. Sarah
has attempted suicide twice.
The other case study I have chosen is Debbie, she is 39 years old and has an Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder. It’s a common mental health condition where a person has obsessive
thoughts and compulsive behaviours. She is a voluntary patient for the psychiatric ward at
the local NHS Trust. The family G.P. feels like Debbie needs some time alone from her family
and she will recover in her own time.
The behaviourist perspective is a theory that all human behaviour is learnt and not innate.
The theory focuses on the study of observable and measurable behaviour. It shows that
behaviour is mostly learnt through classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
Classical conditioning is learning through association and was discovered by Pavlov, A
physiologist. It is where two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response
in a person or animal.
Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist known primarily for his work in classical conditioning.
He proved classical conditioning with salivation in dogs in response to being fed. He inserted
a small test tube into the cheek of each dog to measure saliva when the dogs were fed.
Pavlov predicted the dogs would salivate when the food was placed in front of them, but he
1
