Approaches - AQA AS Psychology Questions and Answers 100% Pass

Approaches - AQA AS Psychology Questions and Answers 100% Pass Psychology The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those functions affecting behaviour in a given context Science A means of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective observation, with the aim to discover general laws Introspection (Wundt) The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations Cartesian dualism (Descartes) The mind and body are independent from each other Behaviourist approach A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning Assumptions of behaviourist approach - Studying behaviour which is observable and measurable - Not concerned about internal mental processes - Watson rejected introspection - Lab experiments - Basic processes that govern learning are the same for all species Classical conditioning (Pavlov) Learning by association: occurs when 2 stimuli are repeatedly paired together (UCS and neutral stimulus). The neutral stimulus eventually produce the same response that was first produced by the unlearned stimulus alone Operant conditioning (Skinner) Behaviour is shaped and maintained through its consequences (positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment) Behaviourist approach evaluation + Scientific credibility: emphasising replications and objectivity, influential in developing psychology as a science = INC CREDIBILITY + Real life application: token economy systems, phobias = valid + USEFUL - Mechanistic view of behaviour: animals seen as machine-like responders, little to no conscious insight, opposed by SLT & cognitive = less application to humans, LESS VALID - Unethical Social learning theory A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors SLT assumptions Behaviour is learned through observation and imitation of others within a social context Imitation Copying the behaviour of others Identification When an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like the role model Modelling Imitating the behaviour of a role model, which the model precisely demonstrates Vicarious reinforcement Reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour Mediational processes Cognitive factors which influence learning and come between stimulus and response: Attention, Retention, Motor reproduction & Motivation SLT evaluation + Importance of cognitive factors: comprehensive explanation of human learning (mediational processes) - Lab experiments: (Bandura) demand characteristics, artificial = tell us little about learning IRL, LESS GENERALISABLE, LESS ECOLOGICALLY VALID - Underestimates biology: boys more aggressive than girls in bobo doll experiment, may be due to hormonal factors = REDUCES VALIDITY OF THEORY + Explains cultural differences + Less deterministic: some free will, reciprocal determinism Cognitive approach How our mental processes affect behaviour Assumptions of cognitive approach Argues internal mental processes can, and should, be scientifically studies. It investigates areas of human behaviour that are normally neglected - memory, perception and thinking. The processes are 'private' so are studies by making inferences. Internal mental processes 'Private' operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response Computer models Mind is compared to a computer by suggesting that there are similarities in the way that information is processed Schema A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing, which are developed from experience Inference The process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behaviour Cognitive neuroscience The scientific study of biological structures that underpin cognitive processes Evaluation of cognitive approach + Scientific and objective methods: highly controlled and rigorous lab experiments - Machine reductionism: comparing to a computer, ignores influence of human emotion and motivation on the cognitive system, and how this may affect out ability to process information - Application to everyday life: artificial, abstract, only inferences, may not represent everyday memory experiences = LACK EXTERNAL VALIDITY + Soft determinism: recognises that our cognitive system can only operate within the limits that we know, but free to think = more reasonable middle ground Biological approach A perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function Biological assumptions Everything psychological is first biological so we must look at biological structures and processes within the body (genes, neurochemistry and nervous system), biological psychologist believe that the mind lives in the brain Genes Make up chromosomes, made up of DNA which code for physical features and psychological features and are transmitted from parents to offspring Biological structure An arrangement or organisation of parts to form an organ, system or living thing Concordance rate The extent to which both twins share the same characteristics Monozygotic twins Identical twins (100% same DNA) Dizygotic twins Non-identical twins (50% same DNA) Genotype The particular set of genes that a person posseses Phenotype The characteristics of an individual determined by their genes and environment Evolution The changes in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations Evaluation of biological approach + Scientific methods: fMRI's, EEG's, family & twin studies - more accurate = MORE REPRODUCIBLE, RELIABLE + Real application: development of psychoactive drugs that treat serious mental illnesses e.g. depression = USEFUL - Associations rather than causations: a drug reduces symptoms of a mental disorder and thus it assumed that the neurochemical in the drug causes the disorder = NOT 100% VALID - Deterministic: sees behaviour as being governed by internal, biological causes, no free will, problems in legal system (e.g. criminal gene) = LESS USEFUL -Difficult to separate nature and nurture