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Approaches #1 - Coggle Diagram
Approaches #1
Origins of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt: first scientist to set up a psychological laboratory in 1879 in Germany - wanted to establish Psychology as a science in its own right
Introspection: used to understand the mind e.g. sensations and feelings
1. trained observers presented with a controlled stimuli e.g. a metronome
2. participants asked to describe how the stimulus made them think or feel
3. same stimulus, surroundings, and instructions given to all participants
AO3: Strength - contributed to other approaches e.g. seen as the start of the cognitive approach - modern day approach that attempts to understand what is happening in the mind using scientific methods - strength because it has influenced cognitive psychologists
AO3: Strength - Wundt applied the scientific method to studying the mind - means psychology is considered a science by many academics - if he hadn't set up a lab then psychology may still be based in philosophical roots - his work paved the way for psychology to be considered a respected discipline
AO3: Weakness - his work has been criticised for not being scientific - the participants private experiences were self-reported and not observable - reporting was subjective - criticised the objectivity of his work
Behaviourist Approach: believe that humans are born a 'blank slate' and all our behaviours are learnt from the environment - on the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate - see genetic influences as minimal
Methods:
Use the scientific method - study things that can be observed and measured - use controlled lab experiments - often use animals as they view the basic processes of learning the same for all animals so animals can replace humans in studies
Key Assumptions:
Behaviour is learned through association - Pavlov developed classical conditioning
Behaviour is learned through the consequences of behaviour - Skinner developed operant conditioning
Classical Conditioning: Ivan Pavlov
1. presenting the dog with food triggered the response of salivation (Unconditioned Stimulus triggered and Unconditioned Response)
2. ringing a bell didn't trigger a response in the dog (neutral stimulus)
3. presenting the food alongside a bell ring to create the association of the two (neutral stimulus plus the unconditioned stimulus trigger the unconditioned response
4. dog learns to salivate at the sound of the bell alone (conditioned stimulus triggered a conditioned response)
Timing: association only occurs if the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus are presented at the same time/around the same time - if too much time has passed then an association isn't made
Stimulus generalisation: once an animal had been conditioned they would also respond to stimulus similar to the conditioned stimulus
Extinction: if the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the food then the conditioned response slowly disappears
Key Study: Little Albert - Watson and Rayner (1920) -
Aim: to demonstrate that phobias can be learned through classical conditioning
Procedure: 9 month old baby (Albert) presented with a white rat - the rat was then paired with a loud noise - repeated numerous times
Findings: when the rat was placed in front of the baby without the noise he produced the fear response
Conclusion: fear can be conditioned in young children - Little Albert had also generalised his fear to any small white objects e.g. small dogs and rabbits
Operant Conditioning: Skinner
Research: developed the skinner box to test the effects of rewards on behaviour - rat placed in box that contained a lever - when lever was pushed food would be released - rats learned to push the lever to get food - behaviour was repeated over and over
1. Positive Reinforcement: receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed reinforces the behaviour
2. Negative Reinforcement: behaviour occurs in order to avoid something unpleasant
3. Punishment: opposite of reinforcement and done to eliminate or reduce a behaviour - unpleasant consequence that decreases behaviour - alternate Skinner box where pushing the lever resulted in electric shocks (the rats learned not to push the lever)
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Evaluation of Behaviourism:
Deterministic: AO3 Weakness - see behaviour as being controlled by past experiences that have been conditioned - skinner suggests all we do is a sum of our reinforcement history - also says free-will is an illusion and our behaviour is due to past conditioning - weakness as it suggests we aren't personally responsible for our behaviour - can provide a scapegoat
Reductionist: AO3 Weakness - reduces all behaviour down to one cause (conditioning) - simplistic view of behaviour to think we only learn through positive/negative reinforcement - ignores the contribution of other things like cognitive processes
Evidence: AO3 Strength - supporting research from Watson and Rayner - Little Albert study demonstrates the process of conditioning in learning phobias - adds validity and credibility to the approach
Application: AO3 Strength - real world applications - operant conditioning led to the development of token economies and classical conditioning has led to the development of treatments for phobias like systematic desensitisation - shows it can be used in real life to alter behaviour
Method: AO3 Strength - highly controlled scientific animal lab experiments - Skinner and Pavlov used scientific lab experiments to eliminate extraneous variables to establish cause and effect - gives psychology more credibility and status as a science
Social Learning Theory: learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded
Methods:
Mostly uses the scientific method such as laboratory experiments - takes place in a controlled environment so cause and effect can be established and they have strict control over extraneous variables
Key Assumptions:
Modelling, Identification, and Imitation: people learn through observing other peoples behaviour - they observe and imitate role models e.g. parents, teachers, celebrities - Identification involves the extent we relate to the model and want to be like them (more likely to occur if they're the same sex) - the more we can identify with the role model the more we want to imitate them:
F: friendly
L: likeable
A: age (older)
G: gender (same)
S: status (higher)
Vicarious Reinforcement: refers to the reinforcement that is not directly experienced but it occurs through observing someone else being reinforced - if we view someone being rewarded for behaviour we are more likely to imitate it and if they are punished we are likely to not imitate the behaviour
Mediational Processes:
Learning Behaviour:
1. Attention - observer must be paying attention and observing the model
2. Retention - observer must remember the behaviour they've seen
Performing the Behaviour:
3. Reproduction - observer must be capable of reproducing the behaviour
4. Motivation - consider the rewards and punishments that follow the behaviour
Key Study: Bobo doll experiment - Bandura (1963) -
Procedure: children ages 2-6 watched a film of an adult acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll - they were split into 3 groups each shown a different film ending
Group 1 - adult is rewarded for the aggressive behaviour
Group 2 - adult was punished for their aggressive behaviour
Group 3 - didn't see an ending to the film
Findings: children's play with the Bobo doll was influenced by the ending they had seen
Group 1 - high levels of aggression in play
Group 2 - low levels of aggression in play
Group 3 - medium levels of aggression in play
Conclusion: supports the idea of vicarious learning
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Evaluation of SLT:
Deterministic: AO3 Strength - less deterministic - theory suggests that when a person observes a behaviour they have cognitive mental processes and people have to choose whether or not to imitate it - strength as it takes into consideration that humans have a specific amount of free will regarding their behaviour
Reductionist: AO3 Weakness - reduces all behaviour down to one cause e.g. the role of our models - believes all behaviour is observed and imitated - suggesting we only learn through observing is a simplistic view on behaviour as it ignores other contributing factors e.g. neurochemistry - HOWEVER: less reductionist than others due to the contributions of mediational processes in learning
Evidence: AO3 Strength - supporting evidence - comes from lab experiments - Bobo doll experiment supports the theory and is conducted in a controlled environment - adds validity and credibility to the theory
Application: AO3 Strength - allowed us to increase our understanding of pro-social and anti-social behaviour - helps parents understand what not to show to children to reduce the risk of aggression - watershed to censor what is shown on tv at certain times - ensure only positive behaviour is shown to children to avoid negative behaviour
Methods: AO3 Strength - most supporting evidence comes from scientific lab studies - bandura controlled the variables of his study to increase the internal validity - gives the theory greater credibility - eliminates extraneous variables and allows for cause and effect to be established
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