approaches

Question 1

what is behavourism

Answer 1

the study that behaviour is learnt through experience.

Question 2

what does behaviourist research involve

Answer 2

studying of animals in labs which allows controlled variables

Question 3

what was pavlovs research

Answer 3

he researched classical conditioning by making dogs salivatate using bells

Question 4

strengths of pavlovs research

Answer 4

• uses experiments w control over variables to infer cause and effect
• successfully applied to humans (little albert developed a phobia of a white rat pairing a rat with a loud noise)
• made explanations for psychological disorders

Question 5

what is operant conditioning

Answer 5

an explanation for voluntary behaviour. that the likelihood of future behaviour is determined by the consequences of past behaviour

Question 6

how do consequences affect behaviour (skinners terms)

Answer 6

“if behaviour has no consequence, then the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated in the future does not change”

Question 7

3 types of reinforcement

Answer 7

• positive rienforcement, reward for doing something good
• negative rienforcement, something bad being taken away for doing something good

punishment, consequences for doing something bad

Question 8

explain skinners research

Answer 8

for positive rienforcement - a hungry rat was put into a box and accidentally pressed the lever, recieving food, the amount of times the lever being pressed increased

for negative rienforcement - loud noise was played but if the rat could press the lever to stop the noise. this increased lever pressing

punishment - an electric shock to the rat when it pressed the lever. decreased lever pressing

Question 9

explain schedules of reinforcement

Answer 9

unpredictable reinforcement was more successful for conditioning behaviour than continous reinforcement

Question 10

what is shaping

Answer 10

using reinforcement and punishment to create desired behaviour

Question 11

strengths of skinners research

Answer 11

• uses experiments to test his theory so controlled variables, precise measurements means he can infer cause and effect
• explained adaptive and maladaptive behaviours
• led to development of treatments
• used in token economies (prision stuff)
• little training needed to apply to families, workplace, society.

Question 12

weaknesses of skinners research

Answer 12

-human behaviour is driven by complex emotions. use of animals is a source of crititism

• ethical issues as the animals were exposed to stressful and harmful conditions

Question 13

what is the role of mediational processes

Answer 13

mental processes that intervene in learning processes determining whether a new behavour is learned

Question 14

4 processes of mediational processes

Answer 14

attention
retention (form a memory to what a model is doing

motor reproduction (imitate behaviour)

motivation

Question 15

what is motor reproduction

Answer 15

to imitate behaviour effectively

Question 16

what is vicarious reinforcement

Answer 16

if model is rewarded, imitation becomes likely

Question 17

explain the bobo doll experiment

Answer 17

bandura carried an experiment

• aggressive model condition (results were children were violent)
• non aggressive model condition ( adult played peacefully + results were less aggression)
• control condition was no adult was shown

Question 18

strength of bandura’s research

Answer 18

• useful real world application (aggressive children usually come from homes with less affection and high aggression)

-easily replicable since it was carried out in a labortatory setting

-supporting cross-cultural evidence. arapesh is a non aggressive culture.

Question 19

weakness of banduras research

Answer 19

-ethical issues - exploitation of children as they were encouraged to be aggressive

-the conditions are artificial since the bobo doll is not a real living person

• underestimates the role of biological factors

Question 20

what are the assumptions of cognitive approach

Answer 20

that the mind works similar to a computer

Question 21

what is inference

Answer 21

the act of drawing a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning

Question 22

the role of schema

Answer 22

a cognitive framework that helps organise and interpret information

Question 23

strengths of cognitive approach

Answer 23

• substantial contribution to psychology
  e.g modern types of therapy are based on CA like cbt

-lab experiments so its high in control and can establish cause and effect, and easy to test for reliability

Question 24

weakness of cognitive approach

Answer 24

• you can only infer what a person is thinking due to the inability to directly observe a persons thoughts

-restricted and mechanistic description of experiences and behaviour

Question 25

what is the biological approach

Answer 25

understanding behavior and mental processes through the lens of biological factors

Question 26

what is the genotype

Answer 26

a particular set of genes a person possesses

Question 27

what is a phenotype

Answer 27

refers to charactertistics demonstrated by an individual that results from the environment and genetics.

Question 28

what are neurotransmitters

Answer 28

chemical messengers that act between neurones within the brain

Question 29

strengths of biological approach

Answer 29

- high degree of reliability and scientific credibility - *gottesmans and shields* evidence lends some support there is a genetic basis for schizophrenia -provided explanations for a range of psychological disorders

Question 30

weakness of biological approach

Answer 30

- excludes social and cultural influences - neglect peoples experiences - reductionist

Question 31

AO1 of social learning theory

Answer 31

proposed by bandura suggests that behavior is learned through observation and imitation of others learning takes place through vicarious reinforcement Bandura identified four mediational processes

Question 32

AO2 of SLT

Answer 32

Bandura’s Bobo doll studies where children observed adults behaving aggressively or non-aggressively towards a doll Children who observed aggressive behavior were more likely to imitate it supports the role of observation and vicarious reinforcement in learning

Question 33

strength of SLT

Answer 33

supported by a large amount of empirical research laboratory studies such as Bandura’s experiment These studies demonstrate clear cause-and-effect relationships between observed behaviour and imitation increasing the scientific credibility of the theory

Question 34

limitation of SLT

Answer 34

may lack ecological validity. Bandura’s Bobo doll studies were conducted in an artificial setting Therefore, the findings may not reflect how children learn aggression in real-life situations - SLT can be criticised for underestimating biological factors in behaviour. aggression may be influenced by genetic or hormonal factors, which SLT does not fully account for This suggests that SLT provides an incomplete explanation of behaviour when used in isolation.

Question 35

AO1 into behaviorist

Answer 35

learned from the environment through interaction and experience Behaviorists reject the study of internal mental processes behavior is learned through conditioning.

Question 36

pavlov's dog

Answer 36

Classical conditioning involves learning through association. Pavlov showed that dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus, such as a bell, with food, leading to a conditioned response of salivation.

Question 37

skinners rats

Answer 37

Operant conditioning explains behaviour in terms of consequences. Behaviour that is followed by reinforcement is more likely to be repeated, whereas behaviour followed by punishment is less likely to occur again. Reinforcement can be positive or negative

Question 38

strength of behaviorist approach

Answer 38

real-world applications of the approach successfully applied in therapies such as systematic desensitisation for phobias and token economies in institutions. These applications demonstrate that the approach has practical value in explaining and changing behaviour

Question 39

limitation of behaviorist approach

Answer 39

use of animal research raise ethical issues due to the use of punishment and deprivation human behaviour is often more complex than animal behaviour, which limits the generalisability of findings reductionist it ignores the role of cognitive processes such as thinking and decision-making. cannot fully explain complex human behaviours.

Question 40

ao1 of biological approach

Answer 40

explains behaviour in terms of physiological processes within the body, such as genetics, neurochemistry and brain structure assumes that all behaviour has a physical cause and can therefore be explained scientifically.

Question 41

1 key concepts of biological approach (1)

Answer 41

behaviour is genetically determined suggest that psychological characteristics, such as intelligence or mental disorders, may be inherited through genes passed from parents to offspring For example, research into schizophrenia has shown higher concordance rates among identical twins than non-identical twins, suggesting a genetic influence

Question 42

1 key concept of biological approach (2)

Answer 42

role of neurochemistry argues that behaviour is influenced by the action of neurotransmitters in the brain. low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression, while high levels of dopamine are associated with schizophrenia led to the development of drug therapies, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, which aim to correct chemical imbalances.

Question 43

strength of biological approach

Answer 43

has alot of practical applications led to effective drug therapies that can significantly improve the quality of life for individuals with conditions such as depression and schizophrenia demonstrates real-world usefulness. highly scientific uses objective, controlled methods such as brain scans, twin studies and drug trials, which produce reliable and replicable data. increases the credibility of the approach and psychology as a science.

Question 44

weakness of biological approaches

Answer 44

reductionist ignores psychological and environmental factors For example, depression may also be influenced by life experiences, such as trauma or stress, which the biological approach fails to consider.

Question 45

AO1 of cognitive approach

Answer 45

explains behaviour in terms of internal mental processes these processes are studied scientifically through inference, as they cannot be directly observed

Question 46

one assumption of the cognitive approach (1)

Answer 46

mental processes can and should be studied scientifically. Cognitive psychologists use controlled experiments to investigate how information is processed, often by measuring accuracy or reaction time. This allows behaviour to be explained objectively.

Question 47

one assumption of the cognitive approach in psychology (2)

Answer 47

use of theoretical models suggests that the human mind works similarly to a computer, with information being input, processed and output Models such as the multi-store model of memory illustrate how cognitive processes are structured

Question 48

assumption of the cognitive approach (3)

Answer 48

role of schemas which are mental frameworks that help individuals organise and interpret information Schemas develop through experience and can influence perception and memory

Question 49

strength of cognitive approach

Answer 49

scientific and objective controlled laboratory experiments that produce reliable and replicable data which enhances the credibility of psychology as a science. useful real-world applications led to effective therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which is widely used to treat depression and anxiety by changing maladaptive thinking patterns.

Question 50

limitation of cognitive approach

Answer 50

reductionist ignores emotional, social and biological influences on behaviour and oversimplifies it lacking emotional and motivational factors Unlike machines, humans are influenced by emotions, which the cognitive approach does not fully explain