Lecture notes
A Level AQA Psychology Paper 2 Approaches Notes
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- Approaches
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- AQA
A* notes for AQA Psychology
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Origins of psychologyWILHELM WUNDT =
- Established first psychology lab in Germany 1879.
- Aimed to describe nature of consciousness in a carefully controlled and scientific
environment.
- Pioneered method of introspection
- Introspection = breaking up consciousness awareness into basic structures of thoughts,
images and sensations
- E.g. watching a ticking metronome, reposting their thoughts images sensations whilst doing
that.
- This approach became known as structuralism.
Strength = some Conducted in = standardised Can be classed as scientific in
aspects of his method controlled procedures modern day psychology
are considered environment
scientific today
Limitation = other Relied on patients’ Subjective data, Scientific psychology should
aspects seen as self-report on varies from person only study objectively
unscientific their private to person, could observed and measured
mental processes be biased things – cannot be done with
thoughts and sensations.
EMERGENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE - timeline =
1879 = Wundt establishes first Psychology lab
1900s = Early behaviourists rejected introspection – too subjective. (argued that scientific
psychology should only study objectively observed and measured phenomena)
1930s = Behaviourist approach dominates psychology = focuses on learning and use of controlled
settings.
1950s = cognitive approach – uses more scientific procedures to study mental processes. Still
private, but able to make inferences on how they work.
19902 = biological approach introduces technological advances, including recording brain activity,
using scanning techniques such as fMRI and EEF, and advanced genetic research
,Behaviourism
- Focuses on behaviour that can be observed and measured. NOT CONCEREND WITH
INTERNAL PROCESSES OF THE MIND. Rejects introspection (vague and difficult to measure)
- Tried to maintain more control – relied on lab studies for this
- Used non-human animals (said processes are the same in all species)
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING =
=
Aim = to investigate salivation in dogs
Method =
Results =
Conclusion = suggests that dogs can lean to salivate to sound of a bell by maming associations
between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus – supports assumption of classical
conditioning.
, operant conditioning =
Rewarded when shown wanted Something bad taken away when To extinguish
behaviour wanted behaviour is shown unwanted behaviour
=
Aim = to investigate if rats could be trained to press a lever using operant conditioning
Method =
- Positive reinforcement = gave the rat a pellet of food every time it pressed the lever - rat
learns that lever = food so continues to press lever
- Negative reinforcement = ran electric shock through metal floor of cage, stopped when rat
pressed the lever – rat learns that lever = gets rid of electric shock
Conclusion = suggests that leaning occurs due to consequences of behaviour because rats can be
positively and negatively reinforced for either a food pellet or to stop electric shock
Strength = classical Fear and anxiety However social learning There’s more than one
conditioning can be associated with a theory suggests phobias explanation for phobias
used to explain how neutral stimulus are learnt after observing
humans develop after a bad a role model’s fear
phobias of objects experience towards something
and situations
Strength = laws of Principles of Treatment = token Operant conditioning can
learning developed operant economy. Hospitalised be used to improve
by skinner have real conditioning have schizophrenic patients people’s lives and mental
world application been used in show poor grooming. If health
treatments for it’s improved, they get
schizophrenia and rewarded with tokens
anorexia nervosa they can exchange for
something they like = will
improve grooming habits
to get things they like
Limitation = animal Patients should Animals involved were Low validity = study can
research has ethical be protected exposed to electric be questioned because
and practical issues from physical and shocks and stressful observed behaviour was
psychological conditions = affected how not ‘normal’ (artificial
harm they react to conditions = artificial
experimental situation results
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