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Psychology notes based on past papers
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Compiled and Summarised notes based on solved past papers on AS and A level Psychology including case studies and research methods
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Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) Psychology Extremely Detailed Study Notes for the Biological Approach (Canli et al. ; Dement and Kleitman ; Schachter and Singer)
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Notes based on past papersGeneral
Standard general questions:
> Biological approach assumptions:
Behaviours, emotions and cognitions can be explained via the brain and
hormones
Behaviours and emotions can be explained via the brain, for example the
hippocampus is involved in memory
> Cognitive approach assumptions:
Behaviours and emotions can be explained using cognitive processes like
attention, memory and language
Similarity and difference between people can be understood via cognitions,
these can be the way we process information
> Learning approach assumptions:
Conditioning can help explain behaviour, a child may imitate the aggressive
behaviour of a model they see
Stimulus-response can help explain behaviour, in classical conditioning a dog
may salivate at the sound of a bell being rung
> Social approach assumptions:
Behaviours, emotions and cognitions can be influenced by groups (ex. In an
emergency situation, people might see other people calling for help and go
on by without helping cause they believe they’ll be helped
Behaviours, emotions and cognitions can be influenced by other people (ex. In
Milgram’s study, the participants obeyed the authority figure to continue
increasing the shock levels due to the prods used/ the way experimenter was
dressed)
> Children in experiments:
Using children may be unethical as they could be distressed easily
(ex. In the Saavedra study the boy would have been distressed as he was exposed to
buttons which he had a phobia of)
> Explain why the procedure was standardised:
It allows the study to be easily replicated
Making the study testable for reliability
Example based on the study
> Explain the ‘nature-nurture’ debate:
Nature side of the debate states the behaviours are what we are born with
Nurture side of the debate is about what we learn in our lives
,> Individual VS Situational explanation of psychology:
The individual side refers to the behaviours within a person such as
personality (ex. In Piliavins study, people helped because of their personality)
The situational side refers to the behaviours of a person from factors in the
external environment (ex. In Piliavins study, people helped because they were
stuck in the subway car and had no other option)
> Ethics:
Informed consent: when participants are given enough information before
the study so they can decide whether they want to participate or not
Confidentiality: the participants data should not be identifiable as theirs
Debriefing: participants, after the study is over, should be told about what the
aim was by the researcher
Deception: a participant should not be deceived without a strong justification
Protection from physical harm: participants should leave the study in the
same physical state as they entered
Protection from physiological harm: participants should leave the study in the
same mental state as they entered
Right to withdraw: participant should be allowed to leave the study at any
given point, without penalty
[related to animals]
Deprivation: animals should not withhold any food or drink during the study
Housing: housing should account to the social behaviours of the animals
Numbers: psychologists should use the least number of animals as possible to
accomplish the goals
Species: researchers should pick an appropriate species for their study
Study specific questions:
Canli et al
> Aim:
To investigate whether the amygdala is sensitive to different levels of
emotional intensities
> Sample:
10 right-handed, healthy, female volunteers
Volunteer sampling technique
Females were used as they were more likely to report psychological arousal to
emotional intensity while males were less likely to, and they showed more
emotional arousal
Volunteer sampling means participants were motivated to be a part of the
study and would not mind to take part in the brain scan or view ‘disturbing’
images
> Procedure:
Participants viewed 96 scenes and 11 foils
, Presented on a mirror/projector
Each image was presented for 2-3 seconds
There was 12-13 seconds in between each scene presented
After a fixation cross appeared on screen
Participants had to rate their emotional intensity arousal
By clicking/pressing a button
One of four buttons
On a scale of 0 (not emotionally intense at all) to 3 (extremely emotionally
intense)
RECOGNITION TEST
Participants were asked to return for an unexpected recognition test
They viewed the same 96 scenes and 48 newly added foils
Matched according to the previous scene’s valence
They were asked if they had seen the scenes before
If they remembered them for certain they had to state ‘remembered’
If they were less confident of seeing them they stated ‘know’
And no rating was given if they stated they had never seen it before
> Brain scanning
fMRI used
Function is to measure brain activity (look at brain function)
Weakness: participants may feel stressed while being in the scanner and this
may affect the emotional intensity ratings given after the scenes were viewed
Controls; had a fixation cross/ head movement was minimised via bite bar
> Link to biological approach assumptions:
Left amygdala activation was related to the scenes being ‘remembered’,
therefore the degree it was remembered was explained via the amygdala
activation
> Supports nature side of the debate:
The study investigates brain function using a brain scanner, fMRI
Which is a biological mechanism
It detects brain activity in the amygdala
Which is a brain structure
Here it is biological and females were used in the study as they are likely to
show emotional reactions which is a biological difference from me
> Psychology being investigated:
The amygdala was being investigated
About its roles involved with memories
Using fMRI scans
It is part of the limbic system
And the amygdala has different functions in different hemispheres of the
brain
> Why the study is from biological approach:
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