Summary AQA A-level Psychology - 4.2.1 Approaches in Psychology
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Course
Approaches
Institution
AQA
4.2.1 Approaches in Psychology
This is easy to read psychology notes on approaches in psychology. This covers the origins of the approaches and all approaches such as learning approaches (behaviourism and social learning), biological, cognitive & cognitive neuroscience, psychodynamic approach and ...
,Content
Contents
ORIGINS OF PSYCHOLOGY ............................................................................................................ 4
Introduction .........................................................................................................................................4
Early roots of psychology .....................................................................................................................4
Timeline ...............................................................................................................................................4
Wundt and Introspection ....................................................................................................................5
LEARNING APPROACHES: BEHAVIOURISM .................................................................................... 7
Basic assumptions of the behaviourist approach ................................................................................7
Classical Conditioning – Pavlov’s Research .........................................................................................8
Operant Conditioning – Skinner’s Research ........................................................................................9
Evaluating the Behaviourist Approach ..............................................................................................10
LEARNING APPROACHES: SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY .................................................................. 11
Basic assumuptions of social learning theory (SLT) ...........................................................................11
Social Learning Theory .......................................................................................................................11
Bandura’s Research – Bobo Doll ........................................................................................................12
Evaluating Bandura’s Research ..........................................................................................................13
Evaluating Social Learning Theory .....................................................................................................14
BIOLOGICAL APPROACH ............................................................................................................. 15
Basic assumptions of the biological approach...................................................................................15
Influence of genes on behaviour .......................................................................................................15
Evolution and Behaviour....................................................................................................................16
Influence of biological structures on behaviour ................................................................................17
Influence of neruochemistry on behaviour .......................................................................................17
Evaluation of the influence of biological structures and neurochemistry on behaviour ..................17
Evaluation of the biological approach ...............................................................................................18
COGNITIVE APPROACH ............................................................................................................... 19
Basic assumptions of the cognitive approach ...................................................................................19
Internal mental processes .................................................................................................................19
The role of schema ............................................................................................................................19
Theoretical models ............................................................................................................................20
Computer models ..............................................................................................................................20
Making inferences about mental processes ......................................................................................20
2
, Evaluation of the cognitive approach ................................................................................................21
COGNITVIE NEUROSCIENCE ........................................................................................................ 22
Emergence of cognitive neuroscience ...............................................................................................22
Practical application of cognitive neuroscience ................................................................................22
Evaluation of cognitive neuroscience ................................................................................................22
PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH .................................................................................................... 23
Basic assumptions of the Psychodynamic Approach.........................................................................23
The role of the unconscious ..............................................................................................................23
The structure of the personality ........................................................................................................23
Defence mechanism ..........................................................................................................................24
Psychosexual stages...........................................................................................................................25
Evaluation of the psychodynamic approach .....................................................................................26
HUMANISTIC APPROACH............................................................................................................ 27
Basic assumptions of the humanistic approach ................................................................................27
Self-actualisation and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs .........................................................................27
Focus on the self ................................................................................................................................28
Congruence ........................................................................................................................................28
The role of conditions of worth .........................................................................................................28
Evaluation of humanistic approach ...................................................................................................29
The influence on counselling psychology ..........................................................................................30
3
,ORIGINS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Specification: Origins of Psychology: Wundt, introspection and the emergence of Psychology as a
science.
Introduction
Use this
• Psychology = “The scientific study of behaviour and mind”
mnemonic to
• Science = a systematic way of collecting information/ data using remember!
empirical methods of investigation.
C
5 Main Features of Science
H
▪ Construct theories
▪ Hypothesis testing O
▪ Objective
R
▪ Replicable
▪ Empirical methods E
Early roots of psychology
Descartes & A French philosopher suggested that the mind and body are independent from
Dualism each other. This is a philosophical approach to psychology.
• Between 17th and 19th century, psychology has become a branch of the border discipline of
philosophy. During this time, it is known as experimental philosophy.
Timeline
Time- Key names & Description Scientific or
scale Approaches non-
scientific?
1879 Wundt & • Opened the first lab in Germany. Scientific
Introspection • He wanted to study the human mind
scientifically by using introspection.
• Introspection is claimed to be scientific by
Wundt because it carries under carefully
controlled conditions and standardised
procedure.
1900 Freud - • Emphasised the influence of the unconscious Non-
Psychodynamic mind on behaviour. scientific
approach • Development of his person-centred therapy:
psychoanalysis
1913 Watson and • Claimed that mental processes were Scientific
Skinner - unobservable and subjective.
Behaviourist • Criticised Wundt’s introspection method as it
approach was unscientific and relied on interpretation.
• Behaviours should be observed and measured
while using carefully controlled lab
experiment.
• Psychodynamic and behaviourist approaches
dominate psychology for the next 50 years.
4
,1950 Rogers and • Reject psychodynamic and behaviourist Non-
Maslow - approach → human behaviour was not scientific
Humanistic determined.
approach • Emphasise the importance of self-
determination and free will
1960 Cognitive • Came with the introduction of digital Scientific
approach computers.
• Reintroduce the study of the human mind but
in a more scientific way than Wundt’s
introspection method.
• Claimed that mental processes could be
studied.
• Draw inferences about the mental process
from the responses of the participants → not
relying on participants’ subjective experiences.
Bandura - Social • Draws the attention of the role of cognitive Scientific
Learning Theory factors in learning.
• Provides a branch to cognitive and
behavioural approaches.
1980 Biological • Assuming behaviours have physical bias and Scientific
approach investigating biological factors.
• Highly objective and scientific methods due to
advanced technology (e.g. brain scanning
techniques)
Wundt and Introspection
▪ He is known as ‘father of psychology’ and he set up the first laboratory in Germany in the
1870s.
▪ Introspection is a systematic process of looking into our thoughts and feelings.
▪ All introspections are carried out under carefully controlled conditions.
▪ He does this by breaking conscious thoughts and feelings down into separate parts.
Participants would be asked to report their experiences.
▪ Pps had to go through the same standardised procedure, given the same stimuli, allowed
same amount of time to repeat the process again to make it replicable.
▪ This allowed Wundt to make comparison of different pps responses to the same experiences
to construct theories about mental processes.
5
,Evaluating Introspection
A03
Strengths Weaknesses
▪ (State) It is still being used by other ▪ (State) Researchers claimed that it is
psychologist to investigate subjective not scientific.
experiences (such as happiness) in a ▪ (Elaborate) Behaviourist claimed that
scientific way. data from the process of introspection
▪ (Elaborate) One study showed that was based mostly on the individual’s
teenagers were unhappy more often own interpretation of their mental
than happy but were positive when process = not objective.
engaging with challenging tasks.
▪ (State) He paved the way for later ▪
controlled research into psychology.
▪ (Explain) Paving the way for later
approaches such as Behaviourism,
known for their scientific method.
▪ (Link) Therefore, Wundt’s work did
contribute to the emergence of
Psychology as a science.
6
, LEARNING APPROACHES: BEHAVIOURISM
Specification: Learning approaches: i) the behaviourist approach, including classical conditioning and
Pavlov’s research, operant conditioning, types of reinforcement and Skinner’s research
Basic assumptions of the behaviourist approach
▪ Behaviourist approach only interested in studying behaviour that can be observed and
measured. → don’t care about studying the mental processes.
▪
▪ Human behaviour is learned from the environment via experiences in life.
▪ They rely on laboratory experiments and adopt more objective and scientific way to study
the behaviour.
▪ Their research often involves studying animals and generalise their findings to humans.
▪ Two forms of learning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
7
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