Psychology Induction (behaviourist/biological approach)

There are 3 different “assessment objectives” (AO’s) in psychology what do each of them mean

AO1= Test knowledge of research studies or theories

AO2= Tests application of knowledge to a scenario

AO3 = Tests ability to evaluate (discuss strengths and weaknesses of a study or theory

What is a good structure for 16 markers

AO1 - Outline of aim, and method (give detail on procedure)

AO1 - Outline of result and conclusion

AO3 - PEEL

AO3 - PEEL

AO3 - PEEL, include counterpoint and additional evaluation if time!

When evaluating (Coming up with strengths and weaknesses) we have 2 acronyms which may be useful, GRAVEE and RIA, what do these stand for and when are they used

Generalisable – can we apply these findings to other (humans) people?

Reliable – would we consistently get the same result

Application – is there a helpful way to use these findings

Validity – are these findings accurate

Ethics - Did the researchers adhere to strict ethical guidelines? Consider factors like informed consent, deception, protection from psychological/physical harm, and the right to withdraw

Economic Implications - What impact do the findings have on the economy? For example, does a new clinical therapy reduce employee absenteeism or save the healthcare system money?

GRAVEE is used for research studies

Research - to support a theory or an approach

Issues - with the claim of the theory

Application - real life uses of the theory

RIA is used to support a theory or approach

How should you revise based on research in psychology

1. Organise - know what you need to know

2. Read - read the packs, notes and ppt slides

3. Engage - actively create flash cards or summary notes as you go

4. Learn - test yourself using the flash cards

5. Practice questions - write them under exam conditions and self mark them

When and why did the behaviourist approach start to develop

-Began to develop in the 1920s (as a reaction to Freudian Psychology [id, ego, superego theory] which focused on subjective interpretations of dreams and the unconscious)

-wanted to establish psychology as a science

-behaviourists wanted to focus on behaviour because this could be objectively observed

define ‘Classical Conditioning’ - Pavlov (1897)

Classical conditioning is learning through association

What do each of the following mean and what were each of them in Pavlov’s experiment: ‘Neutral Stimulus’, ‘Unconditioned stimulus’, ‘unconditioned response’, ‘Conditioned stimulus’, ‘Unconditioned response’, ‘Conditioned response'.

Neutral stimulus: A ringing bell (no reaction from the dog)

Unconditioned stimulus: Food (dog automatically salivated)

Unconditioned response: Salvation (responding to food [US])

Conditioned stimulus: Bell, when paired with food the ringing bell becomes the CS

Conditioned response: Salvation (after conditioning)

So NS (bell) = no response

NS (bell) + USC (food) = UCR (salvation)

NS (bell) becomes CS = CR (salvation)

How might the idea of Classical Conditioning be used to explain human behaviour?

In humans, this can explain how people develop phobias. E.g. if a seagull snatches food from your mouth, you might associate the fear and shock of this experience with seagulls.

NS (seagull) + UCS (Shocking experience) = UCR (Fear)

CS (seagull) = CR (Fear)

Watson and Rayner’s case study of little albert: What was the aim, method, result and conclusion. (1920)

Aim: To see if Classical conditioning could create phobias in a child

Method: Child given a chance it play with white rat, rabbit, dog etc... And shows interest

then conditioning begins, every time the child reaches for the white rat a loud frightening noise occurs (hammer on a metal pole)

Result: child begins showing fear when seeing the white rat

this fear is generalised to other fury white things, like a fur coat and Santa beard.

Conclusion: phobias are acquired through classical conditioning

define ‘Operant Conditioning’? - Skinner (1948)

a method of learning where behavior is controlled by its consequences, such as rewards or punishment

Define ‘positive reinforcement’ with examples from Skinner’s box (rats and pigeons)

Definition: You add a pleasant or rewarding item to make a behavior happen more often

Skinner Box Example (Rats): A hungry rat is placed in the box. When the rat accidentally presses a lever, a food pellet drops into the tray. The food (the rewarding stimulus added) makes the rat press the lever again and again

Skinner Box Example (Pigeons): A pigeon pecks a target disc on the wall and receives a grain reward. The added grain increases the rate of pecking

Define ‘Negative reinforcement’ and give an example from Skinner’s box (rats)

Definition: You remove an annoying or aversive stimulus to make a behavior happen more often

Skinner Box Example (Rats): Skinner placed a rat in a box with an electrified floor that caused a mild, uncomfortable electric shock. When the rat pressed the lever, the electric shock turned off. The removal of the painful shock reinforced the lever-pressing action, so the rat learned to press the lever quickly to stop or avoid the shock. reinforcement always increases behavior, whereas punishment always decreases it. Negative reinforcement stops a bad feeling to encourage a good habit.

How might Operant Conditioning be used to explain human behaviour?

by demonstrating how our actions are shaped, repeated, or stopped based on the consequences—such as rewards or punishments—that follow them.

how is positive reinforcement different from negative reinforcement

positive reinforcement adds a desirable reward while negative reinforcement removes an unpleasant stimulus. Both Increases behaviour whereas punishment decreases behaviour

How is Charles Darwin relevant in Biological Approach

Although he didn’t apply his theory of evolution to this approach, he did lay the ground works for future psychologists to argue that it is not just physical characteristics that may aid our survival. Lesa Cosmides and John Toobey used the evolutionary theory and applied it to psychology. (1992)

What are the key assumptions of the Biological approach

1. All Behaviour has a physical basis (e.g. genes, hormones, brain structure or brain chemistry

2. The brain and nervous system determine behaviour (The NS has automatic and voluntary response and different areas of the brain have different functions)

3. Behaviour can be inherited i.e passed down via genes from parents

4. Behaviours that are common in humans todays have evolved (because they helped our species survive

5. Scientific methods are important in research

What is the difference between genotype and phenotypes and give examples

Genotype is an individuals genetic makeup

Phenotypes are the observable characteristics or behaviours that result from the interaction between the genotype and the environment.

for example, a person may inherit genes from tallness (genotype) but due to malnutrition they end up being much smaller than their genetic potential (phenotype)