What Sort of Psychologist Are You? The Different Approaches in Psychology

Approaches in Psychology Biological Behaviourist Social Learning Theory Cognitive Psychodynamic Humanistic BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE AND EVALUATE EACH APPROACH AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

Behaviourists All behaviour is learnt Learning depends on association Study only what they can see – outward behaviour, not thinking! Use objective, scientific methods

Key Behaviourists Ivan Pavlov John B Watson Frederick Burrhus Skinner

Ivan Pavlov Classical conditioning Learning through association between stimuli that occur at the same time Studied salivation in dogs Repeatedly pairing bell and food he conditioned dogs to salivate to the sound of the bell

Pavlov’s classical conditioning experiment

Know the Classical Conditioning diagram 1 Food (UCS) elicits Salivation (UCR) 2Food (UCS) + Bell (CS) elicits Salivation (UCR) 3Bell (CS) elicits Salivation (CR)

Classical Conditioning applied to Human Behaviour Watson & Rayner conditioned a phobia of rats in Little Albert Example of generalisation Apply CC to examples such as school phobia

Frederick Burrhus Skinner Operant conditioning Learning through association between response and consequence Studied lever-pressing in rats (and dancing in pigeons etc) Used positive reinforcement (food) to strengthen the lever-pressing behaviour

Reinforcement Positive – given to strengthen the behaviour Negative – removed if behaviour is performed: clean room to avoid nagging Punishment – given when undesired behaviour is performed

Skinner’s Experiments

Types of Reinforcement Primary – in itself rewarding eg Secondary – not in itself rewarding, but can be exchanged for a primary reinforcer eg

Behaviourist Main Method Controlled laboratory experiment (think Skinner)

Social Learning Theory (new Behaviourism) Observational learning Key terms: observation, imitation, identification, modelling, vicarious reinforcement Learning involves thinking – observed behaviours are attended to and remembered

Bandura’s Bobo Doll Study

Social Learning Theory and real life “Daniel sees his classmate rewarded for helping tidy the classroom. The next day he asks the teacher if he can tidy up after class” “Vikram watches TV super-heroes. He likes to think he can fly like superman” Q. Can you spot observation, imitation, identification, modelling and vicarious reinforcement?

Mediating Cognitive Factors All the thinking processes that come between (mediate between) stimulus and response

Social Learning Main Method Experiment with observation (think Bobo Doll)

Cognitive Psychologists Study internal mental processes eg attention and memory Use controlled experimentation Liken human information processing to computer processing Propose models to explain mental processes e.g.

Information Processing Model Stages of information processing INPUT PROCESSES STORAGE PROCESSES OUTPUT PROCESSES PERCEPTION ATTENTION MEMORY THINKING LANGUAGE MOVEMENT Backhand or forehand?

Cognitive experiment – Condition 1 Red Green Black Blue Black Green Blue Red

Cognitive experiment – Condition 2 Red Green Black Blue Black Green Blue Red

Cognitive Main Methods Controlled laboratory experiments (Think – memory experiment) Computer modelling Occasional case studies

Psychodynamic Psychologists SIGMUND FREUD (little Siggy!) Born in Vienna Trained as a doctor Founded the psychodynamic approach Invented psychoanalysis

Freud Behaviour is motivated by the unconscious Personality is tripartite (has three parts) Unconscious defence mechanisms protect us from unpleasant events, facts Development takes place in psychosexual stages Adult problems are due to repressed conflicts, fears, wishes

Defence Mechanisms Unconscious processes that protect the conscious self from unpleasant events or facts Know some examples: Repression Denial Displacement

Psychosexual stages Old Age Pensioners Like Gin

Psychodynamic Main Method Case study in a clinical setting with retrospective psychoanalysis (think Little Hans)

Humanistic psychologists

Humanistic Psychologists Believe we have free will Focus on the self Everyone is unique Therapy should be client centred People strive for self-actualisation We are motivated by a hierarchy of needs

Famous Humanistic names Carl Rogers Abraham Maslow

Carl Rogers Client-centred therapy – non-directive, therapist as a mirror Low self-esteem due to incongruence (gap) between perceived and ideal self Others set conditions of worth ‘I will only love you if……’ People will grow if they are given unconditional positive regard ‘I love you no matter what.….’

Abraham Maslow Studied motivation Proposed the hierarchy of needs People strive for self-actualisation Are you self-actualised? Do you ‘enjoy the means to the end’? Do you ‘appreciate basic experiences of life’ e.g. sunset?

Humanistic Methods Case studies One-to-one therapy Group therapy (think counselling)