2. The four main perspectives. Biological Behavioural Cognitive Socio-cultural

3. Biological Perspective- Gazzaniga Focus on the biological (physiological) influences on behaviour and mental processes, including the brain and the rest of the nervous system, the endocrine (hormone) system, the immune system and genetics. Assumption all our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are associated with underlying bodily activities and processes Technological progress in this area: Development of techniques such as: CAT- Computed Axial Tomography http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN4E8Y5loAs&feature=related MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E1GoWhSlho&feature=related PET – positron emission therapy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZQq7chGoO4 fMRI- functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmQR57V5TVU

4. Behavioural Perspective- Skinner Focus on how behaviour is acquired or modified by environmental consequences such as rewards and punishments. Its focus is on observable behaviour and the role of learning in influencing behaviour. Assumption all behaviour can be explained in terms of learning processes Prominent Psychologists Burrhus Skinner (1904-90) – Behaviourism theory involved the belief that mental processes should not be scientifically studied as they were not directly observable. He also argued that mental processes were of little or no value in understanding and explaining behaviour. Skinner focused on explaining rewards and punishments in an individual’s environment shape, maintain and change their behaviour through a type of learning called operant conditioning.Skinner conducted many carefully controlled laboratory experiments with animals to develop and test his theories. Therapy Application Behaviour Therapy focuses on using learning principles to eliminate unwanted behaviour and brings about desired change, such as quitting smoking, lose weight, toilet training infants etc. Cognitive Behaviour therapy focuses on changing unreasonable thoughts that underlie unwanted behaviour, rather than changing the behaviour itself. Few psychologists today call themselves behaviourists (like that of Watson & Skinner) because of the simplistic nature of explaining complex human behaviour. The emphasis is now on both environmental and cognitive factors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA

5. Cognitive Perspective- Piaget Focus on how we acquire, process, remember and use information about ourselves and the world around us. Understanding how we take in information and how we treat the information in order to think, feel and behave as we do. Assumption internal mental processes are important in their own right, as well as important influences on observable behaviour. Method of study Emphasis the need to study mental processes using scientific methods, particularly well-controlled experiments. Application information processing approach using a computer analogy (see pg 32), connectionist approach recognises that different part of the brain are interconnected by networks of neurons and are more or less active at the same time when processing information. E.g Semantic Network Theory – when large amounts of information is stored in our long term memory, it is organised so that we can efficiently retrieve it when needed.

6. Socio-cultural Perspective Focus on the roles of social and cultural influences on human behaviour and mental processes. Assumption that socio-cultural factors such as sex, age, income level and the culture in which people grow up are important influences. Culture is the way of life of a particular group of people e.g beliefs, values, attitudes, customs, ways of behaving, forms of expression which are shared by most members of a group of people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAel_qR fKx8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAel_qR fKx8

7. The perspectives working together. Each perspective enables almost any topic in psychology to be looked at in a number of different ways. Example pg 35 Schizophrenia Symptoms include disorganised thinking, bizarre or disturbed thoughts and disorganised behaviour Biological Genetics & brain function could explain illness Behavioural Environmental factors can reinforce symptoms of schizophrenia Cognitive Thought patterns of people with schizophrenia & how they mentally process information and act on information Socio-cultural Specific life experiences that more likely to trigger or aggravate illness Many psychologists today do not adopt a single perspective. An eclectic perspective draws on theories, ideas and research methods from different perspectives.

8. Glossary Terms Biological perspective Behavioural Perspective Cognitive Perspective Socio-cultural Perspective Eclectic Perspective