Approaches in Psychology

Descartes: mind and body= a dualism

Wundt and Introspection

• Opened first experimental psychology lab in 1879, Leipzig, Germany
• Distinguished scientific psychology from philosophy

Introspection:

• Systematic experiments
• He broke up conscious awareness into:
  • thoughts
  • images
  • sensations
• He used stimuli to record conscious awareness
• It was standardised as everything was in a lab, with same stimuli and it was repeatable
• The isolation of consciousness is called structuralism- stimuli in the same order with same instructions

Approaches (AO1)

• Behaviour is learned 
• Only interested in observable behaviour recorded in lab; objective and controlled
• Everyone is born in blank slate- tabula rasa

Classical Conditioning (AO1)

• Pavlov, 1927, proved that behaviour could be learned by using dogs
  • 1. UCS (food) elicits UCR (salivation)
  • 2. NS (bell) elicits no CR
  • 3. NS+UCS paired together to elicit UCR
  • 4. NS becomes CS (bell) eliciting a CR (salivation)

Operant Conditioning (AO1)

• Skinner suggested behaviour was actively learned and shaped through consequences
• Positive Reinforcement: positive stimulus increases behaviour 
• Negative Reinforcement: negative stimulus occurs before, increasing behaviour
• Punishment: negative stimulus occurs after, decreasing behaviour

Assumptions (AO1)

• Sigmund Freud assumed behaviour was determined by the unconscious.

The Mind (AO1)

• Conscious- The part of the mind we are aware of
• Preconscious- Not actively aware of it, but can be accessed
• Unconscious- Unaware of, repressed and forgotten deep instincts

Tripartite Personality (AO1)

• Id- primitive and selfish, operates on pleasure principle and instinct.
• Ego- balances id and super-ego, operates on reality principle
• Super-Ego- punishes ego through guilt, works on morality principle.

Defence Mechanisms (AO1)

• Repression- forcing idea into unconscious
• Denial- refusing to acknowledge a fact
• Displacement- putting unwanted feelings onto something else

Assumptions (AO1)

• Focuses on conscious experiences and believe that humans strive towards personal growth
• Person-Centred Approach- humans have free will and personal responsibility.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (AO1)

• Maslow believed each need must be fulfilled until you can progress up to the next:

Congruence- Carl Rogers (A01)

• Incongruent- little overlap between self-image and ideal self; low-self-esteem lack of unconditional positive regard
• Congruent- self-image and ideal self are very similar; high self-esteem due to much unconditional positive regard
• Client-Centred Therapy- gives client unconditional positive regard they may have lacked in childhood