Approaches in Psychology

Wundt and Introspection

Wundt's Lab - First psychology lab in Leipzig, introduced stucturalism.

Controlled methods - Standardised instructions made the procedures replicable.

Early philosophical roots - Decartes, Locke, Darwin.

The Emergence of Psychology as a Science

Watson and the early behaviourists - Rejection of introspection.

Scientific approach - Behaviourism, the cognitive revolution, the biological approach, cognitive neuroscience.

Assumptions - Obervable.

Basic processes same in all species.

Classical Conditioning - Pavlov - Association of NS with UCS to produce new CS and CR.

Operant conditioning - Skinner - Reinforcement (positive and negative). 

Punishment.

Evaluation

Scientific credibility - Objectivity and replication helped create psychology as a science.

Real-life application - Token economy used in prisons. Focus on here and now, e.g. treating phobias.

Mechanistic - Humans are passive responders, mental events not included.

Assumptions - Observable

Basic processes same in all species.

Vicarious reinforcement - Observation leads to imitation if behaviour is vicariously reinforced (Bobo doll experiment).

Mediational processes - Attention, retention, motivation, reproduction

Identification - More likely to imitate role models you identify with.

Evaluation

Cognitive factors in learning - More comprehensive account of learning.

Evidence from lab studies - Demand characteristics and low validity.

Underestimates influence of biology - Aggression involves hormonal factors e.g. testosterone.

Explains cultural differences.

Assumption - Internal mental processes can be studied through inference.

Theoretical and computer models - Imformation processing approach. Mind is likened to a computer and applied to artifical intelligence.

The role of schema - Beliefs and expectation affect thoughts and behaviour. Innate or learned. Mental short-cut, leads to perceptual errors.

The emergence of cognitive neuroscience - Biological structures link to mental states e.g. Broca. Brain imaging (e.g. fMRI) used to read the brain.

Evaluation

Scientific and objective methods - Lab experiements to produce reliable, objective data. Credible basis.

Machine reductionism - Ignores the influence of emotion.

Application to everyday life - Abstract and overly theoretical. Artifical stimuli.

Assumptions - Biological processes: genes, neurochemistry and the neurons system.

Genetic basis of behaviour - Twin and family studies.

Genotype and Phenotype - Interaction between nature and nuture.

Evolution and behaviour - Natural selection of genes based on survival value and, ultimately, reproductive success.

Evaluation

Scientific methods - Precise techniques, such as scanning techniques, family studies, drug trails.

Real-life application - Psychotherapeutic drugs.

Causal conclusion - Drugs may only be associated with symptom reduction, not causes.

Evaluation extra - Determinist. Cannot separate nature and nurture.

The Nervous System

Central nervous system - Brain and the spinal cord.

Peripheral nervous system - Autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic). Somatic nervous system (body).

The Endocrine System

Glands and hormones - Hormones distributed in bloodstream. Pituitary is the master gland.

Fight or flight - Sympathetic arousal: pituitary ~> ACTH ~> adrenal gland ~> adrenaline.

Structure and Functions of Neurons

Types of neurons - Motor, sensory and relay neurons.

Structure of a neuron - Cell body contains nucleus, has dendrites. Axon covered myelin sheath divided by nodes of Ranvier.

Electrical transmission - Positive charge leads to action potential.

Synaptic Transmission

Synapse - Terminal buttons at synapse, presynaptic vesicles release neurotransmitter.

Neurotransmitters - Post-synaptic receptor site links to denrites of adjoining neuron. Specialist functions e.g. acetylcholine for muscle contraction.

Excitation or inhibition - Adrenaline is excitatory, serotonin is inhibitory.

Psychotherapeutic drugs - SSRIs increase serotonin activity.