Comparison between different ways of explaining behaviour using differen
themes
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_6lbj98
1. MAKING COMPARISONS BETWEEN YEAR 1 TOPICS
Social psychology: Social - aims to understand people in social context.
= SIMILAR to learning theories e.g. role models in social learning
Social- explains aggression
= SIMILAR to biological psychology, using evolution, hormones and brain structures
Social - focuses on roles other people play in behaviour (e.g. authority figures)
= DIFFERS from cognitive psychology which does not use other people as part of
the explanation e.g. others contribute to schemas but do not explain them
2. MAKING COMPARISONS BETWEEN YEAR 1 TOPICS
Cognitive psychology: Cognitive - aims to find out how mental processes affect
behaviour (e.g. the process of rehearsal in the multi-store model)
= SIMILAR to the idea of repetition in learning theories and build up of associations/synapses in biological psychology
Cognitive - studies unseen behaviour (thoughts) and needs different research
methods (e.g. test of recognition or recall)
= DIFFERS from social and learning theories (observable behaviour studied)
3. MAKING COMPARISONS BETWEEN YEAR 1 TOPICS
Biological psychology: Biological - underpins all explanations e.g. evolution,
genes, brain structure, neurotransmitters etc
= SIMILAR to learning theories which explain responses to rewards (reinforcement) e.g. through dopamine reward system
Biological - a reductionist approach e.g. explanations for gender differences
= DIFFERS from social which is more holistic, looks at influences of people/culture
Biological approach focuses on physical therapies (drugs)
= DIFFERS from cognitive (cognitive behavioural treatment) and learning (behaviourist approach in aversion therapy)
4. MAKING COMPARISONS BETWEEN YEAR 1 TOPICS
Learning theories: Learning theory - classical conditioning and operant conditioning
= SIMILAR to biological e.g. reinforcement and dopamine reward system
Learning theory - behaviour acquired through social learning
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Comparison between different ways of explaining behaviour using differen
themes
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_6lbj98
= SIMILAR to cognitive and social approaches
Learning theory - studies observable behaviour, which affects methods used, e.g.
observation
= DIFFERS from cognitive focus on thoughts and biological investigation of hidden
biological factors
5. EXAMPLES: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Obedience: Agency Theory: Reicher et al. (2012) explained obedience from the
perspective of social identity theory, using the concept of 'engaged followership'
=
People obey leaders who are seen to be part of their social group, so the followers
identify with the leader. Disobedience occurs when followers fail to identify with the
leader
=
This alternative theme/theory is important as it helps to explain when and why
people disobey whereas agency theory doesn't.
6. EXAMPLES: BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Freud's psycho dynamic explanation: Both approaches share the view that aggression is instinctive and therefore innate. For Freud, it is an unconscious impulse
originating in the ID. In the biological approach, it is linked to brain structures and
hormonal activities that are mostly genetic
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Freud suggests that directing aggression away from the self towards others promotes survival/self preservation. The biological approach includes evolutionary
principles highlighting the role of aggression in survival
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This shows that two very different approaches to explaining behaviour can share
some assumptions, increasing the validity of the view (in this case) that aggression
has a survival function
7. EXAMPLES: LEARNING PSYCHOLOGY
Other explanations of phobias, including psychodynamic: Freud explained
phobias in terms of displacement - when a person experiences anxiety arising
from a complex situation that is hard to deal with (e.g. a difficult relationship with
a parent) then the person copes unconsciously by displacing the anxiety onto a
simpler object (reducing their anxiety in general)
=
This explanation can be useful in complex clinical cases where patients/clients
have multiple symptoms and a history of trauma
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Comparison between different ways of explaining behaviour using differen
themes
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_6lbj98
=
This shows that learning theory is not the best explanation for every case of
phobias
HOWEVER
there is generally a stronger evidence base for learning theory explanations
for phobias than alternatives, for example psychodynamic theory of phobias is
generally just supported by isolated case studies
8. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Classification systems: DSM: The trauma informed approach has been gaining
interest amongst clinicians (John-stone and Miners 2018)
=
'Symptoms' are 'survival strategies', e.g. hostile voices can often be identified as a
person who abused or hurt them
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Therefore it makes sense to treat the 'symptom' in terms of its meaning rather than
trying to diagnose a disorder
9. CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
Attachment, deprivation and privation: Bowlby's work on attachment
- Different ways of explaining attachment: The behaviourist view is that attachment is about food (unconditioned stimulus) which creates pleasure (unconditioned response). The 'feeder' is associated with this pleasure and becomes a
conditioned stimulus
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Harlow's (1959) research with monkeys showed that attachment was about contact
comfort not food, and paved the way for alternative theories of attachment such as
Bolwby's
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This view continues as a commonly held attitude - that feeding a baby establishes
an important bond. However, Bowlby's theory challenges this
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