REVISE Approaches in 33 MINS (AQA A-level Psychology) transcript

Hey everyone, welcome back to bear it in mind. This video is going to summarize the whole of the approaches topic. This is designed to give you an overview. So if you want a more in-depth explanation of the approaches, you can find a full playlist of videos on each section on the Bearit in Mind YouTube channel. If you want more help with your revision to study smarter and save you time, you can join bear it in mind while you'll find a variety of resources from interactive quizzes, exam paper walkthrough videos, exemplar answers, and much more.

Link is in the description. Let's dive in and summarize the approaches topic starting with the origins of psychology. In 1879, Wilhelm Vunt made history by opening the first ever laboratory dedicated to the scientific study of the human mind in Leipzig, Germany. It was called the Institute of Experimental Psychology and it marked the moment psychology became recognized as a separate scientific discipline. Vun also published one of the first psychology textbooks, helping to establish psychology as an independent branch of science separate from philosophy and biology.

Vunt's approach was known as structuralism. The idea that the mind could be broken down into basic elements much like how a chemist breaks substances into elements. He wanted to study the structure of conscious experience using the scientific method. His goal was to uncover the building blocks of mental processes, particularly sensation and perception under controlled experimental conditions. To investigate the mind, Vunt developed a method called introspection.

It's a systematic process of self-observation where individuals reported their own conscious thoughts, sensations, and feelings in response to specific stimuli. In other words, introspection is conscious examination of conscious experience. Participants were presented with standardized stimuli like a ticking metronome or a flashing light. They were asked to reflect on their inner experience, what they saw, felt, or thought in that moment.

They then provided a verbal report, aiming to break the experience down into separate elements. These studies were highly standardized to allow for replication and comparison across participants. Fun's work laid the foundations, but psychology continued to evolve. In the early 1900s, behaviorists like Watson and Skinner rejected introspection for being too subjective, focusing instead on observable and measurable behavior using controlled lab experiments.

In the 1950s, the cognitive approach revived the study of mental processes, but did so using objective scientific methods and computer models to explore thinking, memory, and perception. By the 1980s, the biological approach was using technologies like fMRI to observe the brain in action and advances in genetics allowed researchers to explore how biology and behavior are linked. These developments helped cement psychy's place as a scientific discipline grounded in empirical research and technological innovation.

Font's research was criticized for being subjective. This was because introspection relied on personal reports which couldn't be objectively verified. But Vaunt was praised for being the starting point for the future of psychology. Vaunt's impact is undeniable. He separated psychology from philosophy, pioneered experimental methods, and trained over 100 psychology specialists, many of whom went on to shape the field internationally.

He also influenced future developments, particularly the cognitive approach, which also focuses on internal mental processes. The behaviorist approach is one of two approaches referred to as learning theory. In essence, behaviorists assume that behavior is learned from the environment through experiences. They assume that we are born as blank slate. Tabular rasa. We come into this world as blank slates without any preconceived ideas.

No inborn ideas. If behavior is learned from the environment, how does this happen? Classical conditioning is learning through association. It was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist in the early 1900s. In his famous experiment, he noticed that dogs naturally salivated when they saw food. Then he rang a bell just before giving them food. After several pairings, the bell alone made the dogs salivate.

This show that the dogs had learned to associate the bell with food. Next is operant conditioning, which is learning through consequences, including rewards and punishments. This was studied by BF Skinner using his Skinner box where he investigated the effects of reinforcement and punishment on the rat's behavior. Reinforcement increases the likelihood that a behavior will happen again, whereas punishment decreases the likelihood that a behavior will happen again.

Rats quickly learn to repeat behaviors that got them rewards and avoid ones that cause discomfort. Positive reinforcement is when something is added which strengthens a behavior. You add something pleasant to make it more likely the behavior will be repeated. For example, a rat presses a lever and receives a food pellet. It's more likely to press the lever again. Negative reinforcement is when a consequence is taken away which strengthens a behavior.

You remove something unpleasant to make it more likely the behavior will be repeated. For example, a rat presses a lever and the electric shock stops. The removal of the shock makes it more likely the rat will press the lever again. Positive punishment is when a consequence is added which weakens a behavior. You add something unpleasant to decrease a behavior. For example, a rat presses a lever and receives a shock. That behavior is less likely to happen again.

Negative punishment is when something is taken away which weakens a behavior. So you take away something pleasant to decrease a behavior. A child misbehaves and their favorite toy is taken away. That behavior is less likely to happen again. One of the strengths of the behaviorist approach is that they use highly scientific objective methods focusing on observable behavior in controlled lab settings. For example, Skinner's use of the Skinner box allowed clear cause and effect conclusions about reinforcement and behavior.

This gave psychology greater scientific credibility. However, much of their research was conducted on animals which may not reflect complex human behavior. Humans have conscious thought, language, and social awareness, areas that behaviorism overlooks. Compared to other approaches like social learning theory, or cognitive, behaviorism may oversimplify human behavior. Supporting evidence come from Watson and Raina's little Albert experiment.

A neutral stimulus, a white rat, was paired with an unconditioned stimulus, a loud noise. Over time, Albert developed a conditioned fear of the rat, showing classical condition in action. This supports the idea that behavior can be learned through association. One strength of behaviorism is its realworld applications, especially in the treatment of phobias through systematic desensitization using classical conditioning.

Additionally, behavior modification using operant conditioning in schools and prisons through token economies. These methods reinforce positive behavior, showing how behaviorism has improved lives and behavioral outcomes. However, behaviorism can be criticized for being environmentally deterministic. It claims all behavior are caused by external reinforcement. Skinner said free will is an illusion. We think we're making free choices, but we're actually unaware of all of our reinforcement histories.

Critics argue this removes personal responsibility as behavior is seen as shaped entirely by the environment. In contrast, the humanistic approach promotes free will and personal growth. arguing we can choose to change our behavior. Social learning theory is the other approach alongside the behaviorist approach referred to as learning theory. This was proposed by Albert Bandura who agreed with behaviorism on the influence of the environment in learning.

However, he argued that much of our learning can happen indirectly through the observation of other people, not just through direct experience. Social learning theory focuses on observational learning which includes the following features. Imitation and modeling. Imitation is copying someone else's behavior. And modeling is the demonstration of a behavior by someone we may copy, the role model. Identification. We're more likely to imitate a model if we identify with them.

Identification is when an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like that role model. Key factors that increase identification are same sex, similar age, high status or authority, friendly and likable. Vicarious reinforcement is reinforcement which is not directly experienced by us but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behavior. If we see someone being rewarded for a behavior, we're more likely to copy it.

If we see someone punished, we're less likely to imitate. Finally, there are mediational cognitive processes. Vanura added a cognitive element to behaviorism's stimulus and response idea that we don't imitate automatically. We think first. Mediational cognitive processes are cognitive factors, our thoughts that influence learning that come between stimulus and response. The four cognitive steps are attention. Do we notice the behavior?

Retention. Can we remember it? Reproduction. Do we have the ability to do it ourselves? Motivation. Do we want to do it? This shows Banura's theory bridges behaviorism and cognitive psychology. It sees people as active thinkers, not passive responders. Supporting evidence comes from Banura's 1961 Boowbo doll study. He investigated whether children would imitate aggressive behavior observed in adults. Children who watched an adult model behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll were significantly more likely to imitate that aggression compared to those who saw a non-aggressive model or no model at all.

A key strength of social learning theory is its use of well-ontrolled research methods such as Banura's lab experiment with a match pairs design allowing for cause and effect conclusions. The high reliability of observations with interrator reliability of 0.89 89 also supporting the findings. However, limitations include a narrow age range of young children questioning the extent to which ban jury's results and thus social learning theory can be generalized to the wider population.

Additionally, the study has been criticized for its artificial task. This is because the Bobo doll toy was something many of the children had never played with before and so would have been of greater interest to the children. Cumberbatch in 1997 found in a follow-up study that children who had previously played with the Bobo doll were five times less violent than those who were new to it. A strength of social learning theory is its practical application.

This is because its ideas of observational learning, role models, and vicarious reinforcement can be used in advertising and marketing. This is used effectively in public health campaigns, demonstrating how social learning theory can be applied to real life settings to encourage behavioral change. Another way to evaluate it is through comparisons with other approaches. Social learning theory offers a more complete explanation of learning compared to behaviorism by including cognitive processes between stimulus and response.

It also benefits from studying humans rather than animals, making findings more generalizable. Finally, we can evaluate it using a debate. Social learning theory focuses heavily on the nurture side of the nature nurture debate, emphasizing learned behavior through observation and imitation. However, it overlooks biological influences such as the role of testosterone in aggression, suggesting social learning theory may offer an incomplete account of certain behaviors.

The features of the cognitive approach include internal mental processes. The term cognitive has come to mean mental processes. So, cognitive psychologists are interested in studying internal mental processes and how these are involved in our behavior. This includes mental processes like perception, attention, memory, language, and problem solving. These processes are private and cannot be directly observed. So, psychologists make inferences based on observed behavior.

An inference is drawing a conclusion about the way mental processes work which we cannot directly observe by making assumptions about behavior that we can directly observe. Computer models refers to the process of using computer analogies as a representation of human thinking. The idea of input, processing, storage, and output to explain information processing. Theoretical models are simplified representations showing information flow through cognitive systems.

For example, the multistar model of memory. Schemas are mental frameworks based on experience that help us interpret information efficiently. They guide our expectations, helping us make predictions about what is going to happen, but can lead to distortions in perception and memory. Schemas are important in understanding errors in eyewitness testimony and the development of negative thinking patterns in depression. Finally is cognitive neuroscience.

This is the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes. It combines cognitive psychology with biological approaches to study how brain structures influence mental processes using methods like fMRI and PET scans. For example, Tulvingal found different areas of the prefrontal cortex are active for episodic versus semantic memories. One key strength of the cognitive approach is its wide range of practical applications that have had a realworld impact.

Firstly, there's the cognitive interview, a police technique designed to improve the accuracy of eyewitness testimony by asking witnesses to recall events in a different order. The technique reduces the influence of schemas, leading to more reliable evidence in criminal investigations. Secondly, cognitive neuroscience. Advances in brain scanning technology through fMRIs have allowed cognitive neuroscientists to identify specific brain areas linked to different types of memory.

This has practical benefits for diagnosing and treating memory related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. Thirdly, the treatment of depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the cognitive assumption that irrational or faulty thinking patterns lead to emotional and behavioral problems. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps individuals identify and challenge these thoughts. However, a common criticism of the cognitive approach is that it's reductionist.

This is because the cognitive approach often compares the human mind to a computer, reducing mental processes to input, storage, and output systems. This mechanistic view fails to account for emotional influences. Human thought is not always logical. Emotions like fear or anxiety can significantly affect memory, especially in high stress situations such as witnessing a crime. Another way to evaluate it is through comparisons with other approaches.

Comparing it with the behaviorist approach, we can see that behaviorists like Skinner argue that observable behavior should be studied scientifically. They criticize the cognitive approach for relying on inferences about internal mental states which cannot be directly observed. From this perspective, the behaviorist approach is seen as more scientifically rigorous. Another comparison with the behaviorist approach relates to generalizability.

Much of the behaviorist research by Pavlov and Skinner was conducted on animals, limiting its generalizability to humans. In contrast, the cognitive approach focuses on human participants and processes like memory, perception, and problem solving, making its findings more applicable to human behavior. The biological approach to psychology assumes that behavior can be explained using biological processes because humans are viewed as biological beings.

That means that everything psychological is first biological. Here are the features of the biological approach. The genetic basis of behavior. The biological approach assumes that psychological traits such as intelligence and mental illness can be inherited just like physical traits. Researchers often study twins to investigate this. Monozygotic twins share 100% of genes and dzygotic twins share 50% of genes. If a trait like OCD has a higher concordance rate in MZ twins than DZ twins, this suggests a genetic influence.

This also includes genotypes, which is your genetic code, and phenotypes, which refers to the expression of the genotype, and its interaction with the environment. For example, a person may have a genetic risk for dementia, their genotype, but lifestyle factors like diet or lack of sleep can influence whether it develops the phenotype. Another feature is the influence of biological structures like the brain on behavior.

This focuses on how certain parts of the brain may be responsible for certain functions otherwise known as localization of function. For example, the cerebral cortex is divided into loes and hemispheres each with specialized functions. For example, the frontal lobe and decision making and movement, the parietal lobe with sensory processing, the occipital lobe with vision, and the temporal lobe with hearing and speech.

This supports the idea of localization of brain function, meaning specific areas of the brain control specific behaviors. Another feature is the influence of neurochemistry on behavior, which focuses on how behavior is also influenced by neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers in the brain. An imbalance in neurotransmitters can lead to changes in mood or behavior. For example, lower levels of serotonin has been linked to depression and higher levels of dopamine have been linked to schizophrenia.

Finally is evolution and behavior. Based on Darwin's theory of natural selection, traits that increase survival are passed on. For example, the routine reflex in infants helps with breastfeeding and survival. Because of this evolutionary view, the biological approach often uses animal studies too to help understand human behavior. The case study of Phineas Gage provides supporting evidence for the influence of brain structures on behavior.

After damage to his frontal lobe, Gage's personality changed, supporting localization of brain function. Supporting evidence for the role of genetics in behavior comes from Nestal in 2010. They found higher concordance rates for OCD and MZ twins compared to DZ twins, suggesting a genetic basis for OCD and supporting the role of heredity. The biological approach can be praised for its highly scientific research methods.

This is because they use objective, highly controlled methods such as fMRI and PET scans. These allow for replication and establishing cause and effect, adding scientific credibility to this approach. Additionally, a strength of the biological approach is its practical application. Drug treatments, for example, SSRIs for OCD have been developed based on understanding neurotransmitter imbalances, helping reduce symptoms and improve lives.

However, there are limitations of their research methods. This is because case studies like Phineas Gage involve unique individuals. So findings may lack generalizability to the wider population. Secondly, there are issues with animal research. With the assumption of evolution on behavior, findings from animals may not fully apply to humans who are more complex in areas like emotion, language, and morality. The biological approach can also be criticized in terms of the nature versus nurture debate.

This is because it emphasizes nature with the role of genes and neurotransmitters more than nurture the environmental factors. Whilst it does acknowledge genotype and phenotype interaction, it underplays environmental influences compared to other approaches. Research often demonstrates how biology and environmental factors interact. For example, with the diiathesis stress model. Additionally, in terms of the debates, the biological approach can be criticized for being biologically deterministic.

This is because it suggests behaviors caused by internal factors such as genes and brain chemistry. This implies lack of control and moral responsibility which can be disempowering especially for those with mental illness. Next, the psychonamic approach and sigman Freud. The main focus is on the unconscious mind and how it influences our behavior. The role of the unconscious. Freud compared the mind to an iceberg. The conscious is what we're aware of.

The preconscious are the thoughts just below awareness and the unconscious is the largest hidden part that holds biological drives, childhood memories, fears, and traumas. For Freud, the unconscious is the driving motivating force behind our behavior and personality. Another role of the unconscious is that it protects the conscious self from anxiety, fear, trauma, and conflict. Freud's model divides the personality into three parts.

The id operates on the pleasure principle. It's present from birth and drives us to act on our basic urges and desires without thinking about consequences. It wants instant gratification. Next, we have the super ego which follows the morality principle. It begins to develop around the ages of four to five during what Freud called the follic stage. This part of the mind represents the internalized moral standards we pick up from our parents.

When we break these rules, the superego makes us feel guilt. Finally, there's the ego, which works on the reality principle. The ego plays the role of the mediator between the impulsive id and the strict superego. The ego helps us make decisions that are realistic and socially acceptable, balancing our desires with what's right and possible in the real world. Freud proposed that personality development occurs as we pass through what he called the psychosexual stages of development.

Freud believed that our sexual energy which he called libido moves through five distinct stages of psychosexual development. Each stage involves a specific conflict and if that conflict isn't resolved a person can become fixated which can lead to issues in adult personality and behavior. Stage one, the oral stage 0 to one year and pleasure comes from the mouth. Things like sucking and feeding. If fixation occurs here, it can lead to habits like smoking, nailbiting or overeating later in life.

Stage two, the anal stage, one to three years. This stage centers around toilet training. Fixation can go in two directions. Anal retentive personalities are obsessive, overly tidy, and controlling. And anal expulsive personalities tend to be messy, disorganized, and reckless. Stage three, the phallic stage, 3 to 6 years. Here the focus lifts to the genitals and children start to develop unconscious sexual feelings. For boys, this leads to the Edypus complex, a desire for their mother and rivalry with their father.

For girls, Freud proposed the Electra complex involving a desire for their father and penis envy. Resolution comes when the child identifies with the same-sex parent, which is also when the super ego or internal moral conscience starts to develop. Stage four, latency stage, 6 to 12 years. During this time, the libido is dormant. Children focus more on developing social skills, friendships, and intellect. Stage five, genital stage, 12 years and up.

Sexual desires return, but now in a more mature adult form. If earlier stages were successfully resolved, this is when people form healthy romantic and sexual relationships. Finally, we come to defense mechanisms. We said earlier that another role of the unconscious is that it protects the conscious self from fear, trauma, and conflict. It's important to note that these defense mechanisms are unconscious resources used by the ego to manage the conflict between the id and the superego.

Repression, forcing painful memories into the unconscious. For example, child abuse forgotten but affecting relationships. Denial, refusing to accept reality, for example, denying addiction despite consequences. and displacement, redirecting emotions onto a substitute target. For example, slamming a door when your parents ask you to tidy your room after being dumped by your boyfriend. The psychonamic approach is praised for its practical application, especially through Freud's development of psychoanalysis, which aim to treat mental disorders by exploring the unconscious mind.

The therapy including free association and dream analysis has had lasting impacts on modern psychotherapy and is credited with pioneering the talking therapy used today. Foundation for future theories. Secondly, Freud's ideas laid the foundation for future psychological theories particularly regarding the influence of early childhood experiences and parental relationships. His work influenced key theorists such as John Bulby who developed attachment theory emphasizing the importance of early bonds for later development.

Freud's psychosexual theory is largely supported by case studies with the case of little Hans being a key example. Hans, a 5-year-old boy, developed a phobia of horses which Freud interpreted as a displaced fear of his father linked to the Edypus complex. Freud believed the horse symbolized Hans's father, representing unconscious conflict. Although Freud never treated Hans directly, he used this case to demonstrate how repressed childhood desires could manifest as phobias.

However, Freud's research methods, especially case studies, have been criticized for their lack of scientific rigor and objectivity. His theories are considered unfalsifiable as they cannot be empirically tested or disproven, making them difficult to classify as scientific in comparison to more evidence-based approaches. The psychonamic approach is often criticized for its deterministic view of human behavior, suggesting that unconscious forces drive our actions, leaving little room for free will.

In contrast, the humanistic approach advocates for personal responsibility and free will, offering a more optimistic and empowering view of human behavior. Humanistic psychology emerged in the 1950s as a third force against the deterministic and reductionist views of psychonamic and behaviorist approaches, both of which treated people as passive or governed by unconscious environmental forces. In contrast, humanism emphasizes free will, holism, subjective experiences over the scientific method.

It shifted focus from mental illness to personal growth and healthy development. Abraham Maslo was particularly interested in human motivation and proposed a theory about the route towards something called self-actualization, which is the innate desire to achieve one's full potential. Before you can self-actualize, Maslo's hierarchy of needs proposed that there were other lower needs called deficiency needs that need to be met.

Maslo based the hierarchy of needs on his analysis of historical figures whom he considered to be self-actualized. Self-actualized individuals are open and spontaneous and experience purpose and meaning in life. They do not focus on themselves or on how other people perceive them. Next is Carl Rogers. Where Maslo was interested in motivation, Rogers was interested in personal growth from the point of view of your sense of self, what he called your self-concept.

The self-concept is made up of self-image, who you think you are, your ideal self, who you want to be, and self-esteem, how much you value yourself. Rogers used the terms congruence. This is where the self-image and ideal self overlap. They in agreement. and the word in congruence. This is where the self-image and ideal self do not overlap. They do not match. For Rogers, the problems come when who we think we should be or want to be does not match up with how we see ourselves to be now.

How does someone develop congruence between their self-image and their ideal self? Rogers referred to unconditional positive regard. This is where parents love and accept their children regardless of their behavior. There are no conditions that the child has to meet in order to be positively valued. However, Rogers also referred to something called conditions of worth. This is where standards are placed on the child by a parent which they believe must be met if they are to be accepted.

To reduce the congruence in your life requires deep reflection on how you see yourself as well as your own motivations. This is where Rogers proposed client or person- centered therapy, which emphasizes genuiness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard. The therapist supports clients in finding their own solutions, aiming to increase self-worth and reduce in congruence. Humanistic psychology relies on qualitative methods like case studies and unstructured interviews, prioritizing subjective experience over objectivity.

This allows for rich in-depth understanding of individuals. This provides valid insights into personal experiences. However, it lacks scientific rigor and falsifiability due to vague untestable concepts like self-actualization and congruence. In terms of the debates, humanistic psychology strongly supports the idea of free will. It sees people as autonomous individuals capable of making their own choices and striving for personal growth.

This is in contrast to more deterministic approaches like behaviorism or the biological approach which suggest our actions are shaped by past experiences or biology. This makes humanistic psychology a more optimistic and empowering view of human behavior. The humanistic approach can be praised for its practical application. Firstly, therapy. Carl Rogers client- centered therapy has had a lasting impact on the world of counseling.

It's especially effective for issues like low self-esteem, anxiety, and helping people develop a stronger sense of self. Secondly, workplace motivation. Maslo's hierarchy of needs has been widely used in business and management. It helps employers understand how to motivate staff by addressing both their personal and professional needs from basic security to self-actualization. However, the humanistic approach has been criticized in terms of culture.

This is because it's often seen as ethnosentric as it's rooted in western individualistic values like personal autonomy and its drive for self-actualization. In collectivist cultures where group success is valued more than individual achievement, concepts like self-esteem may not carry the same meaning or importance. For example, one study looked at how well Maslo's hierarchy of need applied to business and management in China.

They concluded that in collectivist cultures, belonging is the primary need, self-esteem is less relevant and self-actualization is achieved through group focused goals rather than individual growth. The final section relates to comparing the approaches. This is where you need to discuss the similarities and differences of the approaches. There are a number of ways you can do this. A great way to compare the approaches is through the issues and debates.

Let's take a look by comparing the behaviorist and biological approaches. Behaviorism is environmentally deterministic. We're shaped by conditioning. While the biological approach is biologically deterministic, was shaped by genetics and brain chemistry. Both ignore free will and can be criticized for removing moral responsibility. Nature versus nurture. Behaviorism supports nurture. All behaviors learned. Biology supports nature.

Behavior is innate and genetic. Both can be criticized for ignoring how both nature and nurture interact. Holism versus reductionism. Both are reductionist but in different ways. Behaviorism simplifies behavior to stimulus and response links. Biology reduces behavior to genes and neurotransmitters. Holistic views argue this loses the bigger picture. Both take a nomadic approach aiming to establish general laws, but this can overlook individual differences and unique experiences.

Other ways to compare include research methods. Both behaviorist and biological approaches use highly scientific controlled lab experiments. This gives them scientific credibility. However, both rely on animal studies which may lack generalizability to humans. Practical applications. Both have real world use. Behaviorism has led to treatments like systematic desensitization for phobias and biology has led to drug treatments for mental disorders like depression and OCD.

Drug treatments, however, can have side effects and may only offer short-term relief. If you'd like a free document that helps you compare all of the approaches in lots of ways, there's a link for it in the description. And breathe. That's the whole of the approaches topic. For more resources to help you with Alevel psychology so that you study smarter and save lots of time, you can check out the bear in mind website.

I hope you enjoyed this video and we'll see you in the next one.