Psychology Approaches Notes for AS Level

Origins of Psychology - Wilhelm Wundt

Think of Wilhelm Wundt as psychology's founding father who transformed the field from philosophical speculation into actual science. He cleverly broke down all human behaviour into just three basic elements: thoughts, images, and feelings - a method called structuralism.

Wundt's revolutionary technique was introspection, where highly trained assistants would listen to stimuli (like a ticking metronome) and report exactly what they thought and felt. The genius was in standardising everything - same stimulus, same environment, same instructions for everyone.

Strengths: His lab-based approach gave psychology scientific credibility and inspired modern cognitive research. Weaknesses: You can't actually see thoughts, making results subjective and unrepeatable. Plus, people can't report on unconscious processes that might be influencing them.

Remember: Wundt's introspection is still used today - researchers study gamblers' thought processes to understand addiction!

Behaviourism - Pavlov and Skinner

Behaviourists believe we learn everything through experience, and two brilliant scientists proved it with some rather memorable experiments.

Pavlov's classical conditioning showed how dogs learned to associate a bell with food until they salivated just hearing the bell. This is learning through association - pairing a neutral stimulus (bell) with something meaningful (food) until they become linked in the mind.

Skinner's operant conditioning focused on consequences shaping behaviour. His rats learned through three types of experiences: positive reinforcement (getting food for pressing a lever), negative reinforcement (stopping electric shocks by pressing the lever), and punishment (avoiding the lever when it caused problems).

Strengths: Highly scientific methods led to successful treatments like systematic desensitisation for phobias. Weaknesses: Massively oversimplified - it ignores emotions, thoughts, and free will, assuming we're completely controlled by our environment.

Quick tip: Remember the three types of operant conditioning - positive reinforcement increases behaviour by adding something good, negative reinforcement increases behaviour by removing something bad, and punishment decreases behaviour.

Psychodynamic Approach - Sigmund Freud

Freud believed your unconscious mind secretly drives all your behaviour, constantly pushing you towards pleasure and away from pain. His theory centres on three competing parts of your personality battling for control.

The psyche consists of the id (your inner devil wanting instant pleasure), the superego (your moral angel), and the ego (the mediator trying to keep everyone happy). When conflict gets too intense, your ego uses defence mechanisms like denial, repression, or displacement to cope.

Freud's psychosexual development stages suggest your adult personality forms through childhood experiences. Problems at the oral stage (0-1 years) might lead to smoking or nail-biting, whilst issues during anal stage (1-3 years) could result in obsessive or messy personalities. The phallic stage (3-6 years) involves the famous Oedipus and Electra complexes.

Strengths: Created the first talking therapy and linked childhood experiences to adult mental health. Weaknesses: Based on subjective case studies, completely unscientific, and impossible to prove or disprove.

Exam tip: Remember the psychosexual stages through "Old Age Pensioners Love Guinness" - Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital!

Evaluating the Psychodynamic Approach

The psychodynamic approach faces serious scientific challenges, but its influence on modern therapy cannot be ignored.

Major weaknesses include Freud's reliance on subjective case studies that can't be generalised to everyone. His theories fail every scientific test - they're not replicable, not empirical (he sometimes never even met his patients!), and completely unfalsifiable since you can't prove the unconscious exists or doesn't exist.

The approach also promotes psychic determinism - the idea that your unconscious completely controls you, leaving no room for free will or personal choice in your behaviour.

However, significant strengths include Freud's development of psychoanalysis - the first talking therapy that paved the way for modern counselling helping millions worldwide. He was genuinely revolutionary in linking childhood relationships with parents to adult mental health, something we now know is absolutely crucial.

Think about it: Even if Freud's specific theories seem outdated, his core insight about childhood experiences affecting adult life remains hugely influential in psychology today.

Social Learning Theory - Bandura

Bandura's social learning theory explains how we learn by watching others, combining direct experience with observation and thinking processes. This approach bridges behaviourism and cognitive psychology perfectly.

Key concepts include imitation (copying observed behaviour), identification (connecting with similar role models), modelling (being influenced by someone), and vicarious reinforcement (learning from watching others get rewarded or punished).

The famous Bobo doll experiment proved children copy aggressive behaviour they observe. Kids who watched adults attack the doll later showed similar aggression, whilst those seeing non-aggressive behaviour remained calm.

Mediational processes must occur for learning: attention (noticing the behaviour), retention (remembering it), reproduction (being able to copy it), and motivation (wanting the rewards).

Strengths: Acknowledges thinking processes and provides strong research evidence. Weaknesses: Ignores biological factors (boys were more aggressive than girls, possibly due to testosterone), relies on unobservable mental processes, and can't explain all behaviours.

Real-world connection: This theory explains how children learn from YouTube influencers, celebrities, and social media - they identify with role models and imitate behaviours they see being rewarded!

Humanistic Approach - Rogers and Maslow

The humanistic approach emerged in the 1950s as psychology's most optimistic perspective, focusing on human potential rather than mental illness. Unlike other approaches, it champions free will - you're the author of your own life story.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs shows that self-actualisation (reaching your full potential) is only possible when basic needs are met first: physiological needs, safety, love/belonging, and esteem. This hierarchy is fluid - life experiences can move you up or down levels.

Rogers believed achieving happiness requires congruence - when your ideal self matches your current self. Many adult problems stem from conditions of worth imposed by parents (love given only when you behave "correctly"). His therapy offered unconditional positive regard to help clients heal.

Strengths: Promotes free will, takes a holistic view of human experience, and revolutionised therapy approaches. Weaknesses: Lacks scientific evidence, key concepts can't be tested, and may only be relevant to Western cultures with sufficient resources.

Personal reflection: Consider Maslow's hierarchy in your own life - are you focused on basic needs like safety and belonging, or are you able to pursue creativity and personal growth?

Cognitive Approach and Cognitive Neuroscience

The cognitive approach treats your mind like a computer, processing information through inputs and outputs. Schemas are mental frameworks built from experience that guide how you interpret and respond to situations.

Cognitive psychologists make inferences - educated guesses about internal mental processes based on observable behaviour. They use theoretical models to explain complex processes simply, making it easier to identify problems and develop treatments like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Cognitive neuroscience combines cognitive psychology with brain science. fMRI scans measure blood flow to show active brain areas, whilst PET scans use radioactive tracers to create heat maps of brain activity.

Strengths: Based on soft determinism (you can change your thoughts), produced highly effective CBT treatments, and has strong research support showing thoughts influence behaviour. Weaknesses: Machine reductionism oversimplifies the complex human brain, and purely cognitive explanations often lack complete answers.

Study hack: The computer analogy helps explain why you struggle to multitask - like a computer, your brain can become overwhelmed when processing too much information simultaneously!

Biological Approach

The biological approach argues that everything you think, feel, and do stems from physical processes - your genes, brain chemistry, and nervous system activity. It's psychology's most scientific approach.

Your genotype (genetic makeup) influences your phenotype (observable characteristics), though environment matters too. Twin studies compare monozygotic twins (identical DNA) with dizygotic twins to identify genetic influences on behaviour.

The nervous system includes your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (everything else). Your autonomic nervous system controls automatic responses like fight-or-flight (sympathetic) and rest-and-digest (parasympathetic).

Neurotransmitters like dopamine (excitatory) and serotonin (inhibitory) carry messages between neurons, whilst hormones travel through your bloodstream to influence behaviour and mood.

Strengths: Highly scientific with practical applications like antidepressants and brain scanning technology. Weaknesses: Biological determinism ignores free will, and it's nearly impossible to separate genetic influences from environmental learning.

Fascinating fact: Your brain contains roughly 86 billion neurons, each potentially connecting to thousands of others - that's more possible connections than there are stars in the observable universe!