The Four Approaches To Psychopathology. Biochemistry and neuroanatomy Once again genes play a huge role in this theory of how mental disorders come about. Genes determine a lot of functions in our body, they determine hormone and various neurotransmitter levels. How does this cause a mental disorder? Well, take the neurotransmitter serotonin for example.
Viral infection Some research (such as that done by Torrey in 2001) shows that the occurrence of certain mental disorders can be related to the exposure the individual had to certain viruses whilst in the womb. Basically the behavioural approach to psychopathy suggests that the response that a person makes to their environment, albeit internal or external, are what determines their mental state rather than their underlying pathology or other such things. Also it is thought that the environment the individual is in will be partly to blame for their mental disorder. Every Study you need to know for AS Psychology - Atkinson and Shiffrin's Multi-Store Model of Memory. Criticisms of Shiffrin & Atkinson's Multi-Store Model of Memory (1968) The main criticism of the model is that it is just too simple - if evidence is provided for the idea that our memory is split into different parts it doesn't necessarily mean that it is split into just two or three parts, it could be millions, and it is too optimistic to suggest that the brain would work so simply as to use only an acoustic semantic code and that each of these are restrained to one of two faculties of memory.
The KF Observation KF was a man who suffered from memory problems after a motorcycle accident. Surprisingly, it was his LTM that was fully functional - he could make new long lasting memories. His STM on the other hand was severely impaired, with only a capacity of two items instead of the average seven that George Armitage Miller proposed in 1956.If this was really the case, then how could KF possibly have had a fully functional LTM? A Summary, A Story and then a Quiz. Defining Abnormality. Context and Degree According to this definition, a person on a beach wearing very little clothing is considered normal but a person in a formal meeting wearing the same attire is considered abnormal and potentially mentally ill! There is a fine line between abnormal and eccentric behavior and this is what people (especially psychologists) find difficult to judge.
There is a degree to which you can deviate from the social norm, for instance being rude and swearing at someone is not evidence of a mental illness unless it is a excessive and consistent behaviour and then it's considered pathological.This is not a clear definition of abnormality because there are different degrees and contexts in which a person can act socially deviant. Cultural Variation Social norms are defined by a specific society or culture. Change: Over time social norms change. Stress - How Does It Work? In 1984 Kiecolt-Glazer et al conducted an experiment to see whether acute stressors had a negative effect on the immune system.
They took a blood sample of some medical students a month before their exam and the time around their exam. NK cell activity in the blood was measured in order to see how well their immune system was functioning. They found that from the blood sample that was taken around the time of their exams there was a significantly lower number of active NK blood cells.
These results suggest that the more acute stressors that you experience, the more likely it is that your immune system will be functioning poorly and therefore the more susceptible you will be to illness. In 2005 Kiecolt-Glazer once again conducted an experiment into the functioning of the immune system, but this time she measured the time taken for blister wounds to heal on people who were currently under stress due to interpersonal conflict. AS Psychology - Milgram's Experiments. Why Stanley Milgram? Milgram's famous social influence experiments are vital to know for any respectable psychologist or psychology student. His experiments gave us an insight into the mentality of the human mind that experiments in the modern day just cannot do. Ethical reforms as a society have lead us to believe that such extreme experiments are not morally permissible, since participants risk being traumatised.
There are 3 Main Types of Social Influence you need to Know About Compliance - this is where a person will change his ideas, beliefs or behaviour in order to conform to the majority. Internalisation - this is where a person will change his behaviour not just to fit in or gain approval from the majority but because he has genuinely changed his opinion on something. Milgram's Study of Obedience - Procedure In 1961, the psychologist Stanley Milgram recruited 40 male participants to take part in his study of obedience. Milrams Study - The Findings Conclusions. Atkinson and Shiffrin's Multi-Store Model of Memory (1968) Explanations For OCD. Operant Conditioning can also be used to explain the cause of OCD in the following way: Step 1. An association is made between two things: coming into skin contact with someone else is associated with disease and illness. Step 2. Another act is thought up of in order to combat the anxiety from the first two things associated: the worry of catching a disease can be relieved by washing our hands.
Step 3. The behaviour is reinforced: each time a person comes into skin contact with another person they wash their hands and relieve themselves of some anxiety, reinforcing the behaviour in the process. Step 4. Evidence1. 2. CritcismsAlthough the behaviourist approach gives a very strong explanation for how OCD is continued, it does not explain how it arises in the first place – surely we are all prone to this reinforcement cycle that would lead us to OCD compulsions? Are there Known Gender Differences? Furnham and Farragher (2000) Demonstrated that sex-role stereotypes are commonly used in British television advertising. 200+ tv adverts were analysed and the sex of the central figure of the advert, his or her role, the product being sold and the sex of the voice over voice.
Roles - Men were most commonly shown as independent roles like professional workers and celebrities whilst women were shown to be presented in familial roles – mothers and homemakers. Locations – Men found themselves on holiday, relaxing in expensive ways or at the workplace whilst women found themselves at home. This suggests that men are incapable of running a home and raising children whilst women are less involved in working and spending money on leisurely activities Products – Men sold motoring products whilst women sold household and body products. Character – Men were more likely to be presented as humorous. Weaknesses of Furnham and Farragher’s Findings Other Research in Brief Pontius (1997) Roscoe (1998)
The Social Learning Theory Explanation for Gender Differences. Reinforcement and Gender Differences Of course, we won't just do as other people do just because they are attractive or popular - we need to have motives for acting. When a little boy sees another little boy being rewarded for not crying when he gets injured, since he can identify (they're both boys and both young) with him, he'll be less inclined to show emotions when injured in the future - even though he himself wasn't rewarded at the time. Learning through watching others get rewarded is what social learning theorists call: vicarious reinforcement. The opposite, punishment, also applies and can explain how we can act so well in a situation, even though we never had first hand experience with it before. Internalisation and Gender Differences Internalisation is the process of taking on certain behaviours into your personality - through repeated reinforcement and punishment - behaviours become integrated into our very person.
SocietiesParents, friends & familyFilm, literature etc. The Biological Explanation for Gender Differences. Chromosomes - The Fundamental Cause of Gender Differences Humans typically have 23 pairs of chromosomes (totaling 46) and on the two 23rd chromosomes the DNA that decides whether a newly fertilised ovum (egg) becomes a male or female is found. If the sperm that fertilised the ovum is carrying a Y chromosome, then the zyoget (the name givne to an egg that has just been fertilised) will contain both an X and a Y chromosome and the baby will be a boy.If the sperm carried an X chromosome, then the zygote will have two X chromosomes (XX) and become a girl.The above statements are empirical facts and so we know that at its very core the cause of physical differences in men and women is due to biological differences in DNA.
At first, the embryo (the name given to a zygote that has started to develop) has the same sex organs whether or not it has XY or XX chromosomes. But 6 weeks after conception and the Y chromosome in males results in changes that lead to the gonads becoming testicles. 48 Psychological Facts You Should Know About Yourself. What is the Behaviourist Approach? Thorndike first proved the validity of his 'Law of Effect' with experiments involving cats and puzzle boxes. The cats were placed in locked boxes that could be opened by pulling a lever found inside. Initially, the cats would take a long time to find and use the latch. After a while however, the times decreased and the likelihood that they would do the right movement (and get the reward) increased with it.
The cats must have done this through trial and error and not through active thought, since even after having escaped once and placed back in the box, the cats did not free themselves straight away but took less time instead. What is the Biological Approach? What is the Humanistic Approach? What is the Cognitive Approach? What is the Social Learning Approach? I Am Fishead: Are Corporate Leaders Psychopaths? It is a well-known fact that our society is structured like a pyramid. The very few people at the top create conditions for the majority below. Who are these people? Can we blame them for the problems our society faces today?
Guided by the saying "A fish rots from the head" we set out to follow that fishy odor. What we found out is that people at the top are more likely to be psychopaths than the rest of us. Who, or what, is a psychopath? The medical definition is simple: A psychopath is a person who lacks empathy and conscience, the quality which guides us when we choose between good and evil, moral or not. Watch the full documentary now. As Psychology: The Working Memory Model. AS AQA Psychology - Developmental Psychology - Studies You Need To Know. The learning theory basically stated that the attachment between an infant and their caregiver is a behaviour that is learned rather than something that is innate or inborn. There are two aspects to the learning theory and these are: Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Classical conditioning is essentially where an unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response (such as a baby being given food which is an unconditioned stimulus and becomes happy which is an unconditioned response to this).
The person that is responsible for feeding the baby will be associated with this pleasant feeling. If the person then feeds the baby over and over again they will become the stimulus that causes the happiness of the baby. Operant conditioning occurs when someone is either punished or rewarded for a behaviour that they displayed. AQA Examine Each of the Four Presumptions of Situation Ethics.