Embedded Files
Welcome to QE Psychology Department!!
What will you study?
In this component you will learn how psychology started, and how it has changed and developed to become the important scientific subject it is today.
You will learn about five different approaches that psychologists have taken to try and explain human minds and behaviour.
The five approaches we focus on are psychodynamic, behavioural, cognitive, biological and positive.
For each of these five approaches you will learn:
Three of the main assumptions of the approach (e.g. the importance of our unconscious mind).
How the approach has led to the development of a therapy to treat a mental or behavioural disorder (e.g. Cognitive-behaviour therapy), and evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the therapy.
A classic piece of research carried out by scientists within the approach (e.g. 'Brain abnormalities in murderers indicated by PET' by Raine, Buchsbaum and LeCasse) and evaluation of how they did the research and what they found.
A contemporary debate which considers how that approach divides opinion about an issue which is still important in today's society. For example, we consider whether eyewitness testimony is reliable and should be used as evidence in a trial.
Have a look and try out a variety of tasks that relate to the content of this exam:
Psychodynamic Approach
Activity: Watch the YouTube video to find out more about this approach and its main assumptions. Jot down anything you find interesting.
You might want to consider some of the following points when you are watching the video:
1. Details about Freud – e.g. any personal details, when the psychodynamic approach was developed etc.
2. Key points about the approach – e.g. how it explains human behaviour and our personality.
3. Any treatments that have been developed –e.g. psychoanalysis, dream therapy and free association.
4. Anything controversial (e.g. any views that may be considered sexist)
5. Any strengths or weaknesses.
Biological & Cognitive Approaches
Both of these approaches have led to the development of very different therapies to treat mental health disorders such as depression.
Activity: Watch the YouTube video to find out more about what depression is, its symptoms, causes and treatments.
Then, you might want to consider each of the therapies in more detail - Drug Therapy & Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Read the extra info provided below. Make sure to hover your curser over the info and scroll up and down to view it in full. Based on this consider which therapy you might recommend for a friend who suffered from depression and why?
Behaviourist Approach
You will also learn a classic piece of research for each approach: the method, procedure, findings and conclusions as well as evaluating it in terms of it's strengths, weaknesses, ethical issues and social implications.
Watson & Rayner's (1920) 'Conditioned emotional responses' is the classic study you will learn for the Behaviourist Approach. This is a very famous study about a boy called 'Little Albert' who was classically conditioned to have a phobia of white rats.
Activity: Learn more about this study for yourself and the process of classical conditioning. Watch the YouTube clip and jot down any interesting observations you make.
Positive Approach
As part of this unit you will also learn about a contemporary (modern) debate, something that divides opinion. The Positive Approach is the newest approach to be developed in Psychology but many question how relevant it is to modern society. You may have heard about Mindfulness? This is a key idea of this approach. However, many believe it is 'nothing new' and the approach is limited in terms of how useful it is.
Find out more and make your own judgement...
Find out what mindfulness is. Use the following website that has loads of helpful info and even a YouTube video to try out mindfulness for yourself. https://www.headspace.com/mindfulness
Vist the Positive Psychology Center website and take a 15 item Questionnaire to find out how mindful you are in everyday tasks: https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/resources/questionnaires-researchers/mindful-attention-awareness-scale. The higher the score the more mindful you are in everyday tasks.
Did you find any of this helpful? Do you think the concept of mindfulness has a place in modern society? Is it important to be mindful?
Page updated
Report abuse