Psychology Levels of Analysis

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Questions and Answers

What are the three levels of analysis?

Biological, environmental, and psychological

What does the biological level of analysis focus on?

Neurotransmission, genetics, hormones and how they influence human behavior

What does the environmental level of analysis focus on?

The impact of social and cultural environments on human behavior

What does the psychological level of analysis focus on?

Thoughts, patterns of thinking, memory and emotions in order to understand human thought and behavior Signup and view all the answers

What is the main idea behind Watson's Black Box Theory?

The mind is like a black box and whatever occurs within it is outside the domain of science Signup and view all the answers

Name the six perspectives discussed in the first module.

Behaviourist, Cognitive, Biological, Evolutionary, Developmental, and Socio-Cultural Signup and view all the answers

What is the theory behind the behaviourist approach to psychology?

There are internal happenings in the mind, but they do not need to be studied in order to understand an organism's behaviour. Organisms will repeat behaviours with favourable outcomes, and avoid behaviours with unpleasant outcomes. Signup and view all the answers

What is the theory behind the cognitive approach to psychology?

The cognitive perspective focuses on thoughts and thinking; it involves the construction of models in order to better understand the complexities of the mind. Signup and view all the answers

What is the theory behind the biological perspective?

The biological perspective focuses mainly on physiological causes of human thought and behaviour. Signup and view all the answers

How is the evolutionary perspective different from the developmental perspective?

The evolutionary perspective aims to understand if behaviours make adaptive, evolutionary (long time frame) sense, whereas the developmental perspective focuses on a lifespan (short time frame) and the environmental or genetic influences on behaviour. Signup and view all the answers

What are the three focuses of the socio-cultural perspective?

1.) The influence of an individual on a group 2.) The influence of a group on an individual and 3.) The influence of a group on a group Signup and view all the answers

What is learned helplessness?

Learned helplessness occurs when an organism has learned that they cannot do anything to overcome an unpleasant stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Levels of Analysis in Psychology

Three levels of analysis: Biological, Environmental, Psychological.

Biological Level of Analysis

Focuses on neurotransmission, genetics, and hormones.
Examines their influence on human behavior.

Environmental Level of Analysis

Investigates the impact of social and cultural contexts on behavior.

Psychological Level of Analysis

Studies thoughts, memory, patterns of thinking, and emotions.
Aims to understand human thought and behavior.

Watson's Black Box Theory

Proposes that the mind is a "black box" beyond scientific examination.
Focuses on observable behaviors rather than internal cognitive processes.

Six Perspectives in Psychology

Perspectives include:
- Behaviourist
- Cognitive
- Biological
- Evolutionary
- Developmental
- Socio-Cultural

Behaviourist Approach

Internal mental processes are unimportant for understanding behavior.
Emphasizes behavior modification through rewards and punishments.

Cognitive Approach

Focuses on thoughts and mental processes.
Uses models to analyze and interpret the complexities of the mind.

Biological Perspective

Concentrates on physiological factors influencing thought and behavior.

Evolutionary vs. Developmental Perspectives

Evolutionary perspective examines behaviors in terms of long-term adaptive significance.
Developmental perspective explores influences on behavior across the lifespan and includes environmental and genetic factors.

Socio-Cultural Perspective

Three main focuses:
- Individual's influence on a group.
- Group's influence on an individual.
- Interactions between different groups.

Learned Helplessness

Concept where an organism learns to accept unpleasant stimuli due to a lack of control.
Related to the Behaviourist perspective.

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Description

Explore the three levels of analysis in psychology: biological, environmental, and psychological. Discover how neurotransmission, social contexts, and cognitive processes shape human behavior. Additionally, delve into Watson's Black Box Theory and the six key perspectives in the field.