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Theoretical Paradigms

Theoretical Paradigms. Major Points. Historically, there are 4 major theoretical paradigms to explain behavior traditionally, these are viewed as competing explanations Current research indicates that multiple causal factors contribute to any behavior

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Theoretical Paradigms

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  1. Theoretical Paradigms

  2. Major Points • Historically, there are 4 major theoretical paradigms to explain behavior • traditionally, these are viewed as competing explanations • Current research indicates that multiple causal factors contribute to any behavior • you should think of the paradigms as complementary explanations

  3. Major Paradigms • Biological • Learning • Cognitive • Psychodynamic

  4. Theoretical Paradigms:The Details

  5. Biological Paradigm: The Basics • Structure of neuron • Brain structures • Genetics

  6. When action potential reaches the terminal button: • terminal button releases neurotransmitter into synaptic cleft • neurotransmitter binds to receptor site on postsynaptic neuron and causes a voltage change that is either • excitatory: makes it more likely that postsynaptic neuron will fire • inhibitory: makes it less likely that postsynaptic neuron will fire

  7. Brain Structures • Brain stem • regulates important, largely involuntary functions • breathing, heart rate, arousal • Limbic system • generation of emotional responses • amygdala: fear response • Hypothalamus • regulation of behaviors important for the survival of self and species (fighting, fleeing, feeding, sexual behavior)

  8. Brain Structures: continued • Hippocampus • learning, memory • Cerebral cortex • thinking, reasoning, planning • voluntary movement • sensory perception

  9. Genetics: Important Terms • Heritability index • Proportion (percentage) of variance in some trait that is due to genetic factors • Some findings: • heritability of IQ is about 62% • heritability of major personality traits is about 50%

  10. Important Terms (continued) • Concordance rate • Likelihood that if one member of pair has disease, other member will also have disease • Some findings: • IQ: MZ twins = .77, DZ twins = .32 • extraversion: MZ twins = .51, DZ twins = .21 • schizophrenia: MZ twins = .48, DZ twins = .17 • sexual orientation (males): MZ twins = .57, DZ twins = .24

  11. Question • Which individual would you more strongly resemble--an adoptive sibling raised with you or an identical twin raised apart from you? • MZ twins raised apart: • IQ = .77, personality traits = .51 • adoptive siblings raised together: • IQ < .20, personality = .04

  12. Interaction of Genetics and Environment • Diathesis-stress model: • person inherits genetic vulnerability for disorder. Stress is required to trigger disorder. • example: • person has a genetic vulnerability to develop depression (SS allele). • stressful life events (e.g. severe maltreatment in childhood) trigger the depression. • implications • the bigger the genetic vulnerability, the less stress it takes to trigger depression • same stressful events won’t trigger depression in an individual without an underlying genetic vulnerability

  13. Interaction of Genetics and Environment (continued) • Reciprocal gene-environment model: • person inherits genetic tendency to create environmental risk factors (seek out certain situations) that trigger underlying vulnerability for disorder. • example • person with a genetic vulnerability (an overreactive sinoaortic baroreflex arc) to develop a certain disorder (blood-injury-injection phobia) also inherits a personality trait (impulsiveness) that makes them more likely to be involved in accidents in which they see blood.

  14. Learning Paradigm: The Basics • Classical conditioning • Operant conditioning • Social learning

  15. Classical Conditioning • Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) • Stimulus that naturally elicits an involuntary response • Unconditioned response (UCR) • Unlearned or naturally occurring response to unconditioned stimulus • Conditioned stimulus (CS) • Neutral stimulus that, through association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to elicit a conditioned response • Conditioned response (CR) • Response elicited by conditioned stimulus

  16. Important Processes • Extinction: • gradual weakening and disappearance of CR • occurs if you repeatedly present CS without UCS • Spontaneous recovery: • reappearance of a conditioned response after its apparent extinction. • usually takes several separate blocks of extinction trials to completely eliminate spontaneous recovery.

  17. Important Processes (continued) • Generalization: • occurrence of CR to stimulus that is similar to, but not same as, original training stimulus

  18. Operant Conditioning • Reinforcement: increases frequency of behavior • Positive reinforcement: deliver rewarding stimulus • Negative reinforcement: remove aversive stimulus • Punishment: decreases frequency of behavior • (Positive) punishment: deliver an aversive stimulus • (Negative) punishment: remove a rewarding stimulus

  19. Important Processes • Extinction • Behavior returns to original level after period of nonreinforcement • Note: • Behavior that has been reinforced on an intermittent schedule is VERY resistant to extinction

  20. Social Learning • We learn by observing others (models) and the consequences they experience

  21. Cognitive Paradigm: The Basics • Importance of information processing: • thoughts, perceptions, expectations

  22. Psychodynamic Paradigm: The Basics • Structure of the mind • Psychosexual stages of development • Defense mechanisms

  23. Structure of the Mind • Id • Ego • Superego

  24. Psychosexual Stages of Development • Oral: birth - 1 yr. • Anal: 2 - 3 yrs. • Phallic: 3 - 6 yrs. • Latency: 6 yrs. - puberty • Genital: puberty - adulthood

  25. Defense Mechanisms • Response to neurotic anxiety • Results from struggle to keep id impulses under control • Examples • Displacement • Projection

  26. Theoretical Paradigms:The Big Picture

  27. Biological Paradigm • Basic assumption: • Abnormal behavior is caused by some biological disturbance • Treatment: • Medically based (drugs, surgery) • Biggest contributions: • Effective treatments for many problems • Advances in behavioral genetics

  28. Biggest problems: • People tend to make unwarranted interpretations about cause and effect • Effective medical treatment doesn’t imply biological cause

  29. Learning Paradigm • Basic assumption: • Abnormal behavior is learned • Treatment: • Classical conditioning: expose person to CS without UCS • Operant conditioning: reinforced desired behavior; punish/withdraw reinforcement for undesirable behaviors

  30. Biggest contributions: • Precision, because only observable behavior is studied • Development of many effective treatments • Biggest problems: • We can’t directly observe someone’s learning history, so explanations are often post hoc • Often not realistically possible to manipulate consequences in person’s environment

  31. Cognitive Paradigm • Basic assumption: • Abnormal behavior is caused by maladaptive cognitions • Treatment: • Modify maladaptive cognitions • Biggest contribution: • Development of effective treatments (although treatments often contain behavioral element)

  32. Biggest problem: • Distorted cognitions may be a consequence, rather than a cause of, mental disorder

  33. The Psychodynamic Paradigm • Basic assumption: • Abnormal behavior is caused by unconscious conflicts • Treatment: • Goal is to gain insight into unconscious conflicts • Free association • Dream interpretation

  34. Biggest contributions: • Importance of sexuality • Importance of unconscious information processing • Importance of child development • Development of psychotherapy

  35. Biggest problems: • Very sexist • Based on unrepresentative sample • Most of the “evidence” is anecdotal; based on therapists’ experiences with their patients • Many assumptions can’t be empirically tested; violate principle of falsifiability

  36. Multidimensional Model • Rejection of one-dimensional view • Behavior is product of interaction of several influences • Biopsychosocial approach • Bio = brain structures, neurotransmitters, hormones, genetics • Psycho = learning, cognitions, emotions • Social = environment, interpersonal relationships, culture

  37. Some Final Thoughts • Biological, learning, and cognitive explanations have received more research support than psychodynamic • Remember that behavior is multiply determined • biological, psychological, and social factors interact to produce behavior

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