Chapter 1: Approaches to Understanding Behaviour

Chapter Outline

Essential Questions

  • What is psychology?

  • Why does psychology take different approaches to understand behaviour?

Myths and Misconceptions

Psychology helps people with mental problems

Studying psychology over the next two years you will help you realise that psychology is everywhere. The subject is diverse and helping people with mental disorders is only one aspect of this science. Other topics include developmental psychology, sports psychology, health psychology, the psychology of human relationships and organisational psychology. (See the American Psychological Association - http://www.apa.org/action/science/index.aspx for a description of the major branches of the subject.)

We only use about 10% of our brains

Modern research has debunked (debunked = shown to be false) this popular idea that we do not make full use of our brains. See this article from Medical News Today: How much of our brain do we actually use? Brain facts and myths.

Everything we experience is recorded in our brains

We do not replay a recording of events when we wish to recall events or information. Research demonstrates that we reconstruct the past. Our memories are not fixed recordings of our lives.

An Inspiring Story

1. What is Psychology?

Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behaviour. Compared to philosophy and physics, psychology is a relatively new subject with William Wundt credited with opening the first laboratory in 1879.

Since then, psychologists have asked questions about why people behave the way they do. Does our brain control our behaviour? How similar are we to our parents? Are we social beings who need others to live?

Psychologists use scientific methods to answer these and hundreds of other questions. They investigate people’s biology, their thoughts and their social and cultural environments. To do this they use a variety of techniques from brain imaging technologies like MRI scans to conducting experiments in laboratories, field studies, interviews and observing people as they carry on in their daily activities. Psychologists are keen observers of behaviour and skilled at asking people about their thoughts and actions. The knowledge generated can bring positive changes to people’s lives.

William Wundt (centre) in his laboratory

2. What is IB Psychology?

Psychology has come a long way since the days of Wundt. We no longer believe personality is determined by the shape of the skulls or mental illnesses can be treated by removing parts of the brain.

Examples of lobotomy (removing parts of the brain)
Phrenology (the study of the shape of the skull)

Human behaviour is extraordinarily complex and no one approach can explain it all. Modern psychology, therefore, takes various approaches in researching behaviour and that is reflected in the syllabus of the IB Psychology Course.

The IB Psychology Course

Your first major topic in the course is Approaches to Research. Understanding how psychologists generate knowledge acts as a foundation for your study of the Core and the Options. The ethical treatment of animals and humans is an important consideration.

Syllabus components

Core

Biological approach to understanding behaviour

  • the relationship between the brain and behaviour (SL and HL)

  • hormones and pheromones and their effects on behaviour (SL and HL)

  • the relationship between genetics and behaviour (SL and HL)

  • the role of animal research in understanding human behaviour (HL only)

Cognitive approach to understanding behaviour

  • cognitive processing (SL and HL)

  • reliability of cognitive processes (SL and HL)

  • emotion and cognition (SL and HL)

  • cognitive processing in a technological (digital/modern) world (HL only)

Sociocultural approach to understanding behaviour

  • the individual and the group (SL and HL)

  • cultural origins of behaviour and cognition (SL and HL)

  • cultural influences on individual behaviour (SL and HL)

  • the influence of globalization on individual behaviour (HL only)

Relevant to all the topics are:

  • the contribution of research methods to understanding human behaviour

  • ethical considerations in investigations of human behaviour

Approaches to researching behaviour

  • Research methods

  • Elements of research behaviour

  • Analyzing data

  • Evaluating research

  • Drawing conclusions

Options

Abnormal psychology

  • factors influencing diagnosis

  • etiology of abnormal psychology

  • treatment of disorders

Psychology of human relationships

  • personal relationships

  • group dynamics

  • social responsibility

Applicable to all three topics within the options

  • The integration of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural approaches to understanding behaviour

  • Research methods used to understand behaviour

  • Ethical considerations

Internal assessment

  • Experimental study

Animal research in a laboratory

Bringing positive changes to people’s lives is the focus of the Options. SL students study Abnormal Psychology. HL students study Abnormal Psychology and the Psychology of Human Relationships.

As you can see in Tables 1.1 and 1.2 below, the approaches are studied one after the other. However, all of these approaches contribute insights into understanding behaviour and you should take a holistic perspective (holistic = emphasising the importance of the whole).

Semester

Component

Semester 1

Introduction

Approaches to researching behaviour

Biological approach to understanding behaviour

Semester 2

Cognitive approach to understanding the behaviour

Sociocultural approach to understanding behaviour

End of Year Exam

Semester 3

Internal Assessment and Abnormal Psychology

Semester 4

Abnormal Psychology and the Trial Exam

Table 1.1 SL Syllabus

Semester

Component

Semester 1

Introduction

Approaches to researching behaviour

Biological approach to understanding behaviour

Cognitive approach to understanding behaviour

Semester 2

Cognitive approach to understanding behaviour

Sociocultural approach to understanding behaviour

Abnormal Psychology

End of Year Exam

Semester 3

Internal Assessment and Abnormal Psychology

Semester 4

The Psychology of Human Relationships

Table 1.2 HL Syllabus

Approaches to Researching Behaviour

Psychologists use both quantitative and qualitative approaches to researching behaviour. Each approach has its advantages and limitations which must be considered when evaluating how a research study contributes to the understanding of behaviour. Asking questions, challenging assumptions and critically assessing the methods used by researchers are important skills.

An understanding of approaches to research is also important for your internal assessment task as you will be required to design, conduct, analyse, draw conclusions and evaluate your own experiment.

Only HL students will be directly assessed on the understanding of approaches to research in paper 3.

Topics of Approaches to Research Behaviour

  • Research methods

  • Elements of research behaviour

  • Analysing data

  • Evaluating research

  • Drawing conclusions

3. The Core

Biological Approach to Understanding Behaviour

Psychologists taking the Biological Approach explain behaviour by examining physiological and evolutionary causes. They look for correlations between what is going on in our bodies with what we are doing. Using brain imaging technologies, these psychologists map the brain’s structure and investigate how the brain and its billions of neural networks can change through experience. How hormones and neurotransmitters influence behaviour is another avenue of research. Other topics within this approach include how genes shape our individual lives and how evolution provides the broad contours of our journey through life. Biological psychologists have added tremendously to our understanding of people’s thoughts and actions but they acknowledge biology cannot explain all of our behaviours.

Psychologists taking a biological approach adopt research methods linked to their assumptions about how biology shapes people. As you study this approach, you will read experimental reports and case studies that investigate the brain, neurotransmitters, hormones and genes. Brain imaging technology has helped psychologists make remarkable strides in mapping the individual organs of the brain and understanding how the brain works as an integrated whole to direct behaviour. New thinking about the plasticity of the brain has overturned earlier ideas the brain was a static organ that changed little over the lifespan. Surprising new insights are emerging about the staggeringly complex ways that genes and the environment interact. Evolutionary psychologists take a broader approach to understanding behaviour by claiming many human activities evolved because they helped our ancestors survive and reproduce. Animal experimentation is also undertaken by biological scientists.

The content of the Biological Approach

  • Techniques used to study the brain in relation to behaviour

  • Localization of function

  • Neuroplasticity

  • Neurotransmitters their effects on behaviour

  • Hormones and their effects on behaviour

  • Pheromones and their effects on behaviour

  • Genes and their effect on behaviour

  • Genetic similarity

  • Evolutionary explanation for behaviour

  • The role of animal research in understanding human behaviour (HL only)

Ask yourself

  • Are you surprised that psychology focuses so much on biology?

  • Can we really learn about human behaviour by studying how rats run a maze or how chimps learn sign language?

  • How could this approach help make sense of Malala's experiences?

Cognitive Approach to Understanding Behaviour

Instead of examining the brain or genes, cognitive psychologists explore mental processes, such as memory, attitudes, perceptions, attention and thinking. Cognitive psychologists examine how we process the information we receive through our senses, and how we represent and think about the world.

Cognitive research methods focus on how mental processing affects different behaviours. The human mind is compared to a computer that processes raw data to create something infinitely more complex. Models of these mental processes explain memory, attitudes and perception and have produced many insights into behaviour. Cognitive neuroscientists use methods similar to the biological approach and include brain scanning techniques and experimentation. Emotions, as well as biases in thinking and decision-making, can also affect behaviour and these are also explored in this approach.

The cognitive approach interacts with the other perspective to develop a holistic picture of complex human behaviour.

The content of the Cognitive Approach:

  • Models of memory and concepts related to memory processing

  • Schema theory

  • Thinking and decision-making

  • Reconstructive memory

  • Biases in thinking and decision-making

  • The influence of emotion on cognitive processes

  • Cognitive processing in a technological (digital/modern) world (HL only)

Ask yourself

  • Can we really study the mind objectively?

  • How can models make assumptions about invisible mental processes?

  • How could this approach help make sense of Malala's experiences?

Sociocultural Approach to Understanding Behaviour

Psychologists taking the sociocultural approach assume that behaviour is best understood in its social and cultural context. Our lifelong interaction with family, friends and the wider world is the focus of investigations. In this way, you can see that the sociocultural approach moves away from the individual brain and mind to look at people as they affect and are affected by others. Our upbringing, our education, our geographical and historical context and how we interact with each other in daily social activities shape how we think and behave. Being a member of a larger group can affect individual behaviour and also the development of our identity. This approach does not dismiss biological and cognitive inputs into behaviour but sees them as just part of the larger picture.

The research methods of the sociocultural approach are focussed on social and cultural environments. Investigators undertake observations under real-life conditions, set up focus group interviews, and use any method that allows the researcher to see the world through the eyes of those being studied. These methods are not always controlled experiments as the goal is understanding the meaning of human behaviour in its social context.

The content of the Sociocultural Approach:

  • Social identity theory

  • Social cognitive theory

  • Stereotypes

  • Culture and its influence on behaviour

  • Cultural dimensions

  • Enculturation

  • Acculturation

  • The influence of globalisation on individual behaviour (HL only)

Ask yourself

  • How do you think your culture influences your behaviour?

  • What are the difficulties in carrying out research in Social Psychology?

  • How could these approaches help make sense of Malala’s experiences?

4. The Options

Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal Psychology builds upon your knowledge of Approaches to Research and the Core. You will analyse how insights generated by these approaches relate to the diagnosis, explanation and treatment of abnormal behaviour. There is no accepted definition of what makes an action abnormal, and factors such as social norms, changes over time and culture have influenced clinical definitions. The disputed nature of abnormality has important effects on diagnosis and treatment. To explore these issues, you will focus on the mood disorder of depression.

Psychology of Human Relationships (HL only)

The Psychology of Human Relationships focuses on individuals in personal relationships or in groups. It also builds upon your understanding of Approaches to Research and the Core. Each approach contributes insights into relationships. For instance, the biological approach investigates the role hormones and genetics play in attraction. The cognitive approach investigates schema theory (schema theory = a theory about how the mind organises knowledge) on how we perceive the nature of relationships. Social psychologists have concentrated their investigations on beliefs, social identity theory and the role of culture. Improving relationships, promoting social responsibility and reducing violence are the prime applications of the knowledge generated.

5. Examples of Research

Study 1

Study 2

Study 3

Ask yourself

  • What approach is taken in these three studies?

  • What topics are being investigated?

Further Reading

The Pamoja Teachers Articles Collection has a range of articles relevant to your study of the sociocultural approach to understanding behaviour.

References

Festinger, L., Riecken, H.W., & Schachter, S. (1956). When prophecy fails. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

Imbo, I., & LeFevre, J-A. (2009). Cultural differences in complex addition: Efficient Chinese versus adaptive Belgians and Canadians. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35(6), 1465-1476.

Van Dongen, H.P., Maislin, G., Mullington, J.M., & Dinges, D.F. (2003). The cumulative cost of additional wakefulness: dose-response effects on neurobehavioral functions and sleep physiology from chronic sleep restriction and total sleep deprivation. Sleep, 26, 117-126.

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