Psychological Perspectives Essay Example for Free

Psychological Perspectives Essay Behaviourist approach-we can understand any type of behaviour perspective by looking at what the person has learnt, including personality, confidence, optimism or pessimism. Classical conditioning and Pavlov’s dogs. Pavlov was working with dogs to investigate their digestive system Pavlov attached a tube to the dogs mouth was the sliver comes from. This was then attached to a monitor in whom the monitor would monitor how much sliver was used during salivation. Salivation was a automatic response that is unconditioned (not learnt). Food leads to this almost automatically (unconditioned stimulus). Pavlov decided he wanted to find out how much the dog salivated when associated with different noises before giving him food. Pavlov put up a wooden wall so the dog could not see the food, he then rang a bell the dog began to salivate. Over the day the dog then began to associate the bell with the food a salivated as soon as he heard the bell. It had learnt the conditioned response of salivation to the conditioned stimulus of the bell. Operant conditioning and skinners rats. This was to discover the key principles of new learning behaviours. The rat was first places in the box with a lever which when pressed it released a food pellet in to the box. At first when the rat got in to the box it sniffed around and at some point it pressed the lever, discovering that the pellet was dropped. The rat then repeated this performance and learned that pressing the lever is automatically followed by the pellet being dropped. ( the consequence) The pellet is seen as reinforcing, this means something that the rat would like to have more of. There are two types of enforcement negative and positive reinforcement. Skinner then investigated negative reinforcement by running a low electrical current on the floor of the box, the current would be de-activated when the lever was pressed. The behaviour of pressing the leaver was then negatively in reinforcing. For example humans used pain killers as a negative reinforcement because if you use them the pain then tends to go away. Social learning approach Social learning is what affects a person because of a certain individual or a group of people. This could lead to negative behaviour which could be smoking, drinking and drugs. These could be influenced by friends, parents or a guardian and also from the environment they live in. Albert Bandura proved this because he observed this by doing the bobo doll experiment which was children watching a adult kick, punch and sit on the doll. The children then were allowed to go in a play with the doll and they did what they had observed. But also in the room there was other items that they could play with so they could chose to be aggressive or not but they chose to play with the doll, when they were playing with the doll some got guns involved and pretended to shoot it, which the adult never did. The children also used aggressive language towards the doll, this showed that because they had observed the adult being aggressive towards the dolls the children copied. Bandura also believed that behaviour can be learnt from the following principles observational learning, this is watching someone else perform a behaviour such as smoking, drinking, wearing a cycle helmet, they can be learnt but does not have to be reproduced unless the person is motivated to perform the behaviour. A role model which is an individual that inspires others as they could be prestigious, attractive, have a high status and they may copy their behaviour. Modelling which is the process of basing behaviour for example dressing the same as someone who they may admire. Availability the behaviour to be learnt must be available this could be performed somewhere for the individual to see this could be on TV, the computer, games, there peers and family members. Attention the behaviour must be noticed or we will not be able to learn it, if someone is feeling unwell they may not pay attention which could be a problem because you will not remember the procedure. Retention is behaviour that must be retained which is that the person must be interested enough and old enough to retain the information in their memory. Reproduction the individual must be capable of performing the behaviour. Motivation behaviour will be learnt and then performed. Humanistic approach Maslow was a psychologist that believed we were all seeking to become the best that we possibly can be physically, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually, he called this self-actualisation. He also made the theory known as hierarchy of needs this explains that every human requires certain basic needs to be met before they are able to move on to the next stage. He also believed that all our energies will be focused on the stage that we are at, until the basic needs are met we will not focus on our emotional needs and to feel self-esteem which is how valuable we may feel, for someone who has a high self-esteem they will believe that that they are loved and are loveable and also that they feel important and valued. For someone who has a low self-esteem they could feel worthless and that they have no value to anyone and may feel unloved and that they are not unlovable. Self-concept is developed at an early age and it is the way we see ourselves, for example if someone was a child got told they were silly they are more likely to be that way were if a child is praised they will be behave and will have a positive self-concept. Rogers was interested in concept of self, it is the way we view ourselves which includes physical and biological attributes like being male or female, short or tall. He believed that we also hold a concept of our self which represents as view of how we should be and as we would like to be, when there is incongruence between our self and our ideal self we can become unhappy and troubled. (betec level 3 health and social care book 1) Biological approach The maturational theory is that a child would be born with a set of genetics which are passed down through their parents, which are cognitive, physical, and other developmental processes which unfold over time. It is a theory that states that development is to nature not nurture. Gesells theory was that he believed that the development happened the way it was suppose to, this was from developing in the womb until birth. After birth he believed that this is when the child’s genes started to develop them into the person that they were meant to be. He also believed that the environment supported them developing their skills, talents, personality and also their interests but what was the main thing that helped the child develop was the maturational process. The importance of genetic influences on behaviour is that genes affect someone’s behaviour in a numerous of ways. A dominant gene can cause disorders like Huntington’s disease which can be passed on through a parent. Other disorder could be cystic fibrosis which both parents need to carry the gene in order for their child to get it. Disorders can be passed down but are not genetically determined which can lead to the person developing the disorder for example breast cancer can be passed down if one of the family members carry the gene. Psychodynamic approach focuses on unconscious thought processes, the patient will explore the unresolved issues and the conflicts that they have had in in the past which are believed to affect them in their present life. The therapies focus on relieving and resolving the unconscious conflicts which are motivating their symptoms. Freud first developed the vital ideas which bring about the approach as a whole particularly the idea that understanding behavior requires insight into the thoughts and feelings that motivate our actions. Freud also describes conscious mind, which consists of all the mental processes of which we are aware. For example, you may be feeling hungry at this moment and decide to get something to eat. Eriksons theory differs in a number of important ways. Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of predetermined stages. Unlike Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson’s theory describe the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan.

Flannery O’Connor’s use of the Protagonist Essay -- essays research pa

Flannery O’Connor’s use of the Protagonist Flannery O’Connor’s use of the protagonist in the three stories â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge†, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, and â€Å"Revelation† are all expressed through characters that do not fit the typical protagonist mold. As you will see the three protagonists have many similarities. Mrs. Turpin and Julian’s mothers similarities are out in the open and easy to recognize. On the other hand the grandmother’s similarities are more subdued, but she does share them with the other women. There are many commonalties between the protagonists in the stories by Flannery O’Connor. First physically, they are all elderly women. All three are mothers of boys. Another likeness is the women and their sheer physical presence. â€Å"In Everything Rises Must Converge† Julian’s mother walks on the bus and immediately begins to control the conversation. People seem to feed off her commentaries. These commentaries are usually on the basis of racism. As she states when she notices that there are no black people on the bus, â€Å"I see we have the bus to ourselves.†(p.344) Mrs. Turpin is almost the exact same way as Julian’s mother. The only difference between the two is that Mrs. Turpin was waiting in a doctor’s office. She too seems like she is the one who is in command of the conversation. The same holds true for the grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find. She continues a conversation with a man that is has murdered her family and threat ening t...

Minority languages Essay

The world has very many languages that are considered as minor. These are well spread through the lands and they are threatened towards extinction. Various policies have been put forward by different countries to help preserve these unique dialects and one of the ways is by use of education scholarships given to people of these languages to encourage the to advance. As they advance, their languages get known in various places. Broadcasting stations that air programs in these languages have also been set up. Many more people can as a result hear them and adopt their ways. The culture of these minority groups can be used as a platform of preserving the dialects. Various campaigns have been set up to help market the culture of these people so that they remain dominant. Some countries have also gone to an extent of declaring that the minority languages are the national languages of their countries and this is a boost towards preserving the languages. Some education curriculums have also been set up so that these languages can be used in learning institutions and this has worked to spread awareness on these minority languages. This occurred in Sami which is an Irish dialect. Some important books like the bible have been printed in these languages and this gives security and helps to preserve the languages. The local owners of these languages are hence kept busy in their tradition and they feel comfortable and lack nothing because of the translations. The minor languages can best be preserved by making sure that the members fit in all arena of life by providing books and programs that are representative of their language. This is the only secure way. Source Tomasi, K. (2005). World History. NY: Oxford press.

How Do Animals Use Camouflage in Nature

Camouflage is a type of coloration or pattern that helps an animal blend in with its surroundings. It is common among invertebrates, including some species of octopus and squid, along with a variety of other animals. Camouflage is often used by prey as a way to disguise themselves from predators. It is also used by predators to conceal themselves as they stalk their prey. There are several different types of camouflage, including concealing coloration, disruptive coloration, disguise, and mimicry. Concealing Coloration DanielBehmPhotography.Com/Getty Images   Concealing coloration allows an animal to blend into its environment, hiding it from predators. Some animals have fixed camouflage, such as snowy owls and polar bears, whose white coloration helps them blend in with the Arctic snow. Other animals can change their  camouflage at will based on where they are.  For example, marine creatures such as flatfish and stonefish can alter their coloration to blend in with surrounding sand and rock formations. This type of camouflage, known as background matching, allows them to lie on the bottom of the seabed without being spotted. It is a highly useful adaptation. Some other animals have a type of seasonal camouflage. This includes the snowshoe hare, whose fur turns white in winter to match the surrounding snow. During summer, the animals fur turns brown to match the surrounding foliage. Disruptive Coloration Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography/Getty Images Disruptive coloration includes spots, stripes, and other patterns that break up the outline of an animals shape and sometimes conceal particular body parts. The stripes of a zebras coat, for example, create a disruptive pattern that is confusing to flies, whose compound eyes have trouble processing the pattern. Disruptive coloration is also seen in spotted leopards, striped fish, and black-and-white skunks. Some animals have a particular type of camouflage called a disruptive eye mask. This is a band of color found on the bodies of birds, fish, and other creatures that conceals the eye, which is usually easy to spot because of its distinctive shape. The mask makes the eye nearly invisible, allowing the  animal to better avoid being seen by predators. Disguise somnuk krobkum/Getty Images   Disguise is a type of camouflage where an animal takes on the appearance of something else in its environment. Some insects, for example, disguise themselves as leaves by changing their shading. There is even a whole family of insects, known as leaf insects or walking leaves, which are famous for this type of camouflage. Other creatures also disguise themselves, like the walking stick or stick-bug, which resembles a twig. Mimicry The Viceroy butterfly mimics the poisonous Monarch. Marcia Straub/Getty Images   Mimicry is a way for animals to make themselves look like related animals that are more dangerous or otherwise less appealing to predators. This type of camouflage is seen in snakes, butterflies, and moths. For example, the scarlet kingsnake, a type of harmless snake found in the eastern United States, has  evolved to look like the coral snake, which is highly poisonous. Butterflies mimic other species  that are poisonous to predators. In both cases, the animals deceptive coloration helps ward off other creatures that might be looking for a meal.