The cognitive perspective in psychology is often used to explain behaviour. Discuss the cognitive perspective in psychology. In your answer, refer to at least two topics that you have studied in psychology.

The cognitive perspective in psychology is often used to explain behaviour. Discuss the cognitive perspective in psychology. In your answer, refer to at least two topics that you have studied in psychology The cognitive approach focuses on the cognitive processes between the stimulus and response. It see's humans as information processors, much like computers, as information is received, processed and then used to guide behaviour. In 1973, Mischel distinguished five variables that influence the response to a stimulus. These variables are competencies, encodings, expectancies, values and plans. Together, they influence the attribution process and so affect behaviour. Unlike behaviourists, cognitive psychologists include the internal cognitive processes between stimulus and response and so when compared to the behaviourist approach, cognitive psychologists argue that humans make sense of the stimulus before responding, rather than simply responding in an unthinking way to a stimulus. However, the cognitive approach is often criticised for being too mechanistic and reductionist. This is because it reduces complex human processes and behaviour to those of a computer and ignores the fact that humans are biological organisms and are not machines. One topic that the cognitive approach applies to is anxiety disorders, and more specifically, phobias. Cognitive psychologists

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Exploring the genre and style of the Political Interview - Paxman and Galloway interview

Exploring the genre and style of the Political Interview Introduction Politics is an area in society which is accepted as an important aspect of our lives. It governs our country and, as a result, affects how we conduct our everyday affairs. Since the commercial availability of television, politicians have had the opportunity to express party views, promote their manifesto and justify controversial actions. Live interviews have allowed the nation to put forward questions they want answered, significantly progressing the basis on who we decide to vote for to govern our country. These interviews are perhaps most notable on Newsnight, hosted by Jeremy Paxman. Paxman became a presenter of Newsnight in 1989 and has since been a pioneer in the interrogative style used to unnerve his interviewees. This topic is of particular interest due to the nature of the interaction between a representative of the audience (the interviewer) and the politician. In many cases, it is evident that politicians adopt a tactful stance when answering questions in order to prevent perceptions and retain popularity. Interviews often gain entertainment value when questions are put forward that place the interviewee in a difficult stance, and more so when an attempt is made to divert the topic to suit the interviewees position. This is a typical method used in order to gain control of conversation, and

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Explain two specific behaviors using psychological perspectives

P4 - Explain two specific behaviors using psychological perspectives P5 - Use examples to explain the contribution of psychological perspectives to the management and treatment of two specific behaviors M3 - Analyze the role of psychological perspectives in understanding the two specific behaviors Introduction In this assignment I will be explaining two specific behaviors using psychological perspectives. In this part I will be talking about phobias and fears, and OCD. Every behavior of an individual has an explanation with psychological perspectives which makes us understand the behavior in more depth and why the individual is behaving accordingly. There are quite a few psychological perspectives that I have learnt about throughout my lessons. These are behaviorist, social learning theory, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, developmental and biological. All of these perspectives explain a certain behavior in a unique way to others, however some can be explained together and others on their own. Phobia and fears This is my first specific behavior which I will explain by giving three psychological perspectives. Phobia is an excessive fear or unreasonable irrational fear. However a fear is an unpleasant reaction when face-to-face with real danger. It could be towards someone, object, place, situation etc. there are many types of phobias which are towards all sorts

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In this essay I will evaluate and explain the Social Learning Theory (SLT), which explains aggressiveness from a behaviourism point of view. The opposite point of view is the biological point of view; they believe that aggressiveness stems from genetic ma

In this essay I will evaluate and explain the Social Learning Theory (SLT), which explains aggressiveness from a behaviourism point of view. The opposite point of view is the biological point of view; they believe that aggressiveness stems from genetic make-up. Together these two views can be seen as the nature and nurture debate; according to social psychologists aggression is learnt (nurture), from the view of the biological psychologists they believe aggression is innate (nature). Bandura and Walters's believed that aggression is learnt through indirect and direct reinforcement; however they did not dismiss the biological views on aggression and said that the behaviourist approach looks at how and when we aggress. The social learning theory has many research study's, the most popular being Bandura's study with the bobo doll. Bandura has children observing a model who interacted with the bobo doll, either aggressively or non-aggressively. The children were then 'frustrated' by taken to another room filled with toys, but they were told it was an error and had to leave. The children were then left alone with the doll whilst Bandura observed their behaviour. Bandura found that children who had observed the aggressive model would be aggressive towards the doll, and the children who watched the non-aggressive model either played with the doll in a non-aggressive manner or

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OCR G544 - Using examples, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the use of self-reports in psychology. (12 marks)

Self-Reports in Psychology Q1)c) Using examples, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the use of self-reports in psychology. (12) One of the strengths of using self-reports as a method of data collection in psychology is that, if we are to believe the cognitive approach, this is the only way in which we can extract information about the way a person thinks. To clinically interview a person, such as in Ellis’ study on Rational Analysis as a means of treating an affective disorder can provide important information about the individual that otherwise cannot be seen, as the cognitive approach believes that mental processes, or cognitions, are hypothetical constructs and the only way we can establish reasons for behaviour is to ask the individual themselves. Another strength of self-reports in psychology is that you can collect both quantitative and qualitative data from them. With the use of closed questions whereby predetermined answers are provided (multiple choice questionnaires, e.g. a Likert scale), researchers can collect quantified measurements of the number of people who chose a certain answer, like in Holmes & Rähe’s study of Life Changing Events, where the majority of participants rated the bereavement of a spouse/partner as the hardest thing to adjust to on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), giving in a collective rating of 100/100. With open

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Explain how Ferdinand and Isabella dealt with the problems facing them before 1479.

HISTORY AS-LEVEL 2003 European History Essay Paper - Past Question Plans. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explain how Ferdinand and Isabella dealt with the problems facing them before 1479. This is an 'explain' type question - so it's asking you to do just that, but also a little more. Merely describing the measures Ferdinand and Isabella took to cope with various problems will get some marks, but more marks will be gained if you weigh up the outcomes of these policies, and register how successful they were. For example, you may say in the essay that Ferdinand and Isabella faced economic problems, and you may go on to explain what policy(ies) they introduced to solve the problem. This would be 'explaining' how they 'dealt' with the problem, but you can go further and say how well they dealt with it compared to other issues, etc. Also, refer to historians and what they said about how they dealt with problems. Always link back to the question. So - you must: a) Show what the problems were b) What measures they took to deal with them c) How successful these measures were, evaluating against other issues, historiographical interpretations, short-term/long-term instances. The essay: PARA 1 - WHAT WERE THE PROBLEMS: i) Civil War in Aragon - decline of Barcelona, civil disorder, social unrest. ii)

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OCR G544 - Using examples of research that you have studied, discuss the strengths and limitations of using the nurture debate to explain human behaviour (12 marks)

Nature vs. Nurture Q1) Using examples of research that you have studied, discuss the strengths and limitations of using the nurture debate to explain human behaviour. (12) The nurture debate in psychology aligns itself with explaining all human behaviour as a product of the environment that an individual lives in. It suggests that the people we interact with, the homes we grow up in and even the school experiences we have as we grow up are all influential on our behaviour later in life. In the longitudinal study by Farrington, et al. into delinquent development of boys in East London, he found that there are environmental factors that directly influence why young offenders become adult criminals. Negative school experiences, weak family bonds and growing up in an impoverished area where life prosperity is low were all contributing risk factors, but even so, this study does not attribute any behaviour to the nature side of the debate and therefore ignores important genetic factors that may also predetermine behaviour from birth (such as explored in a study by Raine where he observed brain dysfunction as a reason the crimes committed by serial murderers). Another weakness of the nurture debate is shown in Meichenbaum’s study, whereby a comparison group of students suffering exam anxiety enrolled on a course of systematic desensitisation – a behavioural method of treating

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Explain how economists model how an increase in government expenditure can lead to a greater increase in national income.

Explain how economists model how an increase in government expenditure can lead to a greater increase in national income. Ans. National income is the total amount of wealth that accrues to the permanent residents of a country as a result of the production of goods and services within a country during the course of a year. It is important to measure national income because it shows whether the standard of living in a country is rising or falling and it can be used as a means of comparison between other countries. It is also useful to measure income against past income in the same country to see whether the economy is growing or declining. An increase in government expenditure is an injection in the circular flow on income. An injection is an addition to the circular flow of income. The diagram above illustrates some of the injections and leakages in the economy. It is however very important to find out exactly what will be the effect on the economy from an increase in injections. Economists do this by calculating the multiplier effect of the increase in the government expenditure on the economy. The multiplier indicates how many times that the injection of original spending circulates through a local economy. As a result of re-spending, it benefits the local people. The formula for calculating the multiplier effect is 1/(1-MPC). When there is an increase in the

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McDonalds Marketing Analysis. Explain the marketing techniques used by a given organisation and analyse how and why these techniques have been chosen.

Introduction In this assignment I will explain the marketing techniques used by a given organisation and analyse how and why these techniques have been chosen. The marketing techniques I will talk about are SWOT and PESTLE analysis and also the Marketing Mix. The organisation I have chosen for the purpose of this assignment is McDonalds. a) PESTLE analysis Marketers use PESTLE analysis to investigate the outside environment in which an organisation is operating. SWOT analysis A common approach by marketers is to use SWOT analysis to draw together all the evidence from the various analytical techniques used. It is a way of producing a summary which then provides the basis for developing marketing objectives or aims and ultimately strategies or plans. Marketing mix The marketing mix provides an excellent framework for developing marketing plans. The marketing mix is considered to be made up of four parts price, place, product and promotion. Source: BTEC national business book 1, 2nd edition, etal David Dooley Now I will explain how marketing techniques have been used by McDonalds. PESTLE Political factors McDonalds have used PESTLE analysis to identify ways in which their business is affected by the outside environment in which a business is operating. PESTLE helps McDonalds to identify the political policies such as the national minimum wage and the amount of tax

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Determinism in the biological perspective

Explain how determinism relates to the biological perspective Determinism is an important aspect in the biological perspective. This perspective focuses on a biological basis in explaining behaviour. The key element of hormones, neurotransmitters, genes and brain structures suggests how behaviour is influenced. Consequently, this perspective is deterministic, due to the fact that it emphasise that some behaviours may be biologically determined. Hence, it suggests that humans may have limited control and free will is determining their behaviours. Several empirical studies have outlined the deterministic aspects in this perspective. However, it may be reductionist to only focus on biological elements to explain complex human behaviours because there is evidence that suggests that cognitive and behavioural factors can also play an important role in determining behaviour. Theorists in the biological perspective assume that some behaviour may be innate, or biologically determined. This is illustrated through a study conducted by Lorenz, on how ducklings imprint. The results showed that the ducklings imprinted on the first moving object, after coming out of their shells. Moving objects included a moving ball and Lorenz himself! This study suggests that their behaviour may be biologically pre-determined. Lorenz illustrates the deterministic aspects in the biological perspective.

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