behaviourism strengths

Question 1

behaviourism approach

Answer 1

suggests that we are not born with any genetic or predisposed traits, aptitudes or abilities; instead, all human behaviour is acquired and maintained through classical and operant conditioning

Question 2

strength pa

Answer 2

practical applications - which is when the principles of an approach are put into practice outside of the laboratory

ex: token economies have been used in prisons and psychiatric hospitals to encourage positive behaviour, giving patients a token (which can be exchanged for privilages) when they engaged in desirable behaviour.

due to the success of these treatments, it’s clear that humans behave in the way predicted by the theory, therefore contributing to our understanding of human behaviour

Question 3

strength s

Answer 3

it’s scientific

this is due to the learning approach being based on scientific and objective measures that are controlled and rigorous, allowing it to be replicated.

eg. behaviourism focuses on measuring observable behaviour (eg number of lever presses) within highly controlled and artifical laboratory settings

this brought the language and methods of the natural sciences (sciences which attempt to understand how the world around us works) into psychology, giving it greater credibility and status.

Question 4

limitation e

Answer 4

it’s environmentally determinist

this is when an approach suggests that behaviour is caused by external environmental factors and only these factors shape our behaviour

eg not all children who are punished for undesirable behaviours will stop doing them, some children may choose to continue to behave in this way despite the punishment received.

this suggests that humans do have free-will to choose and that we are not just a sum total of the reinforcements we receive, casting some doubt over the assumptions of the learning theory.