1.2 The behaviourist approach

Question 1

What did the behaviourists carry out to investigate how behaviour is learnt?

Answer 1

Highly controlled experiments.

Question 2

What are the four basic assumptions?

Answer 2

• All behaviour is learnt through association.
• Behaviour depends on consequences. Pleasant consequence = likely to be repeated. Unpleasant = not likely to be repeated.
• Psychology should be scientific and objective. Only study observable behaviour, mental processes are not looked at.
• It is sensible to generalise from animal to human behaviour.

Question 3

What do behaviourists usually use in their experiments?

Answer 3

Animals.

Question 4

Explain classical conditioning using a dog in 3 stages.

Answer 4

Stage 1. Food (unconditioned stimulus) produces reaction of salivation (unconditioned response)
Stage 2. Food (UCS) paired with bell (conditioned stimulus) produces reaction of salivation (UCR)
Stage 3. Bell (conditioned stimulus) produces reaction of salivation (conditioned response) .

Question 5

How what classical conditioning demonstrated in humans by Watson and Raynor (1920)?

Answer 5

Little Albert. Conditioned a fear of white furry things, as every time Albert stroked his pet white rat, they played a loud banging noise.

Question 6

What are the 3 key concepts associated with classical conditioning?

Answer 6

• Generalisation - producing a conditioned response to a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus.
• Discrimination - not responding to a stimulus that is different to the original conditioned stimulus.
• Extinction - A conditioned response dies out after repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 7

What is operant conditioning used to explain?

Answer 7

How voluntary behaviours are learnt.

Question 8

What did Skinner find in his experiment using rats and Skinners box?

Answer 8

Found that rats would learn to associate pressing a bar with food. The food was reinforcement, as it made the learnt behaviour (pressing on bar) more likely to occur.

Question 9

What are the five different types of reinforcement?

Answer 9

• Positive reinforcement, a plesant stimulus is recieved after a behaviour.
• Negative reinforcement, a behaviour is performed to avoid an unplesant stimulus.
• Punishment, an unplesant stimulus is recieved afer a behaviour.
• Primary reinforcement ,something this itself is rewarding (sweets).
• Secondary reinforcement, Something that can be exchanged for something that is rewarding (money, tokens).

Question 10

What are 3 strengths of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 10

• IT uses hightly controlled scientific methods.
• Enables the prediction of behaviour.
• Many therapies have been driven from behaviourist theory.

Question 11

What are four limitations of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 11

• Assumes that biological factors have little influence on bahaviour
• Neglects mental processes and emotions
• Behaviour is seen as being determined by the environment, suggesting no free will. Known as environmental deternisism.
• May not be sensible to generalise form animal to human.