2)Approaches - Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
What is the basic assumption of the behaviourist approach?
Behaviour can be observed and measured.
What are the two types of conditioning?
Classical and Operant
Who investigated into classical conditioning?
Pavlov
Who investigated into operant conditioning?
Skinner
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through consequences
What was Pavlov’s study?
Food (UCS) –> Salivation (UCR)
Food (UCS) + Bell (NS) = Salivation (UCR)
Bell (CS) –> Salivation (CR)
What are the types of reinforcement?
Positive and Negative
What is positive reinforcement?
Receiving reward for certain behaviours, encouraging that behaviour
What is negative reinforcement?
Behaviours which avoid something unpleasant
What was skinner’s experiment?
Skinner Box
- Conducted experiments with rats.
Two Conditions:
- Positive reinforcement was shown when the rat activated a lever and was rewarded a food pellet.
- Negative reinforcement was shown when the rat activated a lever but to stop the electric shock from the floor.
Give a strength about the Behaviourist Approach’s scientific credibility
P - There is scientific credibility as the BA brought the methods of natural sciences into psychology.
E - This was done by emphasising the importance of scientific processes such as objectivity and replication.
E - Because of this, behaviourism has been influential in the development of psychology as a scientific discipline.
Give a strength to the real-life application of the behaviourist approach
P - BA has real life application
E - This can be seen in token economy systems used in prisons. These reward appropriate behaviours with tokens which can be exchanged for privileges.
E - Treatments like this require little effort and can help improve behaviour for offenders.
