5.3: The behaviourist approach

Question 1

Helena is always late for her psychology lessons. Her teacher has decided to apply operant conditioning to improve Helena’s punctuality.

Explain how the teacher might use positive reinforcement to change Helena’s behaviour (2 marks)

Answer 1

The teacher might use positive reinforcement to change Helena’s behaviour by giving Helena something she likes, wants or needs, such as attention, reduced homework or praise, after the appropriate response (attending the lesson on time)

Question 2

When investigating the conditioning of behaviour, Behaviourists such as Pavlov and Skinner collected quantitative data.

Give two examples of quantitative data collected by psychologists who have studied conditioning (2 marks)

Answer 2

One example of quantitative data collected by a psychologist who has studied conditioning is a measure of the amount of saliva produced by the dog(s) in Pavlov’s research

Question 3

When investigating the conditioning of behaviour, Behaviourists such as Pavlov and Skinner collected quantitative data.

Give two examples of quantitative data collected by psychologists who have studied conditioning (2 marks).
One example of quantitative data collected by a psychologist who has studied conditioning is a measure of the amount of saliva produced by the dog(s) in Pavlov’s research.

Answer 3

Another example of quantitative data collected by a psychologist who has studied conditioning is the time taken to respond to a stimulus (to press a lever for example) in Skinner’s research

Question 4

Give two reasons why behaviourists do not collect qualitative data in their investigations (2 marks)

Answer 4

Behaviourists do not collect qualitative data in their investigations, because qualitative data cannot be replicated and qualitative data is not open to quantification and statistical analysis

Question 5

Behaviourists often use animals in their research.

Briefly discuss one strength of using animals in research and then applying the findings to human behaviour (2 marks)

Answer 5

One strength of using animals in research and then applying the findings to human behaviour is that controlled research on animals is easier to conduct as they are generally smaller and have a shorter gestation period, and some argue that animal research is ethically more acceptable

Question 6

Explain why behaviourism is considered to be a deterministic approach (2 marks)

Answer 6

Behaviourism is considered to be a deterministic approach, because it is environmentally deterministic, as behaviourists argue that all behaviour is caused by the external environment through association, past experience and conditioning

Question 7

Explain why behaviourism is considered to be a deterministic approach (2 marks).
Behaviourism is considered to be a deterministic approach, because it is environmentally deterministic, as behaviourists argue that all behaviour is caused by the external environment through association, past experience and conditioning.

Answer 7

According to Skinner, behaviour is a product of prior reinforcements (positive and negative) and punishment and radical behaviourists believe free will is an illusion