5.4. Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
What is the behaviour approach interested in studying?
Studying behaviour that can be observed and measured. It is not concerned with investigating mental processes, as were seen irrelevant.
Behaviourists try to maintain more control and objectivity within their research and ten to rely on lab studies to achieve this.
What do behaviourists believe about behaviour?
All behaviour is learned and describe a baby’s mind as a ‘blank slate’, written on by experience.
Bhs suggest that the basic processes which govern learning are the same in all species.
There4, animals replace humans as experimental subjects in bhs research.
Two important forms of learning behaviourists identified
Classical and operant conditioning
Classical Conditioning - Pavlov (first demonstrated)
Pavlov showed how digs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of the bell if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time as they were given food.
Gradually the dogs learned to associate the sound of the bell with the food and would produce saliva response every time they heard the sound.
Thus, Pavlov was able to show how a neutral stimulus, in this case a bell, can come to elicit a new learned response through association.
Pavlov’s Dogs Procedure (4 steps)
Step 1 - meat powder with no additional stimulus
Step 2 - a bell was rung with no meat powder
Step 3 - bell rung with meat powder released
Step 4 - bell rung with no meat powder
Pavlov Findings
Pavlov found that the dogs would begin to salivate as soon as the bell was triggered, showing that the dogs now associated the noise with the meat powder.
Show the classical conditioning process
UCS -> UCR
NS + UCS -> CS
CS - > CR
Classical Conditioning - Little Albert - Watson
Showed no signs of fear from any animals. When researcher began banging Albert started crying.
They would then make the noise whenever the white rats were shown.
Show the classical conditioning process for Little Albert
UCS -> UCR
Loud bang -> fear of noise
NS + UCS -> CS
White rats + loud noise = white rats (through association)
CS - > CR
White rats -> fear of white rats
Operant conditioning - Skinner
Skinner suggested that learning is an active process where humans and animals operate on their environment.
In operant cond, behaviour is shaped by its consequences - positive/negative reinforcement and punishment.
Skinner Operant cond Research Rats
Put a rat into a special cage with a lever, whenever the rat pressed the lever food dropped.
The rat learned whenever its hungry just to press the lever.
This lead to one of the principles of operant conditioning -> behaviour followed by reinforcing stimulus results in an increased probability of that behaviour occurring again.
What process states that behaviour is acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning?
Two process model
One positive of the behavioural approach.
Scientific credibility.
Bhism was able to bring in the language and the method used by the natural science intro psych by measuring the behaviour in controlled lab settings.
Ther4, important approach in giving psych more credibility and status as a scientific discipline.
Second positive of the behavioural approach
Produced real world applications.
Principles applied to a range of real world problems. Eg phobias have been treate successfully using class cond techniques - systematic desentisation, flooding.
Increasing validity.
One limitation of the behavioural approach
Mechanistic vie of behaviour.
Humans and animals are seen as passive and machine like responders to the environment, with little r no conscious insight into their behaviour.
Other approaches like the cognitive and social learning theory look at the importance of mental events during learning.
Other approaches suggest that we take a much more active role in our learning lowering the validity of behaviourism.
