Ap - The behaviourist approach

Question 1

What did behaviourists believe?

Answer 1

Much of human behaviour could be explained in terms of conditioning involving the formation of learned associations between stimuli in the environment and an organism’s response.

Question 2

Who did research on classical conditioning?

Answer 2

Pavlov (1927)

Question 3

Who did research on operant conditioning?

Answer 3

Skinner (1938)

Question 4

What was Pavlov investigating at the time of his discovery of classical conditioning and what did he notice?

Answer 4

He was investigating the salivary reflex in dogs when he noticed the animals not only salivated when food was placed in their mouths but also reacted to a stimuli that coincided with the presentation of food (such as the presence of a food bowl or the person that fed them.

Question 5

What is the unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?

Answer 5

The natural stimulus in any reflex.

Question 6

What is the unconditioned response (UCR)?

Answer 6

The natural response to the natural stimulus (unconditioned stimulus).

Question 7

What happens during the acquisition phase?

Answer 7

A neutral stimulus (NS), which does not elicit the UCR, is presented shortly before the UCS.

Question 8

What happens after many pairing of the UCS+NS?

Answer 8

The NS would now be able to produce the same response in the absence of the UCS. The NS is now referred to as the conditioned response (CR).

Question 9

Explain Pavlov’s findings in terms of the dogs salivation.

Answer 9

Ringing a bell shortly before presenting food to a hungry animal will eventually (after many pairings of NS and UCS) mean that the bell on its own will be sufficient to produce the response of salivation (CR).

Question 10

What are the 4 other important features of Pavlov’s research of classical conditioning?

Answer 10

Timing
Extinction
Spontaneous recovery
Stimulus generalisation

Question 11

Why is timing an important feature in Pavlov’s research of classical conditioning?

Answer 11

If the NS cannot be used to predict the UCS (e.g. if it occurs after the UCS or the time interval between the two is too great), then conditioning does not take place.

Question 12

Why is extinction an important feature in Pavlov’s research of classical conditioning?

Answer 12

Pavlov discovered that, unlike the UCR, the CR does not become permanently established as a response. After a few presentations of the CS in the absence of the UCS, it loses its ability to produce the CR.

Question 13

Why is spontaneous recovery an important feature in Pavlov’s research of classical conditioning?

Answer 13

Following extinction, if the CS and UCS are then paired together once again, the link between them is made much more quickly.

Question 14

Why is stimulus generalisation an important feature in Pavlov’s research of classical conditioning?

Answer 14

Pavlov discovered that once an animal has been conditioned, they will also respond to other stimuli that are similar to the CS.

Question 15

What is the abbreviated way to explain classical conditioning?

Answer 15

UCS ——> UCR
UCS + NS ——> UCR
CS ——> CR

Question 16

What was the idea behind Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning?

Answer 16

Organisms spontaneously produce different behaviours, and these behaviours produce consequences for that organism, some of which may be positive (i.e. desirable) and some negative (i.e. undesirable). Whether or not an organism repeats a particular behaviour depends on the nature of these consequences, i.e. it is reinforced.

Question 17

How did Skinner investigate operant conditioning?

Answer 17

Developed a special cage (called a ‘Skinner box’) in order to investigate operant conditioning in rats.

The rat moves around the cage , and when it accidently presses the lever, a food pellet (the reinforcer) falls into the cage.

In no time at all the hungry rat begins pressing the lever in order to obtain food.

If the food pellets stop, the rat presses the lever a few more times and then abandons it (extinction).

Question 18

What did Skinner find the rats did?

Answer 18

Accidently pressed lever and got food.
Continued pressing it and kept getting food.
Food stops.
Rat presses lever a few more times.
Rat abandons lever.

Question 19

What are the two types of reinforcer?

Answer 19

positive

negative

Question 20

What does reinforcement make happen?

Answer 20

Make it more likely that a behaviour will recur, they do this in different ways.

Question 21

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 21

When a behaviour produces a consequence that is satisfying or pleasant for the organism e.g. food to a hungry animal or praise given to a child after they do something particularly well.

Question 22

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 22

When something aversive (unpleasant) is removed and so the organism is restored to its ‘pre-aversive’ state. E.g. the act of hitting the ‘off’ button on an alarm clock allows a person to escape from the unpleasant ringing and restores the restful pre-alarm state.

Question 23

What are two other important features of operant conditioning?

Answer 23

Schedules of reinforcement.

Punishment.

Question 24

Why are schedules of reinforcement important in operant conditioning?

Answer 24

Although a continuous reinforcement schedule (reinforcing every time the act happens) is most effective in establishing a particular response, a partial reinforcement schedule (reinforcing every so many of the act or every so often (time)) is more effective in maintaining that response and avoiding extinction.

Question 25

What does punishment make happen?

Answer 25

Decreases the likelihood of the behaviour recurring.

Question 26

What are the 2 types of punishment?

Answer 26

positive

negative

Question 27

What is positive punishment?

Answer 27

Adding something unpleasant as a consequence (such as slapping a naughty child).

Question 28

What is negative punishment?

Answer 28

Taking away something pleasant (such as ‘grounding’ a naughty teenager).

Question 29

Define behaviourist

Answer 29

People who believe that human behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without the need to consider thoughts or feelings.

Question 30

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 30

When a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that is eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus and is able to produce a conditioned response.

Question 31

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 31

Learning through reinforcement or punishment. If a behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence then that behaviour is more likely to occur again in the future.

Question 32

Define punishment

Answer 32

Involves the application of an unpleasant consequence following a behaviour, with the result that the behaviour is less likely to occur again in the future.

Question 33

Define reinforcement

Answer 33

Anything that strengthens a response and increases the likelihood that it will occur again in the future.

Question 34

What are the positives/strengths of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 34

• Classical conditioning applied to therapy (phobias).

- Operant conditioning (Skinners work) is based on experimental work (so controlled conditions).

Question 35

What are the negatives/limitations of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 35

• Classical conditioning only appropriate for some learning (different species experience different problems).
• Over-reliance on non-human animals in research (rats and pigeons).
• A limited perspective on behaviour (ignores cognitive factors and emotional states).