Approaches - 02 Learning approaches Flashcards
What does the behaviourist approach say we are born as?
A tabula rasa or a blank slate
What does the behaviourist approach focus on?
observable events i.e. stimuli and responses and the conditions under which learning would be most likely to occur
The behaviourist approach argues that in order for psychology to be scientific it should focus on behaviour which is what?
That can be objectively measured rather than on things like cognitive processes which can only be inferred.
What did the behaviourist approach say all behaviour could be explained by?
Classical and operant conditioning
What is operant conditioning?
Learning via rewards and reinforcement
What is classical conditioning?
Learning via associations
Why does the behaviourist approach say that it is ok to research animals?
because humans are animals and so behaviour will be directly relevant to humans so we can extrapolate/generalise
Who discovered classical conditioning and how?
Ivan Pavlov while he was studying salivation in dogs
In Pavlov’s study what was the food before conditioning?
Unconditioned stimulus
In Pavlov’s study what was the salivation before conditioning?
Unconditioned response
In Pavlov’s study what was the bell before conditioning?
Neutral stimulus
In Pavlov’s study what was the bell after conditioning?
Conditioned stimulus
In Pavlov’s study what was the salivation after conditioning?
Conditioned response
What is positive reinforcement?
Giving a desirable consequence as a result of a specific behaviour making that behaviour more likely to occur again in the future
What is negative reinforcement?
Taking away an undesirable state as a result of a specific behaviour making that behaviour more likely to occur again in the future
What is positive punishment?
Giving an undesirable consequence as a result of a specific behaviour making that behaviour less likely to occur again in the future
What is negative punishment?
Taking away a desirable state as a result of a specific behaviour making that behaviour less likely to occur again in the future
How did Skinner study operant conditioning?
He created an experimental tool called the Skinner box
What did the Skinner box allow Skinner to do?
Allowed him to have complete control of the organism’s environment
What was Skinner trying to investigate?
How the type of reinforcement or punishment given and the rate of reinforcement or punishment affected the rate of learning
What 3 things could be kept constant in the Skinner box?
1-temperature
2-light
3-noise
What happened to the rats before they entered the Skinner box?
They were starved
How was positive reinforcement used in Skinner’s experiment?
The rats received a food pellet every time they pressed a lever so they should learn to press it more often to keep receiving the food
How was negative reinforcement used in Skinner’s experiment?
The rats would have an electric shock turned off if the pressed the lever so they should learn to press it more often to stock the electric shocks
How was punishment used in Skinner’s experiment?
The rats would have their heat tuned off when they pressed the lever so they should learn to avoid the lever to stop their heat getting turned off
What is a continuous reinforcement schedule?
In a continuous schedule, every instance of a desired behaviour is reinforced
What is a partial reinforcement schedule?
In a partial schedule they only reinforce the desired behaviour occasionally
Which type of reinforcement schedule is more effective and why?
The partial schedule of reinforcement because it is more effective in maintaining the responses and avoiding extinction
Supporting evidence of the behaviourist approach (3)
1- Pavlov’s dogs - Classical conditioning
2- Skinner’s box - operant conditioning
3- Watson & Raynor - Classical conditioning of a phobia (little Albert)
Practical application of the behaviourist approach (2)
1- classical conditioning - Treatment of phobias
2- operant conditioning - Token economy systems
Evaluation of methodology used in the behaviourist approach
1- strength - experimental method = controlled conditions also objective and replicable = greater credibility and status
2- Weakness - ethics - stressful conditions may have affected how animals responded = reduction in the validity of results
3- Weakness - using animals not humans - animals passive, humans much more active role in learning, more free will = cautious in generalising to humans
Contrast with an alternative to behaviourism
The nature vs nurture debate
-behaviourists extreme nurture position, behaviour learned, conditioning
-ignore roles of nature, innate and inherited
most psychologists argue that behaviour is due to am interaction between nature and nurture
-so behaviourists cannot adequately explain human behaviours on its own
Did Bandura agree or disagree with behaviourists?
He agreed, but proposed that learning takes place in a social context through observation and imitation of others behaviour
What are the 4 features of social learning theory
1-learning occurs indirectly
2-observing consequences of behaviour
3-Mediational processes play a crucial role in learning
4-Identification with a role model is important
What is vicarious reinforcement
When children see that a behaviour has been rewarded or reinforced and so they are much more likely to be copied than behaviours that are being punished
What are the 4 mediational processes as suggested by Bandura (ARRM)
A-attention
R-retention
R-reproduction
M-motivation
What is attention in ARRM?
Whether or not a behaviour is noticed. We pay attention to role models
What is retention in ARRM?
Whether a behaviour is remembered in LTM
What is reproduction in ARRM?
The individual replicates the behaviour shown by a model
What is motivation in ARRM?
The will or desire to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished (vicarious reinforcement)
What is modelling?
When you observe the actions or behaviours of a role model, this leads to imitation of the model’s behaviour.
What is identification?
the extent to when an individual relates to a model and feels that he/she is similar to that person
What makes someone more likely to imitate a model’s behaviour?
If they are attractive and have a high status
Supporting evidence for SLT
Bandura + Walters’ study (1963) = learn through consequences of others = increase our confidence in theory
Practical application of SLT
made aware of need for protecting children from violence = shows need for watershed on TV and use of age restrictions
Evaluation of methodology used in SLT
conducted in lab setting = demand characteristics “look mummy there’s the doll we have to hit” = low internal validity =limit usefulness
Contrast with an alternative for SLT
1-less deterministic than biological = more realistic and flexible approach
2-Ignores biological factors = important influences on behaviour not accounted for by SLT
Describe the sample in Bandura’s study.
36 boys + 36 girls from Stanford University Nursery School aged 3-6
What were the 3 conditions in Bandura’s study?
1- Aggressive model shown to 24 kids
2-Non-aggressive model shown to 24 kids
3- No model shown to 24 kids (control)
How were the children subjected to mild aggression in Bandura’s study?
Taken into a room with attractive toys, as soon as they started to play the experimenter told them that were the best toys and only for the other children
Describe the procedure of Bandura’s Bobo doll study
-They children watched their given model(aggressive, non-aggressive or no model)
-Then all children subjected to mild aggression -Then taken into another room which contained aggressive toys, non-aggressive toys and a 3 foot Bobo doll
-The children’s behaviour was observed through a one way mirror
What were the results of Bandura’s Bobo doll study?
-Children who observed the aggressive model acted more aggressively towards the Bobo doll than the other groups
-Boys imitated more physically aggressive acts than girls
-Boys were more likely to imitate same-sex models than girls
Do the findings of Bandura’s Bobo doll study support or reject social learning theory and why?
Supports
because it shows that we learn via the consequences or lack of consequences of others as the children saw that the models faced no consequences and so imitated their aggressive behaviour
What did Bandura and Walters do in their follow up study?
-showed videos of an adult acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll
-One group saw the adult being praised for their behaviour
-Second group saw adult being told off for their behaviour
-Final group saw the aggression without any consequences
What were the results of Bandura and Walter’s follow up study?
When given the Bobo doll to play with the first group (praised) behaved much more aggressively followed by the last group (no consequence) and then the second group (punished), who behaved the least aggressively
Evaluation of the methodology of Bandura and Walter’s follow up study
-Possible children were aware of the aim of the study and what was expected of them (demand characteristics) so they may not have shown their natural behaviours
-They may have hit the Bobo doll because they thought that was what they had to do for the experiment
