APPROACHES- Behaviourist Flashcards
What are the main assumptions of the behaviourist approach?
-only concerned with studying behaviour that can be observed and measured
-not concerned with investigating mental processes, thoughts and opinions
-behaviour is determined by external factors
-born as tabula rasa (clean slate)
-use lab experiments and animal studies
Does it come under nurture or nature?
nurture
What did John B Watson (1913) propose?
-rejected Wundt’s introspection as it had too many vague concepts and was too difficult to measure
Why do they use lab experiments?
to maintain control and objectivity
How did Darwin’s ideas influence this approach?
basic learning processes are the same in all species so animals replaced humans in research
What is classical conditioning?
when a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that eventually it takes on the properties of this stimulus and is eventually able to produce a conditioned response (learning by association)
PAVLOV’S DOGS STUDY
What is operant conditioning?
learning by reinforcement
SKINNER
What is positive reinforcement?
positive consequences of a behaviour so desirable behaviour is more likely to occur
Give an example of positive reinforcement
given a star to put on a star chart for good behaviour
What is punishment?
a negative consequence of behaviour so undesirable behaviour is less likely to occur
Give an example of punishment
having to sit on the naughty step
What is negative reinforcement?
avoidance of a negative consequence by changing the behaviour so desirable behaviour is more likely to occur
Give an example of negative reinforcement
Not speeding to avoid a fine
What is a primary reinforcer?
stimuli which are naturally reinforcing because they directly satisfy a need
Give an example of a primary reinforcer
food and water to provide comfort
What is a secondary reinforcer?
stimuli which are reinforced through their association with a primary reinforcer
Give an example of a secondary reinforcer.
(they do not directly satisfy a need but may be the means to do so)
money,stickers,toys
What type of conditioning did the Skinner box involve?
Operant
What was the aim of the Skinner box experiment?
To prove that organisations spontaneously produce different behaviours and these behaviours produce consequences, some of which may be desirable (positive) and some undesirable (negative)
What was the procedure for the Skinner box experiment?
-Developed a special cage called the skinner box
-The rat moves around the cage
-When it accidentally presses the lever a food pellet comes out( a reinforcer)
What does the Skinner box conclude?
Rat learns how to get the food
When was Pavlov’s dog study carried out?
1927
Explain the stages in classical conditioning (Pavlov’s dog’s study)
Unconditioned stimulus= food
Unconditioned response= salivation
Neuutral stimulus=bell, no response
Neutral stimulus+(association)unconditioned stimulus =unconditioned response
Condiootioned stimulus (bell)=conditioned response (salivation
What are the 2 strengths of the behaviourist approach?
,Skinner’s research is overly simplistic (environmental reductionism,Very scientific and usually uses controlled experiment methods- Pavlov dogs stud, can manipulate variables, increases reliability
Evidence to support it- Little Albert (Rayner and Watson) conditioned Him to be scared of rats as he associated them with loud noises, which supports classical conditioning
What are the 2 weaknesses of the behaviourist approach?
rAnimal studies are used so it makes it more difficult to generalise to humans- skinner box, cannot compare to humans as they are not the same species and do not display the same behaviours
-Have more conmplex cognitive processes
Behaviourism is highly deterministic (environmental determinism)-
The assumption is that people are controlled by environmental forces and have little autonomy over their destiny
This assumption negates the role of free will in behaviour which reduces the usefulness of the approach, seeing people in almost mechanical terms
