approaches in psychology - behaviourism: the learning approach. Flashcards

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1
Q

What is meant by “behaviourist approach”?

A

The idea that all behaviours are learned through interaction with the environment.

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2
Q

What is meant by “classical conditioning”?

A

The process by which learning occurs through association which was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov.

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3
Q

What is meant by “operant conditioning”?

A

Form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences such as positive or negative reinforcement or punishment.

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4
Q

What is meant by “reinforcement”?

A

The action of strengthening or encouraging something.

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5
Q

What are the assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

A
  • born as a tabula rasa.
  • all behaviour is learned from the environment.
  • primarily concerned with observable behavior as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion.
  • John Watson (1913) rejected introspection as it involved concepts which were vague and difficult to measure.
  • rely on lab experiments in order to maintain control and objectivity.
  • little difference between the learning of animals and humans.
  • behaviour is a result of stimulus therefore a response.
  • identified two forms of learning.
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6
Q

What are the two forms of learning?

A
  • classical conditioning.
  • operant conditioning.
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7
Q

What is meant by “unconditioned stimulus (UCS)”?

A

A stimulus which automatically triggers a response.

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8
Q

What is meant by “unconditioned response (UCR)”?

A

An unlearned response that occurs naturally in reaction to the unconditioned stimulus.

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9
Q

What is meant by “neutral stimulus (NS)”?

A

Something that does not produce a specific reaction.

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10
Q

What is meant by “conditioned stimulus (CS)”?

A

A previously neutral stimulus that after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus.

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11
Q

What is meant by “conditioned response (CR)”?

A

Learned response to the conditioned stimulus.

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12
Q

What is meant by “extinction”?

A

After a few presentations of the CS without the UCS it loses its ability to produce the CR as it does not become permanently established as a response.

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13
Q

What is meant by “spontaneous recovery”?

A

If the CS and UCS are paired together again the link between them can be made more quickly.
[follows extinction]

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14
Q

What is meant by “stimulus generalisation”?

A

Once an animal has been conditioned they will also respond to other stimuli that are similar to the CS.

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15
Q

Who suggested operant conditioning?

A

Skinner (1953).

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16
Q

What did Skinner propose about operant conditioning?

A

That learning is an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment.

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17
Q

What is meant by “positive reinforcement”?

A

Receiving a reward when a behaviour is performed.
[e.g. if Jerome cleans his room he will get a toy]

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18
Q

What is meant by “negative reinforcement”?

A

When something unpleasant is avoided which increases the desired behaviour.
[e.g. fastening your seatbelt to avoid hearing the beep sound]

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19
Q

What is meant by “positive punishment”?

A

Add an undesirable stimulus to decrease a behaviour.
[e.g. giving a student a detention for texting in class]

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20
Q

What is meant by “negative punishment”?

A

Removal of a desired stimulus to decrease a behaviour.
[e.g. Jerome misbehaved so his parents took away his favourite toy]

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21
Q

What are the strengths of the behaviourist approach?

A
  • scientific credibility.
  • real life application.
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22
Q

What are the weaknesses of the behaviourist approach?

A
  • research executed on animals.
  • reductionist.
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23
Q

What is the evaluation of the behaviourist approach - scientific credibility?

A

POINT - one strength is the reliance it places upon experimental methods.
EVIDENCE - Skinner’s and Pavlov’s experiments were conducted in laboratory setting using controlled conditions to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between variables.
EXPLANATION - lab conducted experiments ensures data is gathered from observable behaviours with controlled measures and following standardised procedure increasing reliability of findings.
LINK - behaviourism was influential in the development of psychology as a science giving it credibility and status.

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24
Q

What is the evaluation point of the behaviourist approach - scientific credibility?

A

One strength is the reliance it places upon experimental methods.

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25
Q

What is the evaluation evidence of the behaviourist approach - scientific credibility?

A

Skinner’s and Pavlov’s experiments were conducted in laboratory setting using controlled conditions to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between variables.

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26
Q

What is the evaluation explanation of the behaviourist approach - scientific credibility?

A

Lab conducted experiments ensures data is gathered from observable behaviours with controlled measures and following standardised procedure increasing reliability of findings.

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27
Q

What is the evaluation link of the behaviourist approach - scientific credibility?

A

Behaviourism was influential in the development of psychology as a science giving it credibility and status.

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28
Q

What is the evaluation of the behaviourist approach - real life applicability?

A

POINT - one strength is the findings demonstrate real life applicability.
EVIDENCE - principles of operant conditioning, in this case positive reinforcement has helped develop behaviour modification programmes such as token economy which have been successfully used in institutions such as prisons and psychiatric wards.
EXPLANATION - providing prisoners with positive reinforcement can help encourage the development of good behaviours long-term. Classical conditioning has made important contribution to our understanding of mental disorders such as phobias which are thought to be the result of earlier unpleasant learning experience.
LINK - suggests that the principles by behaviorists have significant value in society.

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29
Q

What is the evaluation point of the behaviourist approach - real life application?

A

One strength is the findings demonstrate real life applicability.

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30
Q

What is the evaluation evidence of the behaviourist approach - real life application?

A

Principles of operant conditioning, in this case positive reinforcement has helped develop behaviour modification programmes such as token economy which have been successfully used in institutions such as prisons and psychiatric wards.

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31
Q

What is the evaluation explanation of the behaviourist approach - real life application?

A

Providing prisoners with positive reinforcement can help encourage the development of good behaviours long-term. Classical conditioning has made important contribution to our understanding of mental disorders such as phobias which are thought to be the result of earlier unpleasant learning experience.

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32
Q

What is the evaluation link of the behaviourist approach - real life application?

A

Suggests that the principles by behaviorists have significant value in society.

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33
Q

What is the evaluation of the behaviourist approach - research executed on animals?

A

POINT - one weakness is the research has involved the study of animals rather than humans.
EVIDENCE - Pavlov investigated classical conditioning on dogs and Skinner investigated operant conditioning on rats and pigeons.
EXPLANATION - problematic as critics argue humans are more physically and cognitively complex than animals making it difficult to generalise findings to humans. Tells us little about human behaviour. Animals involved were subject to stressful conditions so ethics are questioned.
LINK - cannot be confident the theories apply to humans.

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34
Q

What is the evaluation point of the behaviourist approach - research executed on animals?

A

One weakness is the research has involved the study of animals rather than humans.

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35
Q

What is the evaluation evidence of the behaviourist approach - research executed on animals?

A

Pavlov investigated classical conditioning on dogs and Skinner investigated operant conditioning on rats and pigeons.

36
Q

What is the evaluation explanation of the behaviourist approach - research executed on animals?

A

Problematic as critics argue humans are more physically and cognitively complex than animals making it difficult to generalise findings to humans. Tells us little about human behaviour. Animals involved were subject to stressful conditions so ethics are questioned.

37
Q

What is the evaluation link of the behaviourist approach - research executed on animals?

A

Cannot be confident the theories apply to humans.

38
Q

What is the evaluation of the behaviourist approach - reductionist?

A

POINT - one weakness is that it is considered to be a reductionist.
EVIDENCE - oversimplifies a complex behaviour such as learning to a simplistic explanation such as being solely due to a ‘stimulus and response’ connection.
EXPLANATION - problematic as it disregards a multitude of factors which can also influence behaviour such as human thought. Other approaches such as SLT and cognitive approach have drawn attention to the role of mental processes involved in learning and their importance.
LINK - suggests that learning is more complex than observable behaviour alone can account for and that private mental processes are also essential.

39
Q

What is the evaluation point of the behaviourist approach - reductionist?

A

One weakness is that it is considered to be a reductionist.

40
Q

What is the evaluation evidence of the behaviourist approach - reductionist?

A

Oversimplifies a complex behaviour such as learning to a simplistic explanation such as being solely due to a ‘stimulus and response’ connection.

41
Q

What is the evaluation explanation of the behaviourist approach - reductionist?

A

Problematic as it disregards a multitude of factors which can also influence behaviour such as human thought. Other approaches such as SLT and cognitive approach have drawn attention to the role of mental processes involved in learning and their importance.

42
Q

What is the evaluation link of the behaviourist approach - reductionist?

A

Suggests that learning is more complex than observable behaviour alone can account for and that private mental processes are also essential.

43
Q

What is meant by “stimulus”?

A

Any feature of the environment that affects behaviour.

44
Q

What is an example of a stimulus?

A

In pavlov’s experiments where food was a stimulus.

45
Q

What is meant by “response”?

A

The behaviour obtained by the stimulus.

46
Q

What is an example of a response?

A

In pavlov’s experiments where salvation was a response.

47
Q

What is meant by “punishment”?

A

Imposing an aversive or painful stimulus.

48
Q

What is an example of punishment?

A

When skinner’s rats were given electric shocks.

49
Q

“all behaviour is learned from the environment”

A
  • exclude innate or inherited factors.
  • behaviour is learnt through classical or operant conditioning.
  • born with a blank state of mind.
50
Q

“primarily concerned with observable behavior as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion”

A
  • rejection of introspection
    ↳ attempts to get inside people’s heads.
  • only observable behaviour can be scientifically measured therefore do not study cognitions and emotions.
  • not possible to objectively observe people’s thoughts, motives and meanings, let alone their unconscious yearnings and desires.
51
Q

“little difference between the learning of animals and humans”

A
  • no qualitative distinction between human and animal behaviour.
  • research can be carried out on animals as well as humans.
52
Q

“behaviour is a result of stimulus therefore a response”

A
  • all behaviour, no matter how complex, can be reduced to a simple stimulus-response association.
53
Q

What experiments support the behaviourist approach?

A
  • the little albert experiment.
  • the bobo doll experiment.
  • the skinner box.
  • the pavlov’s dogs study.
54
Q

Who were the researchers in the little albert experiment?

A

Watson and rayner in 1920.

55
Q

Who were the researchers in the bobo doll experiment?

A

Albert bandura in the 1960s.

56
Q

Who were the researchers in the skinner box experiment?

A

Skinner in 1948.

57
Q

Who were the researchers in the pavlov’s dogs study?

A

Ivan pavlov in 1897.

58
Q

What happened in the little albert experiment?

A
  1. watson and rayner presented little albert with a white rat and he showed no fear.
    1. watson then presented the rat with a loud bang that startled little albert and made him cry.
      1. after the continuous association of the white rat and loud noise, little albert was classically conditioned to experience fear at the sight of the rat.
        1. albert’s fear generalised to other stimuli that were similar to the rat, including a fur coat, cotton wool and santa masks.
59
Q

What happened in the bobo doll experiment?

A
  1. stage 1 - children were brought to the experimental room and it was set up to play.
    1. stage 2 - after 10 mins, children were take one by one to a new room which the child was told was another games room subjecting them to mild aggression arousal.
      1. stage 3 - child taken to next room where the child was told it could play with any toys in there both aggressive and nonaggressive toys.
60
Q

What happens in stage 1 of the bobo doll experiment?

A
  • 12 boys and 12 girls watched a male or female model behaving aggressively towards the bobo doll attacking it in a distinctive manner.
  • 12 boys and 12 girls were exposed to a non aggressive model who played in a quiet and subdued manner.
  • 12 boys and 12 girls were used as a control group and not exposed to any model at all.

> non aggressive condition ignored bobo and assembled tinker toys in a quite, gentle manner.
aggressive condition began by assembling tinker toys but after a minute turned to bobo and was aggressive in a very stylised and distinctive way.

61
Q

What happens in stage 2 of the bobo doll experiment?

A
  1. the child was taken to a room with relatively attractive toys and started to play with them.
    1. they were then told that these were the experimenter’s best toys and she had decided to keep them for the other children.
62
Q

What happens in stage 3 of the bobo doll experiment?

A
  • child was kept in the room for 20 mins during which their behaviour was observed by judges through a one way mirror at 5 sec intervals
    ↳ 240 response units for each child.
63
Q

What was the point of stage 1 in the bobo doll experiment?

A

Tested modelling.

64
Q

What was the point of stage 2 in the bobo doll experiment?

A

Aggression arousal.

65
Q

What was the point of stage 3 in the bobo doll experiment?

A

Test for delayed imitation.

66
Q

What were the conditions for the bobo doll experiment?

A
  • 36 boys and 36 girls from stanford university nursery school from ages 3 to 5.
  • 3 main conditions
    ↳ aggressive, non aggressive and the control group.
  • children in the aggressive and non aggressive condition were further subdivided by sex and the sex of the role model they were exposed to.
67
Q

What happened in the skinner box experiment?

A
  1. there was a box with a lever where it was accidentally pressed by the rats as they moved around resulting in food being dispensed into a container beside the lever.
    1. rats learnt that by pressing the lever they would receive food through positive reinforcement.
      1. behaviour was strengthened through negative reinforcement as it involves the removal of an unfavourable stimulus considered as a reward to the animal
        ↳ exposed the rat to a distressing electric current causing it to discontinue its behaviour due to the fear of reexperiencing the simulus.
        ➝ ensured the rats would continue to carry out this action.
68
Q

What happened in the pavlov’s dogs study?

A
  1. he inserted a small test tube into the cheek of each dog to measure saliva when the dogs were fed with powder made from meat.
    1. he predicted the dogs would salivate in response to the food placed in front of them but notices that they would begin salivating whenever they heard the footsteps of his assistant who brought them food.
      1. discovered that any object or event which the dogs learned to associate with food would trigger the same response.
69
Q

What was the aim of the little albert experiment?

A

To see if emotional responses such as fear could be conditioned as well as phobias.

70
Q

What was the aim of the bobo doll experiment?

A
  • to see whether children will imitate an aggressive role model.
  • to see of the children would be more likely to imitate a same sex model.
  • to see if boys are more aggressive than girls.
71
Q

What was the aim of the skinner box experiment?

A

To demonstrate the effectiveness of reinforcement and operant conditioning.

72
Q

What was the aim of the pavlov’s dogs study?

A

Use the salivary conditioning method to investigate the function of the brain of higher animals in their adaptation to the external environment.

73
Q

Describe the model on conditioning for the little albert experiment.

A

BEFORE CONDITIONING
neutral stimulus (white rat) ⟶ no fear.
↳ UCS - unconditioned stimulus (steel bar hit with a hammer) ⟶ UCR - unconditioned response (fear).

DURING CONDITIONING
neutral stimulus (white rat) + UCS ⤙ natural reflex ⟶ UCR (fear).

AFTER CONDITIONING
neutral stimulus (white rat) ⤙ conditioned reflex ⟶ UCR (fear).

74
Q

Describe the model on conditioning for the pavlov’s dogs study.

A

BEFORE CONDITIONING
UCS - unconditioned stimulus (food) ⟶ UCR - unconditioned response (salvation)
↳ bell ⟶ no response.

DURING CONDITIONING
UCS (bell + food) ⟶ UCR (salvation).

AFTER CONDITIONING
CS - conditioned stimulus (bell) ⟶ CR - conditioned response (salvation).

75
Q

What are the strengths of the little albert experiment?

A
  • high reliability
    ↳ possible to replicate the study and check that the results are consistent through the use of standardised procedures allowing high control over all extraneous variables.
  • demonstrates the phobias can be learnt through the process of classical conditioning
    ↳ can incorporate this understanding into treatment of this form of behaviour.
76
Q

What are the strengths of the bobo doll experiment?

A
  • replicable
    ↳ use of standardised procedures and instructions were used.
  • allows for precise control of variables
    ↳ variables were controlled.
  • useful in showing the effects of role models on aggressive behaviour
    ↳ supports the role of watershed and rating certificates on films and video games.
77
Q

What are the strengths of the skinner box experiment?

A
  • explains a wide range of phenomena such as learning language and phobias.
  • when a person is rewarded for a behaviour, it is more likely for it to occur again.
  • people are more aware of how to control behaviour which has become very important in parenting techniques.
  • the environmental determinants of behavior.
78
Q

What are the strengths of the pavlov’s dogs study?

A
  • reliable and replicable
    ↳ use of standardised procedures and carefully documented as well as repeated the study himself with different dogs.
  • diverse application
    ↳ led to programmes for changing human behaviour such as aversion therapy which has had some success at curing people with addictions.
  • scientifically credible due to controlled settings.
79
Q

What are the weaknesses of the little albert experiment?

A
  • findings cannot be generalised to others lacking population validity
    ↳ study done on one young child where he was reared in a hospital environment from birth and was unusual as he never showed fear or anger towards or by staff.
  • lacks ecological validity
    ↳ findings cannot be generalised to other settings outside the lab as method used created an unnatural situation which may not reflect learning in everyday life.
  • unethical as it may be considered to break the guidelines protection from harm
    ↳ conditioned to fear numerous white furry stimuli.
80
Q

What are the weaknesses of the bobo doll experiment?

A
  • cannot be generalised
    ↳ study done in nursery settings and only on children therefore different results may come from children who don’t attend nursery or different age groups.
    ➝ took place in USA, culturally biased an other cultures may be different.
  • low ecological validity
    ↳ unnatural situation and may be that children were doing what they thought the adults expected of them.
    ➝ don’t know if effects are long lasting.
  • unethical as there was an encouragement to behave in undesirable ways
    ↳ witnessed verbal and physically aggressive acts and copied them.
  • children who haven’t played with the doll before are five times more likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour than those familiar with it
    ↳ cumberbatch in 1990.
81
Q

What are the weaknesses of the skinner box experiment?

A
  • does not work on everyone.
  • person could pretend to stop the behaviour to rewarded.
  • ignores cognitive factors.
  • once rewarded, could go back to the bad behaviour.
  • too much emphasis on environmental determinants.
82
Q

What are the weaknesses of the pavlov’s dogs study?

A
  • not applicable to humans
    ↳ different brains from dogs which is more complicated in thoughts and motives.
  • low ecological validity
    ↳ dogs were kept in unusual conditions and were presented with odd stimuli.
  • unethical
    ↳ research animals should be treated humanely, not sealed in small rooms, tied in harnesses and subjected to surgery.
83
Q

What were the findings of the bobo doll experiment?

A
  • more aggressive responses from the children in aggressive model condition compared to the other.
  • boys more aggressive than girls.
  • boys were more aggressive if the model was male than if they were female.
  • girls showed more physical aggression if the model was male and more verbal aggression if model was female.
84
Q

What areas can behaviourism be applied to?

A
  • addiction.
  • aggression.
  • behaviour modification.
  • behavioural therapy.
  • depression.
  • education.
  • gender role development.
  • moral development.
  • phobias.
  • psychopathology.
  • relationships.
85
Q

Describe the behaviorist model.

A

[only study observable/external behaviour]

stimulus in the environment ⟶ black box cannot be studied ⟶ response behaviour.