Approaches: The Behaviourist Approach (Learning Approach) (AO1): Flashcards
What did behaviourists reject from introspection?
The vagueness of introspection, focusing instead on observable events.
What is meant by the idea that individuals are ‘blank slates’ (tabula rasa) in behaviourism?
Human behaviour is the result of learning from the environment, although biological preparedness is acknowledged.
What are the two types of learning according to behaviourism?
Classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
What do classical and operant conditioning involve?
The formation of learned associations between stimuli in the environment and an organism’s responses.
Who first studied classical conditioning and with what experiment?
Ivan Pavlov with his experiment on dogs salivating to the sound of a bell.
How does classical conditioning work in Pavlov’s experiment?
Dogs associated the sound of a bell (neutral stimulus) with food (unconditioned stimulus) and salivated (conditioned response) at the sound.
What happens to the neutral stimulus in classical conditioning?
It becomes the conditioned stimulus after being repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus.
What is another key example of classical conditioning besides Pavlov’s dogs?
The Little Albert study by John B. Watson (1920).
How was the Little Albert study an example of classical conditioning?
A white rat (neutral stimulus) was paired with a loud noise (unconditioned stimulus) leading to fear (unconditioned response) of the rat.
Who proposed operant conditioning and in what year?
B.F. Skinner in 1953.
What is operant conditioning?
Learning as an active process where humans and animals operate on their environments.
What is negative reinforcement in operant conditioning?
When humans or animals avoid something unpleasant.
What is positive reinforcement in operant conditioning?
Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed.
What is punishment in operant conditioning?
An unpleasant consequence of behaviour.
How did Skinner demonstrate positive reinforcement with rats?
Rats accidentally pressed a lever and received food (reward); when food stopped, they stopped pressing the lever (extinction).
