approaches: Watson/skinner/pavlov's behaviourist approach p2 Flashcards
what are the 4 main principles of this approach?
- all behaviour is learned
- we are born a blank slate
- rejects introspection (looking internally)
- used lab experiments
what is classical conditioning? (pavlov)
- learned through association
- explained using the classical conditioning formula
what is the formula for classical conditioning?
neural stimulus –> no response
neutral stimulus + unconditioned stimulus –> unconditioned response
conditioned stimulus –> conditioned response
how did pavlov test classical conditioning?
pavlov conditioned a dog to salivate when a bell rang by presenting the dog with the food and the bell so when the dog heard the bell, it associated the bell with the food
add pavlovs study into the classical conditioning formula
neutral stimulus –> no response
(bell)
neutral stimulus (bell) + unconditioned stimulus (food) –> unconditioned response (saliva)
conditioned stimulus (bell) –> conditioned response (saliva)
how did Watson test classical conditioning?
Watson conditioned a baby called little Albert to be afraid of rats. the baby was afraid of loud bands so he presented the rat with the bang so the baby would associate the rat with the bang
what is operant conditioning? (skinner)
- leaned through reinforcement
what are the four types of consequences of behaviour?
- positive reinforcement (rewards)
- negative reinforcement (taking away something bad)
- variable ratio (random)
- punishment (consequence)
how did skinner test operant conditioning?
skinner used a rat and a rat box. there was a lever, a food shoot and electrocution pads. when the rat pressed the lever, the food would come (positive reinforcement)
when the rat pressed the lever, the electrocution pads would stop (negative reinforcement)
strengths of the behaviourist approach?
- lots of research support e.g little Albert (Watson), rat box (skinner) dog (pavlov)
- practical application e.g school reward systems
- scientific credibility e.g lab experiments
why is it having lots of research support a strength?
skinner’s rat box, Watsons little Albert and pavlovs dog all helped to test conditioning. this allowed psychologists to make the theory that people learn though conditioning. this increased the validity of the approach and allows us to see real scientific proof which also increases its credibility in the science world.
why is it having practical application a strength?
the fact that operant conditioning and positive reinforcement can be used in schools as a reward system for when students do well means the approach has a positive role in society as it helps people. this increases the credibility of the approach as it is useful to the real world.
why is it having scientific credibility a strength?
the approach focused on observable behaviour within controlled lab settings. this means it is more credible and gives the approach a better reputation in the scientific world. as well as this the results should be more objective rather than subjective due to it being taken place in a controlled setting
limitations of the behaviourist approach?
- problems with the research support e.g lack of cross species validity and can’t generalise
- reductionist - reduce behaviour and explain using one basic factor e.g conditioning
why is having problems with research support a limitation?
for example, little alberts experiment cannot be generalised to all people as everyone is different. there is also a lack of cross species validity within the research. this is a limitation because it means the theory may not be as valid as Watson only tried this on one person which shows it lacks scientific evidence.
