Assumptions

Question 1

What is the definition of Tabula Rasa?

Answer 1

Humans are born like a blank slate.

Question 2

What are the key points of the Tabula Rasa assumption?

Answer 2

According to the traditional behaviourist approach, we’re not born with in-built mental content.
Internal events such as thinking, and emotion don’t drive our behaviour.
Instead, the belief is that all our behaviour is learned from interactions with the environment.
We don’t think about our behaviour, we respond passively to environmental stimuli.

Question 3

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 3

Our behaviour is determined by the environment that we grew up in.
The associations we make early on in life and the early rewards / punishments provided by our environment pre-determine our later reactions to other people and situations.

Question 4

What is the definition of classical conditioning?

Answer 4

Behaviour is learned through association.

Question 5

What is Pavlov’s (1902) study?

Answer 5

Before conditioning:
Food is an unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
Salivation is the unconditioned response (UCR).
During conditioning:
The sound of a bell is a neutral stimulus (NS).
The NS is presented alongside the UCS.
This is repeated several times.
This is where association occurs.
After conditioning:
The sound of a bell is now the conditioned stimulus (CS).
Salivation is the conditioned response (CR).

Question 6

What is the definition of operant conditioning?

Answer 6

Behaviour is learned through reinforcement.

Question 7

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 7

Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase that behaviour.

Question 8

What is an example of positive reinforcement?

Answer 8

Being praised for completing homework.

Question 9

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 9

Removing unpleasant stimulus to increase the behaviour.

Question 10

What is an example of negative reinforcement?

Answer 10

Doing your homework to avoid being given a detention.

Question 11

What is positive punishment?

Answer 11

Adding unpleasant stimulus to decrease the behaviour.

Question 12

What is an example of positive punishment?

Answer 12

The naughty step.

Question 13

What is negative punishment?

Answer 13

Removing unpleasant stimuli to decrease the behaviour.

Question 14

What is an example of negative punishment?

Answer 14

Having your phone being taken away.

Question 15

What did B.F Skinner (1938) demonstrate?

Answer 15

A pigeon can learn to behave in certain ways due to being rewarded (positively reinforced) with food.
As the behaviour has been reinforced (rewarded) it’s likely that the animal will repeat this behaviour again.

Question 16

What are the humans and animals learn in similar ways assumption?

Answer 16

There are no differences in the way animals and humans learn.
The laws of learning are the same for both humans and non-human animals.
We’re able to study animal learning in a lab environment and make generalisations about human behaviour.

Question 17

How does Pavlov’s research link to systematic desensitisation?

Answer 17

Pavlov developed the principles of classical conditioning with dogs.
He showed how they could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell, applying the principles to humans.
These same principles have been applied in behaviourist therapies, to help people overcome problems such as phobias.
For example:
In systematic desensitisation, the client will learn to associate the phobic object with feelings of relaxation, instead of anxiety.

Question 18

How can the behaviourist assumptions apply to criminal behaviour?

Answer 18

Behaviour is learned through conditioning can explain criminal behaviour in the terms of differential association.
Differential association theory proposes that people we associate with influence our views.
Through reinforcement, observation and imitation, criminal behaviour can be encouraged.
Therefore, if an individual’s peers have positive views on crime, then it is likely the individual will develop these views, through direct and indirect reinforcement.
Criminal behaviour is positively reinforced directly if the individual is praised and rewarded for criminal behaviours, and indirectly positive reinforced if the individual’s role models are praised and rewarded.