Behaviorism - Learning Through Conditioning Flashcards
How is behaviour learned through conditioning?
All behaviours are learned via environmental interactions through a process called conditioning. Behaviour is simply a response to environmental stimuli. People are conditioned to behave or ‘respond’ by the people or events they experience. Learning occurs as a result of environmental forces acting upon a person.
How do learning theories assist counsellors approach in facilitating new, helpful behaviours in clients?
These theories assist counsellors to understand the relationship between a clients current ideas and behaviours, and the environmental experiences (people and events) they have encountered. If these experiences resulted in the learning of maladaptive behaviours, a counsellor can assist a client to ‘unlearn’ these behaviours through the development of new, more helpful behaviours and perspectives.
What do learning theories seek to do?
Learning theories seek to describe, explain, and predict behaviour.
What is ‘stimuli’?
Stimuli are things in the environment that we experience
What are the weaknesses of Behaviourism?
This theory does not take into account the contributions that people make to their own development and ignores less observable aspects that are also highly influential such as thoughts and emotions.
What are the two types of conditioning?
1: Classical
2: Operant
What is Classical Conditioning?
((Stimulus and response theory)
Some elements of human behaviour can be explained as a learned association between a stimulus and a response.
When the UCS and the NS are presented together very close in time, the subjects UCR is triggered by the UCS, but because the NS is also present, the response becomes associated with the NS as well. This generates a conditioned stimulus and a conditioned response
What is a stimulus?
An object or even in the environment
What is a response?
A subjects reaction to environmental stimuli
What is an unconditioned stimulus?
UCS
A stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response
What is an unconditioned response?
(UCR)
An innate behaviour or reflex in response to an UCS. Automatic and unlearned.
How does learning occur in Classical Conditioning?
Learning happens when a different kind of stimulus occurs very close in time to a UCS. This is known as pairing.
What is pairing?
When a neutral stimulus is paired with an UCS very close in time.
What is a neutral stimulus?
An event or object that does not elicit an UCR
What is a conditioned stimulus?
This is what the previous NS is called once it has been paired with the UCS enough to generate the response.
