Behaviorist Approach

Question 1

Who founded classical conditioning?

Answer 1

It was founded by Ivan Pavlov.

Question 2

Who founded operant conditioning?

Answer 2

It was founded by Skinner.

Question 3

What do behaviourists believe?

Answer 3

Behaviourists believe that all behaviour is learnt and that therefore nothing is innate (genetic).

Question 4

What are normal and pathological behaviour a result of?

Answer 4

They are a result of maladaptive learning.

Question 5

What is classical conditioning learning via?

Answer 5

Classical conditioning is learning via association

Question 6

Pavlov’s research

Answer 6

• Pavlov conditioned a dog to salivate to the sound of the bell
• He paired the ringing of the bell with food
• The dog learns to associate the ringing of the bell with incoming food
• A reflex action then becomes a conditioned response

Question 7

Why is time an important factor?

Answer 7

If the NS is not introduced immediately before the UCS or if the time is too long between the two, conditioning will not occur.

Question 8

What is stimulus generalisation?

Answer 8

Pavlov found that if he varies the tone and pitch of the bell, the dog would still salivate.

Question 9

What is operant conditioning learning via?

Answer 9

Operant conditioning is learning through reinforcement.

Question 10

stimulus discrimination

Answer 10

Pavlov found that if too many changes were made, the dog wouldn’t salivate

Question 11

What was Skinner’s research?

Answer 11

Skinner developed a special cage called ‘Skinner’s box’ in order to investigate operant conditioning in rats. The rat moves around the cage and when it accidentally presses the lever, a hungry rat begins pressing the lever in order to obtain food. if the food pellets stop, the rat presses the lever a few more times and then abandons it.

Question 12

When did Social Learning Theory (SLT) emerge and who was it the work of?

Answer 12

Social Learning theory emerged in the 1960s and was work of Albert Bandura .

Question 13

Why is SLT a nurture model?

Answer 13

It is a nurture model because it believes that everything is learn’t and nothing is innate.

Question 14

when was skinner box test done?

Answer 14

1953

Question 15

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 15

Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed

Question 16

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 16

taking away something bad to increase a behavior

Question 17

Weakness of the behaviorist approach (generalizable)

Answer 17

Research mainly done with animals so not generalizable to humans

Question 18

Strength of the behaviorist approach (lots of evidence)

Answer 18

The behaviorist approach is backed up by lots of evidence like little Albert, Skinner Box test and Pavlov’s dogs

Question 19

Ethical and practical issues in animal experiments

Answer 19

Experimental procedures enabled behaviourists to maintain a high degree of control over their experimental subjects
Animals exposed to stressful and aversive conditions - may have affected reaction to experimental situation

Question 20

How does extinction occur?

Answer 20

Pavlov also found that the conditioned response was not permanent and over time, if no food (UCS) is given, the conditioned response of saliva will eventually cease to occur (extinction).

Question 21

How does spontaneous recovery occur?

Answer 21

When the conditioned stimulus (food) and unconditioned stimulus are paired once again, the link between the two and the conditioned response is re-established again faster than initially made.

Question 22

How do Children learn through SLT?

Answer 22

Children learn through modelling, meaning that they select an appropriate modelling and find it rewarding to copy their behaviour.

Question 23

What is identification?

Answer 23

It is a form of influence in which an individual adopts an attitude or behaviour because they want to be associated with a person or a group.

Question 24

What is imitation?

Answer 24

The action of using someone or something as a model and copying their behaviour.

Question 25

What is Vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 25

Vicarious reinforcement is our tendency to repeat or duplicate behaviours for which others are being rewarded.

Question 26

What do we also learn through and why?

Answer 26

We also learn through imitation, whereby we copy the behaviour of someone we admire in order to become more like them.

Question 27

What does SLT take into account that behaviourism doesn’t and why?

Answer 27

SLT takes the role of cognition into account because it believes that the role of thoughts is important in assessing the possible consequences of our behaviours.

Question 28

What are mediational processes?

Answer 28

It refers to the mediational processes that exist between environmental stimuli and the response made by an individual to those stimuli.