Behaviour learned through conditioning

Question 1

What does the behaviour approach assume about behaviour learned through conditioning?

Answer 1

All behaviour, no matter how complex can be explained in terms of conditioning
The two types of conditioning are classical conditioning and operant conditioning

Question 2

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 2

Classical conditioning was observed by Ivan Pavlov (1897). He noticed that when dogs heard the researchers’ footsteps bringing them food they would begin to salivate. Pavlov though that the dogs had learned to associate the sound of footsteps with food. He then set up an experiment, he presented a dog with food which (naturally produced salvation. This is natural reflexive behaviour so we call it unconditioned

Question 3

What is operant conditioning? (Thorndike)

Answer 3

Operant conditioning is the process of learning through reinforcement and punishment. Thorndike (1911) tested cats in a ‘puzzle box’ which offered the reward of a piece of fish if the cat was able to escape. In order to escape the cats had to press a latch. At first, they only escaped when the latch was accidentally knocked. Eventually the cats became quicker at pressing the latch to earn the reward implying that they had learned to press the latch.

Question 4

What is opperant conditioning? (Skinner)

Answer 4

Skinner (1948) extended Thorndike’s ideas to include the term reinforcement. A reinforcer is anything that increases the likelihood of a behaviour occurring again. Giving a dog a treat after it has fetched a stick increases the likelihood that the dog will fetch the stick in the future. He invented the ‘conditioning chamber.’ Skinner would place a rat in the ‘conditioning chamber’ where he would give a rat an electric shock which to stop they would have to press a lever. The rats eventually became faster at pressing the lever and stopping the electric shock. Skinner called this negative reinforcement