Behavioural Approach

Question 1

What are the four basic assumptions of the behavioural approach?

Answer 1

• Behaviour is learned from past experiences
• only observable behaviours should be be concerned with
• it is valid to study the behaviour of animals as they share the same principles of learning
• We are born a blank slate and are a product of the environment

Question 2

What is classical conditioning and the stages of classical conditioning?

Answer 2

It is learning by association

Before: Neutral stimulus produces no response
Unconditioned stimulus produces unconditioned response

During: Unconditioned stimulus is paired with conditioned stimulus which used to be neutral stimulus to produce an unconditioned response.

After: Conditioned stimulus alone produces conditioned response

Question 3

AO3 for classical conditioning

Answer 3

• systemic desensitisation
• Research on animals
• Watson and Rayner

Question 4

What are other important features that affect classical conditioning?

Answer 4

• Timing: if time interval between two stimuluses is two long conditioning will not occur so an association wont be made.
• Extinction: The newly established response and association can be terminated if the CS is no longer presented with the UCS, this will cause the response to stop and the association to become extinct
• Spontaneous recovery: following extinction if the two stimuli are paired together again, the association is made much quicker.
• Stimulus generalisation: If a stimulus has characteristics that are close to the conditioned stimulus, The CR will still be produced
• Stimulus discrimination: There is a cut off point when a stimulus generalisation will not occur because the stimulus is to different to be generalised.

Question 5

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 5

It is learning through the consequences of behaviour

If behaviour is reinforced it is strengthened and the likelihood of it occurring again increases

• Positive reinforcement is when a reward is received for producing a certain behaviour
• Negative reinforcement is when a certain behaviour is produced in order to avoid something unpleasant.

Punishment: This weakens behaviour this involves an unpleasant consequence after the behaviour is produced which makes the likelihood of that behaviour more likely to decrease.

Question 6

Outline skinners research aim, method, findings and conclusion

Answer 6

Aim: To investigate if rats would learn to produce certain behaviours through operant conditioning

Method: A rat was put in a box with two levers, the first lever released a pellet of food and the second leaver would stop electric shocks being administered through the floor of the box.

Findings: The rats would press the lever by accident when investigating

Question 7

Social learning theory What does SLT assume?

Answer 7

• Behaviour is learned from the environment
• Behaviour is learned through observation and imitation of role models

Cognitive meditational processes takes place:

• Attention
• retention
• reproduction
• motivation

When is learning through observation and imitation more likely to occur?

• The role model has similar characteristics and we identify with them
• vicarious reinforcement takes places

Question 8

Outline Banduras bobo doll study

Answer 8

Aim : to investigate the effect a model had on behaviour

Method: = 8 conditions

• 36 males and 36 females aged between 4 and 6
• same sex aggressive
• same sex not aggressive
• different sex aggressive
• Different sex not aggressive

Findings: boys were more aggressive
agressive beahviours would more likely occur if the role model was the same sex