behaviouralist approach Flashcards
who came up with the behaviourist approach
Watson and skinner
key assumptions with the behaviouralist approach
1) we are born a ‘blank slate’ (the idea of the tabula rasa) and that genetics and inheritance play no part. we are a product of our environment, we learn all behaviours by reacting to an environmental stimuli.
2) only the behaviour, and not the mind, should be studied. this is due to the mind not being able to be observed objectively in a controlled environment.
3) humans learn the same way as animals- through association and reinforcement. therefore its valid to study animal learning as a way of explaining human learning.
what is classical conditioning
learning through association
key concept of CC
all animals are born with natural reflex, where a response is produced automatically when exposed to a stimulus.
when that stimuli is associated with another, the response is said to be classically conditioned.
pavlovs research into CC
he tested CC on dogs in a lab.
he noticed that dogs won’t salivate with only food, but also in response to other events that linked with the food.
he tested this with the new stimuli-a bell.
the bell acted as the neutral stimuli, there was no response.
the food was the unconditioned stimuli, meaning there is no learning necessary, this caused the unconditioned response of salivation.
during conditioning the bell and food were rang at the same time.
eventually, the dog becomes conditioned to the bell, and it becomes the conditioned stimulus, and the dogs conditioned response was to salivate.
other features of CC
generalisation
discrimination
extinction
spontaneous recovery
generalisation
tendency for a stimulus that’s similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit the same response
discrimination
having a response to some stimuli but not others (esp. if theyre similar to the CS)
extinction
when the CS no longer elicits the CR( due to numerous presentations of the CS without the UCS.)
spontaneous recovery
sudden reappearance of the CR after a period of apparent extinction.
operant conditioning
producing behaviours spontaneously
operant conditioning key info
consequences of the behaviours determine weather the animals repeat it or not
if a behaviour has a PLEASANT consequence, this INCREASES the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated.
if a behaviour has an UNPLEASANT concequence, this DECREASES the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated.
features of operant conditioning
positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement
postitve punishment
negative punishment
what’s positive reinforcement
providing something unpleasant, this results in the behaviour being repeated.
eg. giving a child chocolate
what’s negative reinforcement
taking away something unpleasant, resulting in the behaviour being repeated.
eg. headache tablets get rid of headaches.
what’s positive punishment
providing something unpleasant, which results in the behaviour being stopped.
eg. hitting someone for crying
what’s negative punishment
taking something pleasant away, this results in the behaviour being stopped.
eg. taking away an xbox.
what was skinners research
skinner developed the theory of operant conditioning.
he designed a cage called Skinner box, to investigate the process in rats.
Skinner box: what happened
the rat moves in the cage, it accidentally presses the leaver and food is delivered into the cage- positive reinforcement, and results in behaviour being repeated.
in another experiment, the rat is subjected to unpleasant stimuli of an electric shock. if the rat presses the leaver, it switches off the electrical current. this is an example of negative reinforcement and results in the rat repeating the behaviour.
evaluation of the behaviouralist approach: practical applications
I- therapies to treat disorders have been developed based on the assumptions of the approach.
E- the principals of CC and association have led to the development ofd therapy called systematic deseniization, to treat phobias and involves gradually exposing a person to something that causes extreme fear. it teaches them to replace fear with breathing techniques, muscle relaxation and meditation.
also used in behavioural programs in prisons.
C- this means that behavioural approach can be used to improve the lives of people around the world.
evaluation of behaviouralist approach: scientific status
I- the behaviouralist approach is regarded as a scientific approach
E- the approach relies heavily on the use of experimental methods and demonstrates many scientific features. eg. skinners research has high levels of control. igt involved accurate and objective measurement of the rats behaviour. this high level of control ensures that skinners research od replicable.
C- this means that the behavioural approach was influential in the development of psychology as a science and gave it greater credibility and status.
evaluation of behaviouralist approach: evidence and research issues
I- there is research evidence that supports the key assumptions of the behaviouralist approach
E- Watson and Rayner provided evidence of how fears could be learnt through CC and association. they found that Albert wasn’t initially afraid but after CC he was terrified of every white object that was shown to him.
however!!! most of the principals of CC and OC are based upon studies such as dogs and rats, therefore critics argue that you can’t generalise these findings to human behaviour as humans have free will a d out behaviour is therefore not entirely determined by reinforcement or associations.
C- this means the behaviouralist approach may not provide a valid explanation of how behaviours are learnt in human beings.
evaluation of the behaviouralist approach: issues and debates
I- the behaviouralist approach takes the position of environmental determinism.
E-it assumes all of our behaviour is shaped by external forces over which we have no control. skinner even described free will as an illusion.
OC assumes our behaviours are the result of conditioning and our reinforcement experiences and our history. CC assumes our behaviour is due to a past association.
C- this means the behavioural approach rejects the concept of free will which most people in society accept
