Behaviourism Flashcards
What is behaviourism
It is primarily concerned with observable behaviour
What is behaviourism also know as
Social learning theory
What is a stimulus
anything internal or external that brings about a response
What is a response
any reaction in the presence of the stimulus
What is reinforcement
this is process by which a response is strengthen
What are the three main assumptions of behaviourism
Nearly all behaviour is learnt
Animals and humans learn in the same way
The mind is irrelevant
What are the research methods for the main three main assumptions of behaviourism
- Nearly all behaviour is learnt
Understanding the main principals of learning
- Animals and humans learn in the same way
Animals can be used as research methods as what is true for them is probably also true for us
- the mind is irrelevant
Behaviourist only observe quantifiable behaviour - which is behaviours which can be measured through time or repetitions
What is study based around classical conditioning and who conducted it
This is the experiment conducted by Pavlov, When Pavlov gave his dog food he would also ring a bell.
After repeating this procedure several times pavlov then tried ringing the bell without giving the dogs any food and found the bell alone caused salvation.
What is a unconditioned stimulus and response in relation to Pavlovs dogs
This is an unlearned and automatic response - reflex. When dogs see food they salivate. The food is the unconditioned stimulus and the salivation is unconditioned response.
What is a conditioned stimulus and conditioned response in relation to Pavlovs dogs
When the dog heard the bell and in response would salivate. This is because the bell had become conditioned stimulus and the salivation had become a conditioned response.
What are the five principles of classical conditioning and what do they entail
Generalisation - when stimuli similar to the CS produce the CR
Discrimination - when stimuli similar to the original CS DONT produce the CR
Extinction - when the CR isn’t produced as a result of the CS. This occurs as a result of overuse of the UCS with no CS
Spontaneous recovery - when a previously extinct CR is produced in response to the CS. This happens when the CS is presented agai after a period of time where it is not presented
Higher order conditioning - when a new CS produces the CR because the animal associates it with the original CS. This can be achieved by consistently presenting the new CS before the original CS
What is operant conditioning
This is how animals can learn from the consequences of their own actions
What is positive reinforcement
This is when something desirable is obtained in response to doing something
What is negative reinforcement
This is something undesirable is removed when something happens
What was the methods of skinners study
Skinner created a Skinner box with a floor which gave shocks, speakers and a food dispenser which released food when a lever was pressed. A hungry was then pressed in the box and time taken for the rat learn that pressing the lever realised food was recorded.
What where the results of skinners study
The rat would run around until it triggered the lever and food was released. The more the rat was put in the box the quicker they got a learning where the lever was.
What was the conclusion of skinners study
Rats can learn behaviour through operant conditioning
What is some evaluation of skinners study
Experiment was very influential in behavioural psychology. However, his experiment did use animals, which means results might not be generalisable to humans. His sample size was also small, reducing the reliability of his results.
How did I skinner present negative reinforcement
He carried out a variation of the Skinner box where the rat could press the lever when the light came on to avoid electrocutions
What are some weakness of conditioning in behaviourism
- Lots evidence suggests both animals and humans can learn by conditioning but is cannot explain all human behaviours as we also learn from social learning.
- Most Research has involved animals, meaning generalisation to humans need to be made
- different species have different capacities for learning by conditioning
- genetics seem to influence and limit what differences species can learn by conditioning
- Lots of the expiration includes animals which is unethical
What was the method used in watson and rayner study
The participant was an 11 month old boy called little Albert. He showed no fear of white fluffy objects such as rabbits and rats. Researchers try to condition this response into him by placing a rabbit in front of him and when he reached out for it they would strike a metal bar behind his head. This was repeated twice then five times a weak later.
What where the results of Watson and rayner
When little Albert was shown a rat he would start to cry. This also extended to all white fluffy objects such as santas beard
What was the conclusion Watson and rayner
A fear response to white fluffy objects had been conditioned into little Albert showing that abnormal behaviour can be learned
What was some positive evaluation of Watson and rayner
The results are in favour of Pavlov’s idea of classical conditioning