behaviourism Flashcards
What is behaviourism?
-A theoretical perspective in psychology that emphasises the role of learning and observable behaviours in understanding human and animal actions.
Who was the founder of behaviourism?
Watson in 1931
What are all behaviours learned through? What is behaviour?
-conditioned interaction with the environment
-behaviour is simply a response to environmental stimuli
Why is it only concerned with observable stimulus-response behaviours?
-because they can be studied in a systematic and observable manner
What are the key assumptions?
-behaviour should be studied in an objective way to make psychology a science
-all behaviour is a result of learning from the environment
-behaviour is the result of stimulus response
-only observable behaviour should be studied
-little difference between the learning that takes place in humans and other animals
What is classical conditioning?
it refers to learning by association, and involves the conditioning of innate bodily reflexes with new stimuli
What is an unconditioned stimulus?
a thing that naturally causes the unconditioned response
What is an unconditioned response?
a natural response to the unconditioned stimulus
What is the neutral stimulus?
a thing that doesn’t naturally produce the unconditioned response
What is the conditioned stimulus?
once the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus have been paired several times, the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus
What is the conditioned response?
the learnt response to the conditioned stimulus
Pavlov’s Experiment
-Ivan Pavlov showed that dogs could be classically conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell, if that sound was repeatedly presented while they were given food
-First presented with the sound of a bell- did not salivate- neutral stimulus
-Presented with food- salivated- food was unconditioned stimulus and salvation was an unconditioned response
-Pavlov then repeatedly presented the dogs with the sound of the bell first and then the food (pairing) after a few repetitions, the dogs salivated when they heard the sound of the bell.
-The bell had become the conditioned stimulus and salivation had become the conditioned response.
What are examples of classical conditioning applied to real life?
-taste aversion
-learned emotions
-advertising
-phobias
What is generalisation?
showing the conditioned response in response to things resembling the conditioned stimulus
What is discrimination?
only showing the conditioned response in response to a very particular situation
What is extinction?
if the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response may stop
What is spontaneous recovery?
-after extinction, it doesn’t take many responses for the conditioned response to begin again
What is operant conditioning?
Skinner argued for this.
The active learning process that involves humans and animals animals ‘operating’ on their environment to see the consequences.
Good consequence- more likely to repeat behaviour in the future.
Bad consequence- less likely to repeat behaviour in the future.
What is positive reinforcement?
A positive outcome following a behaviour.
Increases behaviour.
What is negative reinforcement?
A behaviour that leads to the removal of something negative.
Increases behaviour.
e.g. wearing sunscreen to avoid sunburn
What is punishment?
A circumstance whereby a behaviour is followed by a negative consequence.
Decreases behaviour.
e.g. being grounded
What is the difference between a positive and negative punishment?
A positive punishment is when something negative is administrated.
A negative punishment is the removal of something positive.
What is a Skinner box?
It allows the researcher to test operant conditioning by isolating the subject from the external environment and has a behaviour indicator, such as a lever or a button.
What happens in the Skinner box?
A rat is being positively reinforced (fed) for pushing a lever
This causes the lever pushing to increase
In another study… rats were electrocuted until they pressed they lever
This increased lever pressing (negative reinforcement)
What have commentators compared the Skinner box to?
-They’ve drawn parallels between the Skinner box and modern advertising and game design, citing their addictive qualities and systematised rewards
Ping-pong pigeons research
-pigeons were positively reinforced for ‘winning’ the game
-this increased participation
Superstitious pigeons research
-pigeons were rewarded (fed) at random times
-they started doing strange things (e.g. turning in circles, flapping their wings)
-they had been doing these things by chance when they were rewarded so they thought that these actions would result in food
What is partial reinforcement?
This occurs when reinforcement is only given under a particular circumstance
What is a fixed ratio schedule?
-reinforcement depends on a definite number of responses
-activity slows after reinforcement and then picks back up
e.g. a rat is given a food pellet after pressing a lever 10 times
What is a variable ratio schedule?
-number of responses needed for reinforcement varies
-outcome- greatest activity of all schedules
e.g. a slot machine pays out after a random number of plays
What is a fixed interval schedule?
-reinforcement depends on a fixed time
-outcome- activity increases deadline nears
e.g. a child
What are the strengths of behaviourism?
-objective measurement, which can be replicated and peer reviewed
-real life application e.g. behaviour therapies
-clear predictions that can be scientifically tested
-increased our understanding of phobias and attachment
What experimental support does behaviourism have?
What are the weaknesses of behaviorism?
-ignores mediational processes
-reductionist- ignores biology
-deterministic- largely ignores free will
-experiments- low ecological validity
-humanism- can’t compare animals to humans
-freud- people aren’t born a blank slate
