behaviourism Flashcards
What do Behaviourists believe?
Behaviour should be observable and measurable
what do behaviourists believe about animals?
animal behaviour is comparable to human behaviour
Where do behaviourists believe behaviour is learned from?
the environment
What do behaviourists refer to humans as?
tabula rasa
what language is ‘tabula rasa’?
latin
what does ‘tabula rasa’ mean?
blank slate
when are humans tabula rasa?
when we are born, when we come into the world
How many approaches do the behaviourists believe in?
2
What are the 2 behaviourist approaches?
classical conditioning and operant conditioning
What did Ivan Pavlov study?
Classical conditioning (behaviourism)
What did BF Skinner study?
Operant conditioning (behaviourism)
Who was Ivan Pavlov?
a russian scientist who won the nobel prize for his research into the digestive system of dogs
What is classical conditioning?
learning through association
What did Ivan Pavlov want to test about classical conditioning?
if he could get a dog to salivate from just hearing the sound of a bell and not when the food was presented
What stimulus in classical conditioning elicits no response?
neutral stimulus (bell)
What stimulus in classical conditioning elicits an unconditioned response?
an unconditioned stimulus (dog food->dog salivates unconsciously/ not learned)
What is created when a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditional stimulus ?
a conditioned stimulus (dog has learned it gets food when bell rings so salivates when it hears the sound of the bell)
what does classical conditioning apply to?
involuntary reflex behaviours
Is there generalisation in classical conditioning?
yes- volume or pitch of bell could change but dogs would still salivate as long as the bell sounded similar.
Is there discrimination in classical conditioning?
yes. if bell sound gets to dissimilar dogs will no longer salivate
Is there extinction in classical conditioning?
yes. if the bell keeps being rung with no food presented, the dogs will stop salivating at the bell as they are no longer associated together.
What is extinction in classical conditioning?
the gradual weakening of a conditioned response
What is discrimination in classical conditioning?
The sound becomes too different
What is generalisation in classical conditioning?
conditioned stimulus (bell) is generalised to other sounds
What is spontaneous discovery in classical conditioning?
sudden display of behaviour that was thought to to be extinct
What project did BF skinner run?
project pigeon
What did there government as BF skinner to create?
a pigeon led bomb
What did BF Skinner find about Ivan Pavlovs stimulus- response reaction?
it was not enough when it came to human behaviour
What did BF skinner believe?
behaviour is determined by its consequence, and shaped and maintained by its consequence
What is operant conditioning?
learning through consequence
What is reinforcement?
A consequence that INCREASES the likelihood of a particular behaviour being repeated.
What is punishment?
A consequence that DECREASES the likelihood of a particular behaviour being repeated.
Does reinforcement strengthen or weaken a behaviour?
strengthen
Does punishment strengthen or weaken a behaviour?
weaken
What two animals did BF Skinner study more intensely?
pigeons and rats
What was the box called that Skinner used to test punishment and reinforcement on rats?
Skinner box
What does operant conditioning apply to?
voluntary response
What is continuous reinforcement?
when behaviour is reinforced every time it happens
What is partial reinforcement?
when behaviour is reinforced some of the time
What type of reinforcement works less over time (extinction)
continuous reinforcement?
What type of enforcement is more resistant to extinction?
partial reinforcement
What is ratio?
number of responses
What is interval?
amount of time
What is fixed?
stays the same
What is variable?
changes
What is fixed ratio schedule?
Reinforcement is given after a fixed number of responses / behaviours has occurred.
What is varied ratio schedule?
Reinforcement is given after a varying number of responses / behaviours has occurred.
What is fixed interval schedule?
Reinforcement is given after a fixed amount of time elapses following the behaviour being performed.
What is variable interval schedule?
Reinforcement is given after a varying amount of time elapses following the behaviour being performed.
