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psychology > behaviourism > Flashcards

behaviourism Flashcards

1
Q

What are the assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

A

The behaviourist approach assumes that all behaviours are learned through interaction with the environment focusing on observable behaviours rather than internal mental processes.

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2
Q

What is classical conditioning?

A

Classical conditioning is a learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.

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3
Q

Who conducted research on classical conditioning?

A

Ivan Pavlov conducted research on classical conditioning.

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4
Q

What was Pavlov’s experiment on classical conditioning?

A

Pavlov demonstrated classical conditioning by pairing a neutral stimulus (a bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (food) causing dogs to salivate at the sound of the bell alone.

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5
Q

What is operant conditioning?

A

Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behaviour is influenced by consequences such as rewards and punishments.

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6
Q

Who is associated with research on operant conditioning?

A

B.F. Skinner is associated with research on operant conditioning.

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7
Q

What is positive reinforcement in operant conditioning?

A

Positive reinforcement involves giving a reward to increase the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.

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8
Q

What is negative reinforcement in operant conditioning?

A

Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.

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9
Q

What is punishment in operant conditioning?

A

Punishment is a consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.

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10
Q

What was Skinner’s research on operant conditioning?

A

Skinner used the ‘Skinner box’ to study how rewards (food) and punishments influenced animal behaviour demonstrating principles of operant conditioning.

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11
Q

What are examples of positive reinforcement?

A

Examples include giving a child a treat for completing homework or praising an employee for good performance.

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12
Q

What are examples of negative reinforcement?

A

Examples include turning off a loud alarm when a button is pressed or taking painkillers to relieve a headache.

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13
Q

What is a primary reinforcer?

A

A primary reinforcer satisfies a basic biological need such as food water or shelter.

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14
Q

What is a secondary reinforcer?

A

A secondary reinforcer is associated with a primary reinforcer such as money which can be used to obtain food or shelter.

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15
Q

What is extinction in operant conditioning?

A

Extinction occurs when a behaviour that was previously reinforced is no longer rewarded leading to a decrease in that behaviour over time.

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16
Q

What is spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?

A

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period.

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17
Q

What is discrimination in classical conditioning?

A

Discrimination occurs when a conditioned response is only elicited by a specific stimulus and not by similar stimuli.

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18
Q

What is generalisation in classical conditioning?

A

Generalisation occurs when a conditioned response is elicited by stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus.

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19
Q

What is shaping in operant conditioning?

A

Shaping is a process of reinforcing successive approximations of a target behaviour until the desired behaviour is achieved.

20
Q

What is a fixed-ratio schedule in operant conditioning?

A

A fixed-ratio schedule provides reinforcement after a set number of responses.

21
Q

What is a variable-ratio schedule in operant conditioning?

A

A variable-ratio schedule provides reinforcement after a random number of responses making the behaviour highly resistant to extinction.

22
Q

Term

A

Definition

23
Q

Skinner’s 1938 Experiment

A

B.F. Skinner conducted an experiment to demonstrate operant conditioning using rats in a ‘Skinner box.’ The rats learned to press a lever to receive a food reward or to avoid an electric shock.

24
Q

Positive Reinforcement

A

A process in which a behavior is strengthened by the presentation of a desirable stimulus after the behavior, such as food in Skinner’s experiment.

25
Q

Negative Reinforcement

A

A process in which a behavior is strengthened by the removal of an aversive stimulus, such as stopping an electric shock when the lever is pressed.

26
Q

Skinner Box

A

A controlled environment used to study animal behavior, equipped with a lever, food dispenser, and sometimes an electric grid for shocks.

27
Q

Strength of skinners box: Scientific Credibility

A

Skinner’s research was conducted under controlled experimental conditions, allowing precise measurement of behavior and cause-and-effect relationships.

28
Q

Strength of skinners box: Practical Applications

A

Operant conditioning principles have been applied in education, therapy, and behavior modification programs.

29
Q

Limitation of skinners box: Ethical Concerns

A

The use of animals in Skinner’s experiments raised ethical issues regarding stress and potential harm to the subjects.

30
Q

Limitation of skinners box: Oversimplification

A

Critics argue that Skinner’s focus on external behaviors ignores the role of internal mental processes and emotions.

31
Q

Generalization Issue in skinners box

A

Findings from animal studies may not be fully applicable to human behavior due to differences in cognitive complexity.

32
Q

Who conducted the Little Albert experiment and in what year?

A

Watson and Rayner in 1920.

33
Q

What was the aim of the Little Albert experiment?

A

To demonstrate that emotional responses such as fear can be conditioned.

34
Q

What type of conditioning was used in the Little Albert experiment?

A

Classical conditioning.

35
Q

Who was Little Albert?

A

A 9-month-old infant used in Watson and Rayner’s study.

36
Q

What stimuli were used in the experiment?

A

A white rat, a loud noise (striking a metal bar), and other objects like a rabbit and a fur coat.

37
Q

What was Little Albert’s response to the white rat before conditioning?

A

He showed no fear and was curious.

38
Q

What was paired during the conditioning phase of the experiment?

A

The white rat (neutral stimulus) was paired with a loud noise (unconditioned stimulus).

39
Q

What was Little Albert’s response to the white rat after conditioning?

A

He showed fear, crying, and trying to crawl away.

40
Q

What concept does the Little Albert experiment demonstrate?

A

Stimulus generalisation; Little Albert showed fear responses to similar stimuli like a rabbit and a fur coat.

41
Q

What are the ethical concerns related to the Little Albert experiment?

A

Lack of informed consent, failure to decondition fear, and potential psychological harm to Little Albert.

42
Q

What is a strength of the Little Albert experiment?

A

It provided empirical evidence for classical conditioning of emotional responses.

43
Q

What is a limitation regarding the sample in the Little Albert experiment?

A

The sample size was limited to one individual, reducing generalisability.

44
Q

What is a methodological criticism of the Little Albert experiment?

A

The study lacked control over extraneous variables, which might have influenced the results.

45
Q

What is a counterargument to the ethical criticism of the study?

A

At the time, ethical guidelines were not as established as they are today.

46
Q

What is a practical application of the findings from the Little Albert experiment?

A

Understanding the development of phobias and informing treatments like systematic desensitisation.

psychology (57 decks)

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