Behaviourism

Question 1

Behaviourism essential features

Answer 1

Rejects conscious and unconscious mental processes as being non-scientific
Emphasis on overt behaviour and observable environmental factors

Question 2

What is Pavlov known for (1890-1930)

Answer 2

Investigated digestive system of dogs

Classical conditioning

Question 3

Who is JB Watson (1913)

Answer 3

American founder of behaviourism

Question 4

Classical conditioning

Answer 4

Behaviours could be learned through conditioned associations (e.g. dog salivating)

Question 5

Classical conditioning process

Answer 5

Unconditioned stimulus
Unconditioned response
Conditioned stimulus
Conditioned response

Question 6

What did Watson and his followers construct learning as?

Answer 6

The process of strengthening the connections between a stimulus and a response

Question 7

Extinction (classical conditioning )

Answer 7

Over time if the conditioned stimulus is present without the unconditioned stimulus then the conditioned response ceases

Question 8

Generalisation (classical conditioning)

Answer 8

Once conditioned, the tendency to associate stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus with the conditioned response

Question 9

Discrimination

Answer 9

The ability to distinguish between stimuli that are different but similar, to the conditioned stimulus

Question 10

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 10

Reappearance of he conditioned response after a rest period or period of lessened response

Question 11

What is skinner known for

Answer 11

The Skinner box

Emphasised that reinforcement was generally better than punishment or shaping behaviour

Question 12

Skinner- operant conditioning

Answer 12

Behaviour is conditioned through the rewards or punishments that are associated with behaviour

Question 13

What is Thorndike known for (1911)

Answer 13

Thronidke’s law of effect (cat in the box)

Question 14

What do both operant and classical conditioning do?

Answer 14

Alter behaviour through learning

Question 15

What is a reinforcer

Answer 15

Events than increase the likelihood of a behaviour following its occurrence

Question 16

Positive reinforcers

Answer 16

Pleasant outcomes following behaviour

Question 17

Negative reinforcers

Answer 17

Remove or mitigate unpleasant outcomes following behaviour

Question 18

Continuous reinforcement

Answer 18

Each time operant behaviour is undertaken it is reinforced

Question 19

Variable reinforcement

Answer 19

Some, but not every, operant behaviour is reinforced

Question 20

Prefrontal cortex

Answer 20

The part of the brain that is activated when the operant task begins

Question 21

Basal ganglia

Answer 21

The part of the brain that indicates that the behaviour is more habit driven than expectation driven

Question 22

What is Bandura known for? 1977

Answer 22

Social learning theory:
Observational learning
Imitation
Modelling

Question 23

What does the social learning theory suggest

Answer 23

We learn by observing the behaviour of others and the outcome of those behaviours (bobo doll 1961)

Question 24

Principles of social learning theory

Answer 24

Learning can occur without an observable change in behaviour
Cognition has a part in our learning

Question 25

Social learning processes

Answer 25

Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation