behaviourism Flashcards
What are the assumptions of the behaviourist approach?
1) All behaviour is learned
2) All behaviour can be unlearned
3) Normal behaviour is learned the same way as abnormal behaviour
What kind of results are produced in the behaviourist approach?
Objective, measurable results
What are the two main types of learning called?
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
when a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus in order to make the subject associate them and in turn make an involuntary conditioned response when presented with the newly conditioned stimulus.
Name two studies which demonstrate classical conditioning
- Pavlov’s Dog (Ivan Pavlov)
- Little Albert (John Watson)
What is operant conditioning?
When a certain action or behaviour is repeatedly followed up by a particular consequence in order to encourage or discourage that behaviour.
Explain the four types of operant conditioning
- Positive (…)- operant conditioning through giving something
- Negative (…)- operant conditioning through taking something
- (…) reinforcement- the encouragement of a behaviour
- (…) punishment- the discouragement of a behaviour
What is a real-life application of operant conditioning?
Token economies or rewards systems (often within schools or prisons)
What are some benefits of the behaviourist approach?
- Scientific credibility (uses the scientific method)
- Real life applications
- Tests usually done in a controlled environment (few extraneous variables)
What are some limitations of the behaviourist approach
- Ignores internal mental processes (stimulus-response)
- Environmental determinism (no free will)
- A lot of ethical issues (testing on children and animals)
- large amounts of testing on animals and young children means that results can be inaccurate when applied to humans
What is the term used to describe when results from tests used on animals are applied to humans?
Generalisation
