Behaviourism (AP P2)

Question 1

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 1

• Learning through association
• First demonstrated by Pavlov: showed that a neutral stimulus can come to elicit a new learned (conditioned) response through association

Question 2

Main findings of Pavlov’s research

Answer 2

• 1927
• Showed how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if the sound was repeatedly presented at the same time they’re given food
• Dogs learned to associate the sound of a bell (stimulus) with the food (another stimulus) and would produce the salivation response every time they heard the sound

Question 3

What is a neutral stimulus (NS)?

Answer 3

• An event that does not produce a response
• White rat

Question 4

What is an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?

Answer 4

• An event that produces an innate, unlearned reflex response
• Loud noise

Question 5

What is an unconditioned response (UCR)?

Answer 5

• Innate, unlearned reflex behaviour that is produced when exposed to an unconditioned stimulus
• Fear of the loud noise

Question 6

What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?

Answer 6

• An event that produces a learned response
• White rat

Question 7

What is a conditioned response (CR)?

Answer 7

• A learned behaviour that is produced when exposed to a conditioned stimulus
• Fear of the white rat

Question 8

What is timing?

Answer 8

Stimuli must be presented at the same time otherwise they won’t be paired

Question 9

What is stimulus generalisation?

Answer 9

Generalise stimulus to things that are similar to it

Question 10

What is extinction?

Answer 10

• Reversing the conditioning by presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus
• Over time the association will be broken

Question 11

What is spontaneous recovery?

Answer 11

• Once extinction has occurred, the connection suddenly recovers spontaneously
• Link between CS and UCS is made much more quickly

Question 12

What was the Little Albert Experiment?

Answer 12

• Conducted by Watson and Rayner 1920
• 9 month old infant shown a white rat/rabbit/monkey/various masks, was unemotional (no fear)
• Hammer being struck against a steel bar caused a fear response (crying)
• White rat and sound presented at same time 7 times over 7 weeks, caused a fear response
• When the rat was presented without the sound, a fear response still occurred
• Albert also developed phobias of objects which shared characteristics with the rat (stimulus generalisation)

Question 13

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 13

• Form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences
• Includes positive reinforcement, nagative reinforcement and punishment

Question 14

Skinner box experiment

Answer 14

• Conducted experiments with rats/pigeons in specially designed cages called skinner boxes
• Every time the rat activated a lever (or pecked a disk in the case of the pigeon) within the box it would be rewarded with a good pellet
• The animal would continue to perform the behaviours
• Animals could be conditioned to perform the same behaviour to avoid an unpleasant stimulus e.g. an electric shock

Question 15

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 15

• Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed
• e.g. praise from a teacher for answering a question correctly in class

Question 16

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 16

• Avoids something unpleasant and the outcome is a positive experience
• e.g. the student hands in homework so as not to be told off by the teacher
• Rat may learn that pressing a lever leads to avoidance of an electric shock through negative reinforcement

Question 17

What is a punishment?

Answer 17

• An unpleasant consequence of a behaviour
• Finding a way to avoid this is called negative reinforcement
• Positive: add something unpleasant
• Negative: remove something pleasant

Question 18

What is a Token Economy

Answer 18

• Operant conditioning is the basis of two ken economy systems
• Work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges
• Successful in institutions such as prisons and psychiatric wards

Question 19

Scientific credibility (evaluation of Behaviourism)

Answer 19

• Strength
• Falsifiable, objective, replicable, empirical
• Doesn’t rely on subjective interpretation
• Behaviourists have broken down behaviours into stimulus: response units and studied casual relationships, suggests behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility
• However: may be oversimplifying learning and ignoring important influences on behaviour

Question 20

Nature/nurture (evaluation of Behaviourism)

Answer 20

• Limitation
• Nature: influence of physiology and pre-natal information on our behaviour and development, e.g genetics/brain structure
• Nurture: influence of our experiences and environment on our behaviour and development, e.g peers/media
• Behaviourist approach sees all behaviour as learnt (nurture) and ignores/overlooks any biological/innate factors

Question 21

Use of animals (evaluation of Behaviourism)

Answer 21

• Limitation
• Animals can’t give consent (unethical)
• Issue of generalisability: human experience of vastly different to animal’s
• Using non-humans in experiments gives more control over the process without demand characteristics or individual differences influencing findings
• Can’t consent so makes it easier for researchers as the animals don’t have a choice