behaviourist

Question 1

What does the behaviourist approach focus on?

Answer 1

observable behavior that can be scientifically measured in highly controlled environments

Question 2

Assumptions?

Answer 2

when we are born our minds are blank slates.
all behavior is learned from the environment.
behavior is result of stimulus response.

Question 3

Who was behind classical conditioning?

Answer 3

Pavlov

Question 4

What did Pavlov claim about how behavior is learned?

Answer 4

by association

Question 5

What did Pavlov use to investigate CC?

Answer 5

With dogs

Question 6

What was the UCS in Pavlovs experiment?

Answer 6

meat

Question 7

What was the UCR

Answer 7

salivation

Question 8

What was the NS?

Answer 8

The bell/tone

Question 9

What was the CR?

Answer 9

Salivation

Question 10

What was the CS?

Answer 10

The sound of the bell/tone

Question 11

What is the process for classical conditioning?

Answer 11

-Establish that UCS elicits the UCR
-Establish that the NS does not elicit the UCR
-Present the UCS with the NS
- After enough pairings the NS becomes the CS and will elicit the CR which is the same as the UCR

Question 12

Which abbreviations are the same ?

Answer 12

UCR and CR
NS and CS

Question 13

What type of conditioning does the Little Albert Experiment show?

Answer 13

Classical Conditioning

Question 14

What was each stimulus/response for Little Albert?

Answer 14

CR= fear
CS= mice
NS= mouse
UCR= loud sound
UCS= fear

Question 15

Who studied Little Albert?

Answer 15

Watson and Rayner

Question 16

Who studied Operant Conditioning?

Answer 16

Skinner

Question 17

What did Skinner claim about Operant Conditioning?

Answer 17

Claimed all behavior is learnt as a result of consequences in our environment

Question 18

What is reinforcement?

Answer 18

A consequence that increases the likelihood of the behaviour repeating

Question 19

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 19

Giving the person/animal something desirable

Question 20

What is an example of positive reinforcement?

Answer 20

pocket money, stickers, treats

Question 21

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 21

taking away something negative

Question 22

What is an example of negative reinforcement?

Answer 22

Getting up from bed to avoid the noisy alarm, giving a dog a bone to avoid it from barking (you are being reinforced)

Question 23

What is a punishment?

Answer 23

A consequence that reduces the likelihood of the behaviour repeating?

Question 24

What is positive punishment?

Answer 24

Receiving something unpleasant

Question 25

What is an example of positive punishment?

Answer 25

Fine, detention

Question 26

What is a negative punishment?

Answer 26

Having something positive taken off you

Question 27

What is an example of negative punishment?

Answer 27

Phone taken away, favourite toy taken away

Question 28

How was Operant Conditioning investigated?

Answer 28

-With pigeons
- Pigeons kept underweight to make sure they ha incentive
- Pigeons had to peck at certain spot (e.g a button) and after a successful push/ a couple successful pushes, they would be given food.
- This is an example of positive reinforcement

Question 29

What are the strengths of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 29

-real world applications
-based on well-controlled/ reliable research

Question 30

What are the limitations of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 30

-unethical experiments
-oversimplified learning process

Question 31

Explain the strength of the Behaviourist Approach that there is real-world applications

Answer 31

-Operant conditioning has real-world applications in settings such as prisons and psychiatric wards.
-Operant conditioning is used for token economy, in which is a prisoner etc shows good behaviour, then they receive a token which can be exchanged for certain privileges.
-This is an example of positive reinforcement.

Question 32

Explain the strength of the Behaviourist Approach that it is based on well controlled research.

Answer 32

-Behaviourists focused on the measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings.
-By breaking down behaviour into basic stimulus-response, all other possible extraneous variables were removed, allowing cause-and-effect relationships to be established.
-For instance, Skinner was able to clearly demonstrate how reinforcement influenced an animal’s behaviour.
-This suggests that behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility.

Question 33

Explain the limitation of the Behaviourist Approach that experiments may be seen as unethical.

Answer 33

-For example, Little Albert, (who was conditioned to have a phobia of mice and other similar things such as cotton wool) was never de-conditioned which could have caused severe psychological harm especially as he grew up.
-Another example is how Skinner’s pigeons were also kept underfed and below weight. This shows failure to protect subjects from physical harm, and could have caused the pigeons severe problems.

Question 34

Explain the limitation that the behaviourist approach may have oversimplified the learning process

Answer 34

-By reducing behaviour to such simple components, behaviourists may have ignored an important influence on learning - that of human thought.
-Other approaches, such as social learning theory and the cognitive approach have drawn attention to the mental processes involved in learning.
-This suggests that learning is more complex than observable behaviour alone, and that private mental processes are also essential.