Behaviourist Flashcards
Behaviourists
Believe we are born on blank slates
This means that all behaviour is learned from the environment.
Behaviourists are only interested in observable behaviour
It’s not concerned with internal mental processes
Operant conditioning
Learning through consequences
Positive reinforcement
Receiving a reward when a positive behaviour is performed, increases the likelihood behaviour will be repeated
Negative reinforcement
Performing a behaviour to avoid something unpleasant, increases the likelihood behaviour will be repeated
Punishment
An unpleasant consequence for behaviour, decreases likelihood behaviour will be repeated
Skinners rat
-controlled environment
-placed rats in a box and used lights and levers the rat had to press a lever to open a food tray
-there would also shocks that would stop when the rat pressed the lever
Stimulus-response bond
Learning what consequence the behaviour leads to all behaviours, no matter how complex can be reduced
Weakness - ethical issues
The rats were shocked and they are comparing rats to humans therefore it’s not accurate
Strength - controlled environment
High validity as it took place in a lab
Classical conditioning
Learning through association
Pavlov’s dog
Showed that food could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time that they were given food.
Real life app - Token economies and Aversion therapy
Token economies
form of operant conditioning
tokens are secondary reinforcement and act as a reward for good behaviour
Aversion therapy
based on classical conditioning to treat addition
uses the same principle but changes the association and replaces the pleasure with an unpleasant state
Reductionism
Doesn’t look at the biology
Deterministic
believe that behaviour is determined and ignores the influence of free will
