BEHAVIOURIST

Question 1

ASSUMPTIONS

Answer 1

• Behaviour is learned from the environment we grew up in from birth, this also puts behaviourism at the extreme of the ‘nurture’ and ‘nature’ debate.
• Behaviour is learnt through imitation and the Social Learning Theory: children learn behaviour through observing and imitating others.
• Learning takes place through repeated associations
• Behaviour is only observable (external) and only objective behaviour is studied, this is behaviour that can be seen and measured. Thoughts and anything about the mind is not measured as this will become subjective.
• The only method of value is scientific and the experimental method.

Question 2

STRENGTHS

Answer 2

• The Behaviourist perspective is very influential in psychology
• Behavioural applications are also generally used in education and treatments for disorders such as phobias
• It is an empirical perspective which lends itself to scientific research

Question 3

WEAKNESS

Answer 3

• Is a mechanistic (machine-like) perspective which ignores consciousness, subjective experience, and emotions.
• Excludes the role of cognitive factors.
• Denies the role of innate factors
• Deterministic: behaviour is determined by the environment.
• Reductionist: reduces complex behaviour to stimulus-response links.
• Largely based on work with non-human animals. Behaviourists argue that the theory of evolution shows that human and non-human animals are quantitatively not qualitatively different and therefore such research is meaningful.
• Can lead to the use of behaviourist principles to control others (as in some prisons and psychiatric institutions) and this could be considered unethical.