Behaviourist Approach

Question 1

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 1

Learning to respond automatically to a stimulus that doesn’t normally cause a reflex response

Question 2

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 2

Learning to perform a behaviour based on what consequences they received previously for that behaviour

Question 3

What did Pavlov’s study include?

Answer 3

Classical Conditioning - Dogs and Bells

Question 4

What are the 3 key behaviourist assumptions?

Answer 4

1) People learn how to behave environmentally
2) Only measurable behaviour should be studied
3) Animals can be used in research

Question 5

What are the 2 key theories for the behaviourist approach?

Answer 5

Classical and Operant Conditioning

Question 6

Explain Pavlov’s study in the steps of classical conditioning

Answer 6

Bell (NS) -> no response
Food (UCS) -> Salivation (UCR)

Bell + Food -> Salivation

Bell (CS) -> Salivation (CR)

Question 7

What are the steps of Classical Conditioning?

Answer 7

UCS -> UCR
UCS + NS -> UCR
CS -> CR

Question 8

Who developed the Operant Conditioning Theory?

Answer 8

Skinner

Question 9

What do the letters used in the steps of classical conditioning stand for?

Answer 9

UCS (Unconditioned Stimulus)
UCR (Unconditioned Response)
NS (Neutral Stimulus)
CS (Control Stimulus)
CR (Control Response)

Question 10

What study did Watson perform? What Theory was he trying to prove?

Answer 10

Little Albert - Classical Conditioning

Question 11

What was the Little Albert experiment?

Answer 11

• Baby Albert presented with potentially dangerous objects (e.g. rats) but shows no signs of fear.
• Baby Albert is then shown these objects again with the presence of a loud bang.
• Baby Albert becomes afraid of these objects

Question 12

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Little Albert experiment?

Answer 12

+ Watson proved that we can attach fear to anything and most fears and phobias are learned

• Ethical Concerns - ‘protection from harm’
• Poor Population Validity

Question 13

What is the key word used in classical conditioning?

Answer 13

Association

Question 14

What is extinction?

Answer 14

When a behaviour is no longer repeated anymore due to lack of reinforcement and so becomes extinct

Question 15

What is Time Continuity in classical conditioning?

Answer 15

The association only occurs if the neutral and unconditioned stimulus are paired together close in time

Question 16

What is Stimulus Generalisation? (Classical Conditioning)

Answer 16

The NS can vary slightly and the CR will still occur

Question 17

What is stimulus Discrimination? (Classical Conditioning)

Answer 17

If a new neutral object differs too much from the original CS, the CR will not generalise/occur

Question 18

What did the Bobo Doll Experiment include?

Answer 18

• 72 Children (36 male, 36 female)
• Some witnessed an aggressive role model and others witnessed a non-aggressive role model play with a bobo doll.
• Some children had same sex role models while others had those of a different sex.
• The children were then taken to a room with toys but told they couldn’t play with them (to incite a bit of aggression / frustration)
• Finally, the children were taken into another room with a bobo doll and observed to see weather they imitated the role model’s behaviour.

Question 19

What did the Skinner box include?

Answer 19

• a rat
• a lever which triggers the release of a pellet of food
• lights and speakers which act as cues
• a floor that can give an electric shock

Question 20

What experiment did Bandura perform? (SLT)

Answer 20

The Bobo doll experiment

Question 21

What are the 4 words used in Operant Conditioning? What do they mean?

Answer 21

Reinforcement - increases the repetition of behaviour
Punishment - decreases the repetition of behaviour

Positive - Something is given
Negative - Something is removed

Question 22

What are the 4 Mediational processes in Social Learning Theory?

Answer 22

1) Attention
2) Retention
3) Reproduction
4) Motivation

Question 23

What factors of a role model can increase the likelihood of a behaviour being imitated?

Answer 23

• The same Gender
• Similar Age
• Powerful / High status
• Friendly / Likeable

Question 24

What is Social Learning Theory?

Answer 24

When we learn through observing and imitating role models - a process called modelling

Question 25

What is Shaping? (Operant Conditioning)

Answer 25

When behaviours are learned by reinforcing successively closer behaviours to the desired performance - the behaviour is ‘shaped’

Question 26

What is it called when a learner sees a model rewarded for their behaviour, causing the learner to copy it?

Answer 26

Vicarious Reinforcement

Question 27

What is it called when a learner sees a model punished for a behaviour and so avoids it?

Answer 27

Vicarious Punishment

Question 28

What is the difference between Operant Conditioning and Social Learning Theory (SLT)?

Answer 28

OC - Where a person learns through the rewards they themselves receive for their behaviour
SLT - Where a person learns by observing other people receiving rewards for their behaviour

Question 29

What were the findings of the Bobo Doll experiment?

Answer 29

• Those who witnessed an aggressive role model behaved more aggressively.
• Same sex role models produced the most aggression.
• Boys showed more physical aggression.

Question 30

What was the Bobo Doll Experiment variation by Bandura and Walters? What was their findings?

Answer 30

Children witnessed the role model either get rewarded, punished or no consequence for their behaviour after playing with the doll.

Findings:

• Children that witnessed the model get rewarded showed the highest amounts of aggression.
• Those who witnessed the model get punished had the lowest.