Behaviourist Approach

Question 1

Behaviourist approach

Answer 1

an approach explaining behaviour and suggests that all behaviour is acquired and maintained through classical and operant conditioning

Question 2

Behaviourist

Answer 2

Believes that human behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without the need to consider thoughts or feelings.

Question 3

Who researched into classical conditioning

Answer 3

Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov in (1927)

Question 4

What was Pavlov aim of the study?

Answer 4

To investigate the salivary reflex in dogs when he noticed that animals not only salivate when theres food but when the stimuli was joined with the presention of food.

Question 5

Classical conditioning

Answer 5

Combination of UCS and UCR. Pairing a NS with the UCS turns the NS into a CS and the UCR into a CR.

Question 6

Key features of forming an association:

Answer 6

Timing
Extinction
Spontaneous recovery
Stimulus generalisation

Question 7

Key features of forming an association:

Timing

Answer 7

NS needs to predict the UCS (order/interval)

Question 8

Key features of forming an association:

Extinction

Answer 8

Without the NS the CR is lost

Question 9

Key features of forming an association:

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 9

Spontaneous recovery – Re-pairing brings back the association

Question 10

Key features of forming an association:

Stimulus generation

Answer 10

similar to CS

Question 11

Draw the diagram of Pavlov’s research during and after conditioning.

Answer 11

UCS → UCR
Food Salivation

UCS + NS → UCR
Food + Bell Salivation

CS → CR
Bell Salivation

Question 12

Operant conditioning

Answer 12

Learning through reinforcement or punishment. if a behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence then that behaviour is more likely to occur again.

Question 13

Skinner 1938

Answer 13

interested in behaviours that are freely made rather than those that are reflex/reflexive. Created the ‘skinner box/ in order to investigate operant conditioning in rats.

Question 14

Positive reinforcement (Adding)

Answer 14

A behaviour is followed by giving a rewarding stimulus e.g. a merit or sweets

Question 15

Negative reinforcement (Taking away)

Answer 15

A behaviour is followed by taking away something unpleasant e.g. skipping the queue

Question 16

Reinforcement (Strengthing)

Answer 16

Anything that strengths a response and increases the likelihood of it occuring again in the future

Question 17

Positive punishment (Adding/giving)

Answer 17

A behaviour is followed by giving an unpleasant stimulus e.g. being shouted at

Question 18

Negative punishment (Taking away)

Answer 18

A behaviour is followed by taking away a pleasant stimulus e.g. confiscating your phone

Question 19

Punishment (Weakens)

Answer 19

Involves the application of an unpleasant consequence with the result that the behaviour is less likely to occur again in the future

Question 20

Strengths of the behaviourist approach

Systematic desensitation

Answer 20

It has successfully applied classical and operant conditioning to its theories. Systematic desensitisation is based on classical conditioning and is useful for treating phobias.

Question 21

Strengths of the behaviourist approach 2

Scientific methods

Answer 21

Uses scientific methods of research because the experiments are objective, measurable and observable. eg. Bandura’s bobo doll study of aggression. (able to control variables).

Question 22

Limitations of the behaviourist approach

Focus on nurture side

Answer 22

Focuses too much on the ‘nurture’ side of the nature/nurture debate. It suggests that all behaviour is learned but cognitive and biological elements have been proved to affect behaviour.

Question 23

Limitations of the behaviourist approach 2

Ethical issues raised by using animals in experiments

Answer 23

As animals can not consent to take part and are unable to withdraw. Eg.behaviourist animal study is Pavlov’s dogs which led to classical conditioning principles being developed.

Question 24

What and advantage of using scientific methods?

Answer 24

Able to discover a possible casual relationship between varables

Question 25

Evaluation AO3

(e.g. family: one member has a mental illness another family member gets one this could be down to environment or because of the illness running through family)

Answer 25

• Looks at environment which appears to have a strong effect on mental illnesses.
• but it could also be down to biological reasons Is not clear cut which one it is down to (either biological/behaviourism)

Question 26

Strengths of the behaviourist approach 3

Easy predictions

Answer 26

• provides simple, easily testable predictions about behaviour. eg. the effect of reinforcement on behaviour can be easily quantified.