Behaviourist approach

Question 1

What is Pavlov’s research (1927)

Answer 1

he investigated the salivary reflex in dogs and found out that they not only salivated when food was placed in their mouths but also salivated when stimuli that coincided with the presence of food (i.e presence of a food bowl)

Question 2

Explain Pavlov’s research in terms of conditioning

Answer 2

UCS = food UCR = salivate = before learning
NS = bell = UCR = no salivation = before learning

UCS +NS (bell and food) = UCR = no salivating = during learning

CS= bell = CR = salivate = after learning

Question 3

Explain Skinner’s research (1938)

Answer 3

Developed a cage in order to investigate operant conditioning in rats
The rat moves around the cage and when it accidentally presses the lever a food pellet (reinforcer) falls into the cage
In no time at all the hungry rat begins pressing the lever to obtain food
If the food pellet stops the rat presses the lever a few more times and abandons it (extinction)

Question 4

Name an evaluation that links to the behaviourist approach

Answer 4

Over-reliance on non-humans in animal research
Critics believe that the over-reliance on rats and pigeons in Skinner’s study tells us little information about human behaviour
They claim that unlike non animals human beings have free will rather than our behaviour determined by positive/ negative reinforcement
However Skinner argues that free will is an illusion and what we believe is free will are actually the product of external influences that guide our behaviour on a daily basis

Question 5

Name an evaluation that links to the behaviourist approach

Answer 5

Over-reliance on non-humans in animal research
Critics believe that the over-reliance on rats and pigeons in Skinner’s study tells us little information about human behaviour
They claim that unlike non animals human beings have free will rather than our behaviour determined by positive/ negative reinforcement
However Skinner argues that free will is an illusion and what we believe is free will are actually the product of external influences that guide our behaviour on a daily basis

Question 6

Name an evaluation point for the behaviourist approach

Answer 6

Behaviourist have ignored other explanations such as the emphasise of cognitive factors and emotional states
Treating human beings as a product of their conditioning alone means we ignore the evidence for the role of other factors in behaviour
However Skinner rejected this claim arguing that these internal states scientifically untestable

Question 7

name an evaluation point for the behaviourist approach

Answer 7

Skinner’s research was based on experimental methods that used controlled conditions to discover a possible casual relationship between behaviours
By manipulating the independent variable (the consequence of behaviour) he was able to accurately measure the dependent variable (effects on the rats behaviour)

Question 8

Name an evaluation point for classical conditioning

Answer 8

it is only appropriate for some learning
Seligman proposed the concept of preparedness to explain this
Animals are prepared to learn associations that are beneficial for their survival (associating the smell of meat with food) yet are unprepared to learn associations that are insignificant ( associating a bell with the sound of food)

Question 9

what is the behaviourist approach?

Answer 9

the belief that certain behaviours could be explained in terms of a basic form of learning know as conditioning