Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
Behaviourism
Watson’s Behaviourist Manifesto (1913):
1) Behaviour is a response to environmental stimulus.
2) Behaviourism is only concerned with observable stimulus-response behaviours.
3) This can be studied in a systematic & objective way.
EXTRA POINTS:
1) Focus on studying observable & measurable behaviour only.
2) Not concerned with mental processes of the mind.
3) Rejected introspection as its concepts were vague & difficult to measure/ unobservable.
Controlled Lab Studies
1) They tried to maintain more control & objectivity within their research –> so relied on lab studies.
Use of Animals Studies
1) They suggest the processes that govern learning are the same in all species, so animals (e.g. rats) can replace humans as experimental subjects.
2 Types of Conditioning
1) Classical conditioning via association.
2) Operant conditioning via consequences.
Classical Conditioning
Learning by association. This occurs when 2 stimuli are repeatedly paired together, these are the UCS & a NS. The NS eventually produces the same response first produced by the UCS alone.
Pavlov Process
1) Pavlov surgically implanted tubes inside dogs’ cheeks to collect saliva and measured the amount of saliva produced in response to various foods.
2) Observed that dogs began to salivate not only at the taste of food, but also at the sight of food and an empty food bowl.
Pavlov’s Dogs
Conditioning dogs to salivate when bell rings.
Before Conditioning:
1) Food (UCS) –> Salivation (UCR)
Bell (NS) –> No response
During Conditioning:
2) Bell (NS) + Food (UCS) –> Salivation (UCR)
After Conditioning:
3) Bell (CS) –> Salivation (CR)
Pavlov showed how a neutral stimulus can come to elicit a new learned response through association.
Watson and Rayner - Little Albert study
1) ‘Little Albert’, in common with most small children, displayed a fear response when he heard a loud noise.
2) They made a loud noise (UCS) by hitting a steel bar with a hammer behind him –> fear (UCR).
3) Originally showed no fear of the white rat (NS) but after several pairing of the loud noise (UCS) and the white rat (NS), he displayed fear (CR) in response to just the white rat.
4) Was conditioned to associate white rats with fear but generalised this fear to other white fluffy things.
Limitation of ‘Little Albert’
GENERALISABILITY
Case Studies produce in-depth and detailed examinations of individual, BUT it lacks population validity - often based on a unique individual so difficult to generalise to wider population.
Operant Conditioning
Learning by consequences. Likelihood of repeating any given behaviour depends on consequences:
1) Reinforcement = more likely to repeat.
- Positive: receiving a reward when behaviour is performed. (e.g. doing dishes - get money)
- Negative: Avoiding smthin unpleasant when a behaviour is performed. (e.g. doing dishes - avoid scolding)
2) Punishment = less likely to repeat.
- An unpleasant consequence of behaviour.
Schedule of Reinforcement - how often a reward is given.
Skinner’s Box Experiment
Hungry rat/pigeon placed in box & conditioned to perform a behaviour by reinforcement.
1) When rat activated a lever (or a pigeon pecked a disc) it was rewarded with food pellet –> desired consequence so behaviour was repeated. (positive reinforcement)
2) Criticisms:
- Unethical: animals housed in harsh conditions & kept below natural weight to keep them hungry.
- Cannot extrapolate the findings of animal experimentation to humans as we are more complex animals.
2 Strengths of B
USES WELL-CONTROLLED RESEARCH
1) Focus on careful measurement of observable behaviour within controlled lab settings –> suggests behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility.
BEHAVIOURIST LAWS OF LEARNING HAS REAL-WORLD APPLICATION
2) Principles of conditioning have been applied to a broad range of real-world behaviours & problems (e.g. token economy systems rewards appropriate behaviour with tokens that are exchanged for privileges - operant con) –> increases value of B approach as it has widespread application.
Limitation of B
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM:
1) Sees behaviour as determined by past experiences that’ve been conditioned & ignores any influence of free will on behaviour –> Skinner
Limitation of B
ETHICAL ISSUES
1) In Skinner’s box experiment, the animals were housed in harsh cramped conditions and deliberately kept below their natural weight so they were always hungry.
Limitation of Animal Studies
Cannot extrapolate the findings of animal experimentation to humans as we are more complex animals.
