Behaviourist Approach

Question 1

ISSUES AND DEBATES

Answer 1

Environmental determinism
Nurture
Environmental reductionism
Nomothetic
Scientific
Real world application

Question 2

Environmental determinism

Answer 2

The behaviourist approach suggests that behaviour is determined by stimulus-response conditioning (e.g. classical/operant conditioning).

Question 3

Nurture

Answer 3

The behaviourist approach argues that human beings are born as a tabula rasa (blank slate) and behaviour is learned.

Question 4

Environmental reductionism

Answer 4

The behaviourist approach reduces behaviour to simple stimulus-response associations.

Question 5

Nomothetic

Answer 5

The behaviourist approach creates general laws of behaviour (cause & effect, stimulus-response relationships) and uses laboratory experiments to generate quantitative data to make generalisations.

Question 6

Scientific

Answer 6

The behaviourist approach utilises scientific methods to investigate key concepts like classical/operant conditioning

Question 7

Real world application

Answer 7

The behaviourist approach has led to the development of numerous treatments, like systematic desensitisation, flooding and aversion therapy.